Dukes of Swabia

The following is a list of Dukes of Swabia in southwest Germany. Swabia was one of the five stem duchies of the medieval German kingdom, and its dukes were thus among the most powerful magnates of Germany. The most notable family to hold Swabia were the Hohenstaufen, who held it, with a brief interruption, from 1079 until 1268. For much of this period, the Hohenstaufen were also Holy Roman Emperors. With the death of Conradin, the last Hohenstaufen duke, the duchy itself disintegrated, although King Rudolf I attempted to revive it for his Habsburg family in the late-13th century. (Biographies below)

Dukes of Alamannia

Merovingian dukes

Butilin (539–554), with…
Leuthari I (before 552–554), with…
Haming (539–554), with…
Lantachar (until 548, Avenches diocese)
Magnachar (565, Avenches diocese)
Vaefar (573, Avenches diocese)
Theodefrid
Leutfred (until 588)
Uncilin (588–607)
Gunzo (613)
Chrodobert (630)
Leuthari II (642)
Gotfrid (until 709)
Willehari (709–712, in Ortenau)
Lantfrid (709–730)
Theudebald (709–744)

Dukes of Swabia

Miscellaneous house

Burchard I (909–911, Hunfriding)
Erchanger (915–917, Ahalolfinger)
Burchard II (917–926, Hunfriding)
Hermann I (926–949, Wetterau)
Liudolf (950–954, Ottonian)
Burchard III (954–973, Hunfriding)
Otto I (973–982, Ottonian)

House of Wetterau

Conrad I (982–997)
Hermann II (997–1003)
Hermann III (1003–12)

House of Babenberg

Ernest I (1012–15)
Ernest II (1015–30)
Hermann IV (1030–38)

Miscellaneous houses

Henry I (1038–45, Salian), King of the Romans from 1039 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1046
Otto II (1045–48, Ottonian)
Otto III (1048–57, Schweinfurt)
Rudolf I (1057–79, Wetterau/Rheinfelden)
Berthold I (1079–90, Wetterau/Rheinfelden)
Berthold II (1092–98, Zähringen)

House of Hohenstaufen

Frederick I (1079–1105)
Frederick II (1105–47)
Frederick III (1147–52), King of the Romans from 1152 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1155
Frederick IV (1152–67)
Frederick V (1167–70)
Frederick VI (1170–91)
Conrad II (1191–96)
Philip I (1196–1208), King from 1198

House of Guelph

Otto IV (1208–12), King of the Romans from 1208 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1209

Hohenstaufen restored

Frederick VII (1212–16), King of the Romans from 1212 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1220
Henry II (1216–35), King from 1220
Conrad III (1235–54), King from 1237
Conrad IV (Conradin) (1254–68), also King of Sicily and Jerusalem

House of Habsburg

Rudolf II (1289–90)
John (1290–1313

Biographies

Dukes of Alamannia

Merovingian dukes

Butilin (539–554), with…
Leuthari I (before 552–554), with…
Haming (539–554), with…
Lantachar (until 548, Avenches diocese)
Magnachar (565, Avenches diocese)
Vaefar (573, Avenches diocese)
Theodefrid - Theodefrid (Latin: Theodefridus) was the Frankish duke of the Alemanni in the Diocese of Avenches until 573, when Marius became bishop and took over the secular affairs of the diocese. Marius in his Chronicon mentioned five dukes that ruled Avenches between 548 and 573. Theodefrid was the last and a successor of Vaefar. Marius calls him a Frank, but Agathias has led some to believe he was an Aleman.
Leutfred (until 588) - Leutfred, Leutfried, or Leudefredus was the Duke of Alemannia from 570. He was deposed from his ducal office in 587 by the Frankish king Childebert II and replaced by Uncilin.
Uncilin (588–607) - Uncelen, Uncelin, or Uncilin (from Latin Uncelenus; died c. 613) was the Duke of Alemannia from 587 to 607. He was appointed to replace Leutfred by the Austrasian king Childebert II. On Childebert's death in 595, the Thurgau, Kembsgau, and Alsace passed to the Kingdom of Burgundy, then under the rule of Theuderic II.
In 605 Theuderic went to war with his brother Theudebert II, who ruled Austrasia. His army, which did not wish to go to war, he placed under the command of his majordomo Protadius with instructions to induce the soldiers to fight. The next year (606) at Quierzy-sur-Oise, Theuderic re-assembled the army, but the men once again refused to fight their countrymen and the king ordered Uncelen to coerce them. Uncelen, however, declared that the king had ordered the Protadius' death. The despised majordomo was promptly killed by the warriors and the king was forced to sign a treaty. Queen Brunhilda, who had induced Theuderic to war, had Uncelen's foot cut off. According to the Lex Alamannorum, a duke was only eligible for office if he could mount a horse. Being unable to continue exercising his office, Uncelen was removed.
Gunzo (613) - Gunzo (also Cunzo) was a 7th century duke of the Alamanni under Frankish sovereignty. His residence was at villa Iburninga (today's Überlingen) at Lake Constance. Gunzo was the father of Fridiburga, who was engaged to Frankish king Sigibert II (who was murdered in 613). Gunzo organized a synod in Konstanz in 635, which resulted in the election of deacon John of Grab as bishop of Constance, succeeding the deceased bishop Gaudentius. This event is the earliest certain attestation of Constance as an independent bishopric. It is disputed whether Gunzo ruled over all of Alemannia, or only over the eastern part. If the former is the case, he is to be identified either with Gundoin, the founder of the Moutier-Grandval monastery, or with the predecessor of the latter, duke Uncilin.
Chrodobert (630) - Chrodobert, Crodobert, or Crodebert (Crodobertus or Chrodobertus) was an Aleman dux of the early seventh century (fl. 631/632). He probably ruled in the south of the region later known as Swabia. There is little evidence to suggest the existence of an Aleman duke in the period from c. 610 to c. 630, but Fredegar records that around 631 an Alemannic army under duke Chrodobert participated in Dagobert I's assault on the realm of the Slavs to the east. The Alemannic host (exercitus Alamannorum) was one of the three columns of the Austrasian army (exercitus regnum universum Austrasiorum). While the Alemanni won a battle at an unknown location and the Lombard allies were successful against the Slavs in the Julian Alps, the main army of Austrasian Franks under Dagobert was defeated at the Battle of Wogastisburg. Chrodobert's authority in Alemannia probably increased after the the succession of Sigebert III to the throne of Austrasia. The relationship between Chrodobert and both earlier and later dukes of the Alemanni is unknown. It is possible that Chrodobert was the same person as the Hruodi mentioned in the passio of Saint Killian.
Leuthari II (642) - Leutharis, Leuthari, Leuthard, or Leutharius II (fl. c. 643) was the Duke of Alamannia in the early seventh century. Leuthari murdered Otto, the mayor of the palace of Austrasia, in 643. By doing so he made Grimoald I the mayor of the palace for Sigebert III. It is not known exactly what the duchy of Leuthari consisted of, since there was an Alamannic duke named Gunzo from the same time. Perhaps they co-ruled the same territory, or perhaps there were two Alamannic duchies. The duchy of Alsace under Gundoin was also partly Alamannic.
Gotfrid (until 709) - Gotfrid, Gotefrid, or Gottfried (Latin: Gotfridus or Cotefredus; died 709) was the Duke of Alemannia in the late seventh century and until his death. He was of the house of the Agilolfing, which was the dominant ruling family in Bavaria. In a document dated to the year 700 in Cannstatt, Gotfrid at the request of a priest named Magulfus donated the castle of Biberburg to the monastery of Saint Gall. Gotfrid fought a war over his de facto independence with the mayor of the palace Pepin of Heristal. The war was unfinished when Gotfrid died in 709. His sons, Lantfrid and Theudebald, had the support of Pepin and succeeded him. Gotfrid married a daughter of Theodo of Bavaria and his third son, Odilo, later ruled in Bavaria. From his son Huoching (Huocin, Houchi, or Hug) came the later stock of the Ahalolfings. His daughter Regarde married Hildeprand of Spoleto, and he left a youngest son named Liutfrid.
Willehari (709–712, in Ortenau)
Lantfrid (709–730)
Theudebald (709–744) - Theudebald or Theutbald was the Duke of Alamannia from 730 until his deposition. He was a son of Gotfrid and brother and co-ruler with Lantfrid from 709. In 727, Theudeabld expelled Pirmin, the founder of Reichenau Abbey, out of a hatred for Charles Martel (ob odium Karoli), whose influence in Alamannia he detested. During a military campaign in 730, Lantfrid was killed and Theudebald became sole duke. In 732, Theudebald was chased out of Alemannia by Charles Martel, but upon on Charles' death in 741 he returned to claim his dukedom. In 742, Theudebald rebelled against the nominal authority of the Merovingian monarchy which was then being exercised by the two mayors of the palace Pepin the Short and Carloman; the Basques, Bavarii, and Saxons all revolted simultaneously. That same year Theudebald invaded the Duchy of Alsace, then ruled by Duke Liutfrid. The Alsatian duke was probably killed alongside his son fighting for the mayors. In 744, Pepin invaded the Swabian Alps and chased Theudebald from his mountain redoubt. He was defeated in Alsace by Pepin's select band of warriors. In 745, Carloman had to march on the duke again, this time defeating him and executing many at the blood court of Cannstatt. Alamannia was subjected once and for all. Its subsequent history was much affected by the violence with which its ducal independence was snuffed out.

Dukes of Swabia

Miscellaneous houses

Burchard I (909–911, Hunfriding) - Burchard I (died 5 or 23 November 911) was the duke of Swabia from 909 to his death and margrave of Rhaetia, as well as count in the Thurgau and Baar. Born between 855 and 860, he was the son of Adalbert II, count in the Thurgau. He himself married Liutgard of Saxony. By 900, Burchard was already the most powerful man in Swabia. In 904, he was the administrator of the lands of the abbey of Lorsch in Swabia. He succeeded, around 909, Ruadulf (a Welf) as dux or marchio (duke of margrave) of Raetia Secunda (the borderlands of Rhaetia). Burchard entered into a conflict with the Count Palatine Erchanger and Bishop Solomon III of Constance, who were loyal to King Conrad I. Burchard was captured and charged with high treason. He was found guilty by the tribal council and executed, along with his brother, Adalbert III of Thurgau. His son, Burchard II, and daughter-in-law, Regelinda, left for Italy, either exiled or taking refuge. Their Rhaetian estates were lost, though later recovered. Burchard I's second son, Odalric, had already died young. His daughter Dietpirch of Swabia (also known as Theoberga) married Hupald, Count of Dillingen (d. 909). Their children included Ulrich of Augsburg. The state of Swabia relative to the other stem duchies was highly disorganized at the time of Burchard I and he was never duke in the sense of the later dukes. He is usually called such only to distinguish him as the most powerful man in the duchy and the forerunner of the later dukes: the first being Erchanger, proclaimed duke by the nobility, but not the king, in 915.
Erchanger (915–917, Ahalolfinger) - Erchanger or Erchangar (c.880 – 21 January 917) was the duke of Swabia from September 915 to his death. He was the son of Berthold I, count palatine of Swabia, who is sometimes called Erchanger as well, in which case the duke is Erchanger II. His mother was Gisela, daughter of Louis the German and his family is known as the Ahalolfinger. He was originally a missus dominicus in Swabia. In 911, he allied with Bishop Solomon III of Constance due their common political goals. Erchanger was at the time striving for ever greater power in Swabia alongside Burchard I and Burchard II. He played a conspicuous part in the downfall of the elder Burchard, who was convicted of high treason and executed, in 911. With the fall of the Burchards, Erchanger and his younger brother Berthold were the most powerful counts in the tribe. In 913, Erchanger and King Conrad I of Germany fell out, but Erchanger married off his sister Cunigunda, whose husband, Luitpold, had just died, to the king. With this diplomatic marriage, Erchanger became the king's representative in Swabia. With this, his alliance with Bishop Solomon broke and the bishop opposed his rise. Seeing his income diminished by the bishop, Erchanger imprisoned Solomon in 914. Conrad opposed this and freed the bishop, exiling Erchanger. Erchanger returned in 915 and was fighting alongside his nephew Arnulf of Bavaria and his old enemy Burchard II against the Magyars. Erchanger and Burchard then turned against Conrad. Defeating him at the Battle of Wahlwies in the Hegau, Erchanger is proclaimed duke. However, at a high court in Hohenaltheim in September 916, Erchanger was condemned to a monastery for offences against king and bishop. He was killed on the instructions of the king on 21 January 917.
Burchard II (917–926, Hunfriding) - Burchard II (883/884 – 29 April 926) was the Hunfriding Duke of Swabia (from 917) and Count of Raetia. He was the son of Burchard I and Liutgard of Saxony. Burchard took part in the early wars over Swabia. His family being from Franconia, he founded the monastery of St Margarethen in Waldkirch to extend his family's influence into the Rhineland. On his father's arrest and execution for high treason in 911, he and his wife, Regelinda, daughter of Count Eberhard I of Zürich, went to Italy: either banished by Count Erchanger or voluntarily exiling themselves to their relatives over the Alps. Around 913, Burchard returned from exile and took control over his father's property. In 915, he joined Erchanger and Arnulf, Duke of Bavaria, in battle against the Magyars. Then Burchard and Erchanger turned on King Conrad I and, at the Battle of Wahlwies in the Hegau, defeated him. Erchanger was proclaimed duke. After Erchanger was killed on 21 January 917, Burchard seized all his lands and was recognised universally as duke. In 919, King Rudolph II of Upper Burgundy seized the county of Zürich and invaded the region of Konstanz, then the centre and practical capital of the Swabian duchy. At Winterthur, however, Rudolph was defeated by Burchard, who thus consolidated the duchy and forced on the king his own territorial claims. In that same year, he recognised the newly-elected King of Germany, Henry the Fowler, duke of Saxony. Henry in turn gave Burchard rights of taxation and investiture of bishops and abbots in his duchy. In 922, Burchard married his daughter Bertha to Rudolph and affirms the peace of three years prior. Burchard then accompanied Rudolph into Italy when he was elected king by opponents of the Emperor Berengar. In 924, the emperor died and Hugh of Arles was elected by his partisans to oppose Rudolph. Burchard attacked Novara, defended by the troops of Lambert, Archbishop of Milan. There he was killed, probably on April 29. His widow, Regelinda (d. 958), remarried to Burchard's successor, Herman I. She had given him five children:
- Gisela (c. 905 – 26 October 923 or 925), abbess of Waldkirch
- Hicha (c. 905 – 950)
- Burchard III (c. 915 – 11 November 973), later duke of Swabia
- Bertha (c. 907 – 2 January 961), married Rudolph II, King of Burgundy
- Adalric (d. 973), monk in Einsiedeln Abbey
Hermann I (900–949, Wetterau) - Herman I (died 10 December 949) was the first of the Wetterau family, sometimes known as the Conradines, to be Duke of Swabia (from 926), the son of Gebhard, Duke of Lorraine, and a cousin of King Conrad I of Germany. When Duke Burchard II died at Novara, while campaigning in Italy, King Henry the Fowler gave the Duchy to Hermann. By investing the Duke at a reichstag at Worms, the King clearly demonstrated that he, not the tribal noblesse, had the right to appoint the Duke. Hermann married Regilinda, the widow of Burchard. Only once during his reign did Hermann face a rebellion of his own vassals, but he was also forced several times to make concessions in what would be Switzerland. St. Gallen was given over to the direct protection of the king and the duke lost the use of its lands and incomes. By his control over the Alpine passes into Burgundy and Italy, he dutifully served Ottonian interests in these realms. At Worms in 950, after Herman's death, Otto the Great appointed his son Liudolf, who had, in 947 or 948, married Herman's daughter Ida (died 17 May 986), duke. Aside from being duke, Hermann was count of Wetterau and from 939 count in Lahngau, from 948 count in Auelgau, and from 947 lay abbot of Echternach. He founded the church of St Florin in Coblenz and was buried on Reichenau Island.
Liudolf (950–954, Ottonian) - Liudolf (930–6 September 957) was the Duke of Swabia from 950 until 954. He was the only son of Otto I, King of Germany, from his wife Eadgyth, daughter of Edward the Elder, King of England. Liudolf married Ida, daughter of Duke Herman I. When Herman died, Otto appointed his eldest son and heir apparent duke. Liudolf was a popular ruler with the tribe. After the usurpation of Berengar II of Italy, he invaded Lombardy in 951. His father foiled his plans and invaded as well, leaving Liudolf without much gain. When Otto married Adelaide, the heiress to Italy, Liudolf felt his position threatened and raised the flag of revolt in 953. Though he had the support of his Swabians, his ally, Conrad the Red, was opposed by his own subjects in Lorraine. The Bavarians of Henry I, Duke of Bavaria, Liudolf's uncle, support Liudolf, but Henry and Otto together put down the rebellion. In 954, he was deprived of his duchy and, though reconciled with his father, he did not regain it. He invaded Italy for a second time in 957 and many cities capitulated before him and Berengar fled. He died unexpectedly of fever amidst his victorious campaign at Pombia, near Novara, on September 6 and was buried in St. Alban's Abbey, Mainz.His son by Ida, Otto, was later duke of Bavaria and Swabia, his daughter Mathilde abess of a canoness monastery in Essen. He also founded the city of Stuttgart in southern Germany.
Burchard III (954–973, Hunfriding) - Burchard III (c. 915 – 12 November 973) was the count of Thurgau and Zürichgau, perhaps of Rhaetia, and then Duke of Swabia from 954 to his death. He was the son of Burchard II and Regilinda. At a young age on the murder of his father in 926, he was sent to Saxony for his safety after the accession of the duke Herman I. In Saxony, he married a member of the Immedinger family. From this marriage came two sons: Theodoric, Count of Wettin, and Burchard, Count of Liesgau. He second marriage was to Hedwige, daughter of Henry I, Duke of Bavaria. Burchard built the great fortress atop the Hohentwiel, and Hedwige was the foundress of the monastery of St. Georg there, but their marriage remained childless. After the rebellion of Duke Liudolf, son of King Otto I, in 954, the king bestowed the ducal title on his nephew-in-law Burchard at a general council at Arnstadt. Burchard was an intimate of Otto and his queen, Adelaide of Italy. He was often at the royal court and he accompanied Otto on his campaign against the Magyars and was present at the great Battle of the Lechfeld on August 10, 955. In 965, he led a third campaign against Berengar II in Italy. At the Battle of the Po on 25 June, Burchard defeated the local Lombard magnates and restored Italy to Ottonian control, even the south Italian principalities were brought to heel by 972. In 973, he died and was buried in the chapel of Saint Erasmus in the monastery on Reichenau Island in Lake Constance. He was succeeded by Otto, son of Liudolf.
Otto I (973–982, Ottonian) - Otto I, Duke of Swabia and Bavaria (955–982), was the son of Liodolf of Swabia and his wife Ida, and thus a grandson of the Emperor Otto I and his anglo-saxon wife Eadgyth. His sister Mathilde was abess of a canoness monastery in Essen. He was Duke of Swabia from 973 to 982 and was made Duke of Bavaria in 976, after Henry the Wrangler lost his Bavarian possessions rebelling against the emperor Otto II. He was a confidant of Otto II in the War of the Three Henries, and in 982 accompanied him on his Italian campaign against the Arabs. He survived the defeat of the Imperial army near Crotone on July 13, 982 and a subsequent ambush by an Arab force. Otto assigned him to take the news of the campaign back to Germany, but he died en route on November 1, 982 in Lucca. He was buried in Aschaffenburg. His sister Mathild endowed a precious jewelled cross which is still kept in the treasury of Essen cathedral for his remembrance, the siblings are pictured on it.

House of Wetterau

Conrad I (982–997) - Conrad I (died August 20, 997) was Duke of Swabia from 983 until 997. His appointment as duke marked the return of the family of Wetterau, sometimes known as the Conradines, rule over Swabia for the first time since 948. When Duke Otto I unexpectedly died during the Imperial campaign in Italy of 981-982, he left no heirs. To fill the vacancy, Emperor Otto II appointed Conrad as Duke of Swabia. Conrad is notable for being the first Swabian duke to keep the title in the family; after his death in 997 he was succeeded by his son Hermann II. There is considerable confusion about Conrad's family. This same situation exists for his wife, although he may have been married to a daughter of Liudolf, Duke of Swabia, the son of Emperor Otto I. He had at least six children, including his successor, Hermann II. Stoyan lists his grandmother as Cunigunde of Vermandois, which would make him a seventh generation descendant of Charlemagne.
Hermann II (997–1003) - Herman II (died 4 May 1003) was the Conradine Duke of Swabia from 997 to his death, as the son of and successor Conrad I. Herman opposed the election of Henry III, Duke of Bavaria, as King of Germany because he himself had been a contender. Henry separated Alsace from Swabia and took control of the duchy, a situation which continued through the reign of Herman's son and successor, Herman III. He married Gerberga of Burgundy, and they had a daughter named Gisela who was the wife of Emperor Conrad II.
Hermann III (1003–12) - Hermann III (died April 1, 1012) was Duke of Swabia from 1003 until 1012. The son of Hermann II, he was a member of the Conradines. Hermann's reign as duke was effectively controlled by the King of Germany, Henry II. At the time of his ascension, Hermann was still a minor, and King Henry's disliked the family of Wetterau (Conradines); Hermann II had opposed his election as king in 1002. Henry's control over Swabia was still present when Hermann died in 1012. Since he died childless, the family lost the title of Duke of Swabia but the titles Count of Wetterau passed to his second cousin Count Kuno von Wetterau of Rheinfelden. Henry selected Ernest to succeed him; two years later, Ernest married Hermann's sister Gisela of Swabia.

House of Babenberg

Ernest I (1012–15) - Ernest I (died March 31 or May 31, 1015) was Duke of Swabia (1012–1015). He was a younger son of Leopold I, the Babenberg Margrave of Austria. In 1012 Henry II, King of Germany, gave the Duchy of Swabia to Ernest following the death of its childless ruler Hermann III. In order to further legitimatize his rule as duke, he married Gisela of Swabia, the eldest sister of Hermann. Ernest and Gisela had two sons, Ernest and Hermann, both of whom would eventually become dukes of Swabia themselves. Ernest died in 1015 as a result of a hunting accident and was succeeded by his son Ernest. He was buried in Würzburg.
Ernest II (1015–30) - Ernest II (died August 17, 1030) was Duke of Swabia from 1015 to 1030. A member of the Babenberg family, he was the son of Ernest I and Gisela of Swabia. As the elder son of his father, Ernest became duke following the senior Ernest's death in 1015. Since he was a minor, the government of Swabia was run by regency. At first his mother Gisela assumed the position of regent; she later gave way to Poppo, Archbishop of Trier. In 1024 Gisela's husband Conrad, who she had married in 1016, was elected King of Germany as Conrad II. Although Conrad was generous in his relations with Ernest, contentious issues soon split the duke and his stepfather. Ernest resented the power of the German Kings over Swabia. Both men also were potential claimants to the Kingdom of Burgundy once its childless ruler, Rudolph III, died. Gisela's mother was Gerberga, a sister of the king, and both Conrad and Ernest wished to become Rudolph's eventual successor. In 1025 Ernest, who was still relatively young, entered into rebellion against Conrad. By 1026, however, the king had defeated the resistance and Ernest eventually submitted. He then participated in his stepfather's Italian expedition of 1026-1027. While in Italy, Conrad sent Ernest back to Swabia in order to crush the local resistance that still existed. When he returned, however, Ernest joined the opposition and rebelled against Conrad again. The refusal of the local Swabian rulers to support him caused his defeat. He was forced to surrender and was imprisoned. Gisela, despite supporting Conrad against her son, did not wish for him to be entirely humiliated; as a result Ernest remained duke, although Gisela probably governed the duchy while he remained imprisoned. In 1028, Conrad's son Henry was crowned king. Around this time, due to Henry's and Gisela's requests, Ernest was set free, although he was not restored to his full powers as duke. At the Diet of Easter 1030 Ernest was offered these powers, if he would crack down on the enemies of Conrad. Ernest's refusal to do so, especially against his friend Werner von Kyburg, resulted in his final downfall. He was stripped of his title as duke. Only a few months later, while battling the people of the Bishop of Konstanz, both Ernest and Werner were killed. Ernest was buried in Constance. The Duchy of Swabia passed to his younger brother Herman.
Hermann IV (1030–38) - Herman IV (died 1038) was the Duke of Swabia (1030–1038). He was the second son of Ernest I and Gisela of Swabia. He was one of the Babenberg Dukes of Swabia. Herman became Duke in 1030 following the death of his older brother Ernest II. At the time he was still a minor. Seven years later, his stepfather, the Emperor Conrad II, married him to Adelaide of Susa, the Marchioness of Turin, in January 1037. In July of the next year, while campaigning with Conrad in Southern Italy, he was struck down by an epidemic near Naples. Conrad then transferred rule of the duchy to his own son, Henry I, while Adelaide remarried to Henry of Montferrat.
Herman IV and Adelaide had at least three children:
- Gebhard I, Count of Sulzbach
- Adalbert I, Count of Windberg
- Adelaide, married Hermann von Peugen

Miscellaneous houses

Henry I (1038–45, Salian), King of the Romans from 1039 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1046 - Henry III (29 October 1017 – 5 October 1056), called the Black or the Pious, was a member of the Salian Dynasty of Holy Roman Emperors. He was the eldest son of Conrad II of Germany and Gisela of Swabia and his father made him Duke of Bavaria (as Henry VI) in 1026, after the death of Duke Henry V. Then, on Easter Day 1028, his father having been crowned Holy Roman Emperor, Henry was elected and crowned King of Germany in the cathedral of Aachen by Pilgrim, Archbishop of Cologne. After the death of Herman IV, Duke of Swabia in 1038, his father gave him that duchy (as Henry I) as well as the Kingdom of Burgundy, which Conrad had inherited in 1033. Upon the death of his father on June 4, 1039, he became sole ruler of the kingdom and was crowned emperor by Pope Clement II in Rome (1046).
Otto II (1045–48, Ottonian) - Otto II (died 1047) was Count Palatine of Lotharingia (1034 – 1045), then Duke of Swabia (1045 – 1047), and all the while Count in Deutz and Auelgau (1025 – 1047). He was also the protector of Brauweiler, the son of Ezzo and Matilda, a daughter of the Emperor Otto II, and a member of the Ezzonian dynasty. In 1034, the Count Palatine Ezzo died. As Otto's older brother Liudolf had died in 1031, he succeeded his father to that position. On 7 April 1045, Henry III, King of Germany and also Duke of Swabia, offered the latter title to Otto. In exchange, Otto gave up the County Palatine, which was bestowed on his cousin Henry. Also, his territories in Kaiserswerth and Duisburg devolved on the crown. He probably married Matilda von Egisheim, daughter of Boleslav I of Poland and Oda of Meissen. He had only one daughter, Richenza (Holland, 1020 – 1083), who married firstly Herman, Count of Werl, and secondly Otto of Nordheim. In 1047, Otto died unexpectedly at his castle, the Tomburg, while preparing an imperial campaign against an invasion of Baldwin V of Flanders. He is buried in Brauweiler Abbey. In 1048, the Emperor elected Otto III to succeed him as Duke of Swabia.
Otto III (1048–57, Schweinfurt) - Otto III (died 28 September 1057), called the White and known as Otto of Schweinfurt, was the Margrave of the Nordgau (1024 – 1031) and Duke of Swabia (1048 – 1057). He was the son of Henry of Schweinfurt, margrave of the Nordgau, and Gerberga of Henneberg. He was one of the most powerful East Franconian princes by inheritance: having extensive land in the Radenzgau and Schweinfurt. In 1014, he first appears as count of Lower Altmühl (or Kelsgau) and, in 1024, he inherits his father's march. In 1034, he became count of the Lower Naab. From then on to his appointment to Swabia, he takes part in many imperial expeditions into Bohemia, Hungary, and Poland. At Ulm in January 1048, the Emperor Henry III appointed him duke of Swabia after a brief vacancy following the death of Otto II. He was loyal to Henry. He was engaged to marry Matilda, daughter of Boleslaus I of Poland, in 1035, but this was put off in favour of a marriage to Ermengard, a daughter of Ulric Manfred, Margrave of Turin, as part of Henry's Italian plans. He was otherwise inactive and died after nine years rule and was buried in Schweinfurt.
Rudolf I (1057–79, Wetterau/Rheinfelden) - Rudolf of Rheinfelden (German: Rudolf von Rheinfelden; c. 1025 – 15 October 1080) was Duke of Swabia (1057–1079) and German antiking (1077–1080). He was the son of Count Kuno von Wetterau of Rheinfelden and eventually became the alternative king or antiking for the politically oriented anti-Henry German aristocrats, whose rebellion became known as the Great Saxon Revolt. He died as a result of battle wounds as his faction met Henrys' and defeated him in the Battle of Elster. In 1057 Rudolf allegedly took advantage of the minority of Henry IV, King of the Romans, by kidnapping Matilda, the king's sister. Rudolf demanded, and received, Matilda's hand in marriage (1059), as well as the Duchy of Swabia and administration of the Kingdom of Burgundy. In 1060 Matilda died, and Rudolf subsequently, in 1066, married Adelheid, daughter of Otto of Savoy. Rudolf, who was brother-in-law to Henry IV twice over, at first supported the king's campaigns. He aided him in Thuringia and Saxony and was a primary force in the First Battle of Langensalza against the rebels. However, when the Investiture Controversy broke out and Henry was excommunicated, Rudolf met with several other nobles to decide on a course of action. Despite the lifting of Henry's excommunication in 1077, the rebels continued with their plans. At Forchheim, Rudolf was elected antiking in March 1077. He promised to respect the electoral concept of the monarchy and declared his willingness to be subservient to the pope. On 25 May, Rudolf was crowned by Archbishop Siegfried I in Mainz, but the people of the city revolted and he was forced to flee to Saxony. This presented a problem, since Saxony was cut off from his duchy of Swabia by the king's lands. He then gave Swabia to his son Berthold and attempted to rectify this situation by besieging Würzburg, but to little effect. Meanwhile, he was deprived of Swabia by the Diet at Ulm in May, and Henry IV gave the duchy to Frederick of Büren, the first Hohenstaufen ruler. The Battle of Mellrichstadt in the following year (7 August) proved indecisive. Rudolf found it difficult to convince the Saxons to fight beyond their borders; they viewed Rudolf as a southerner and distrusted him. He was also frustrated by the apparent reluctance of Pope Gregory VII to recognize his cause. In order to gain and maintain supporters, he was forced to grant large parts of the crown lands, as well as those of the church, to his followers. Nevertheless, things seemed to be improving in 1080. The Battle of Flarchheim (27 January 1080) went well in his favor. On 7 March, the pope excommunicated Henry again and recognized Rudolf as king. Emboldened, Rudolf's forces met Henry's at the Weisse-Elster River in the Battle of Elster. The battle, which took place on 14 October 1080, would have been a huge victory for the anti-royalists. However, Rudolf lost his right hand in the battle and was mortally wounded in the abdomen. He withdrew to nearby Merseburg, where he died the next day and was buried. The majority of the support for the rebellion against Henry IV soon evaporated, but the struggle continued on in effect into 1085, with a final flare up in 1088 under Rudolph's successor, the second antiking, Herman of Luxembourg. Rudolph's daughter Adelaide married Ladislaus I of Hungary.
Berthold I (1079–90, Wetterau/Rheinfelden) - Berthold I (c. 1060 – 18 May 1090), better known as Berthold of Rheinfelden, was the Duke of Swabia from 1079 until his death. He was the eldest son of Rudolf of Rheinfelden, the German anti-king who opposed the Emperor Henry IV. Berthold's mother's name is unknown, but on her death in 1079, Rudolf needed a new supervisor of the south German resistance, since he was himself confined to Saxony and cut off from his allies in Swabia. Rudolf therefore made his son Duke of Swabia. Henry, however, appointed Frederick of Büren, who had lands strategically located much to his advantage, Duke. Throughout the civil war against Henry, Swabia was in the heart of the chaos. In 1084, Berthold was besieged by supporters of Henry IV. Though he had a larger power base, he remained of low profile. He eventually left the fight to Berthold of Zähringen and Welf IV. When he died without descendants in 1090 and was buried in the monastery of Saint Blaise, Berthold succeeded him as duke.
Berthold II (1092–98, Zähringen) - Berthold II or Berchtold II (c. 1050 – 12 April 1111) was the Duke of Swabia from 1092 to 1098. Berthold was a son of Berthold II, Duke of Carinthia and initially supported Rudolf of Rheinfelden against King Henry IV. Both the Zähringer and Rheinfeldener were relieved of their titles and possessions by the king in 1077. Berthold I died in 1078 and Berthold inherited his claims, including a claim on the Duchy of Swabia. In 1079, Berthold married Agnes, Rudolf's daughter. In the following years, he became a strong supporter of Berthold I, Duke of Swabia, against the king. He was at odds with the royal duke, Frederick of Büren, and the Bishops of Basel and Strasbourg. However, when the region quieted down in the late 1080s, Berthold is found as a witness to an exchange of land involving the bishop of Basel (1087). Tensions rose again in 1090, when Berthold I died. Berthold of Zähringen asserted a claim to the Rheinfeldener inheritance in Burgundy. He also placed a claim on the Duchy of Swabia. Supported by the Welfs and the Papacy, he was elected duke in opposition to Frederick in 1092. In that same year, he was chosen as Duke of Carinthia and Margrave of Verona (like his father) by those who opposed Duke Henry V. Berthold, also like his father, never held any real power in Carinthia. In 1093, Berthold and Welf IV signed a "peace oath" at Ulm. At first only valid in Swabia, it was soon extended to Bavaria and strengthened opposition to the emperor in southern Germany. Around 1098, Berthold and Frederick came to terms whereby Frederick kept Swabia, but Berthold was given the Reichsvogtei (or imperial estates, depending on the source) of Zürich and allowed to keep the ducal title. By this step, the relationship between the Zähringers and Henry IV improved. In 1105, Berthold was the closest ally of Henry's son Henry V, who rebelled against his father. Berthold, beginning in 1090, extended his power into the Breisgau so that the Zähringer territory extracted itself from the influence of the Swabian duke. In 1091, he built the castle of Zähringen, as well as a protective castle for the nearby settlement of Freiburg in the Breisgau. Berthold was the first of the Zähringers to hold the title "Duke of Zähringen" (from 1100). He established his rule with the foundation of monasteries and other settlements in the Black Forest. His territory was small and he had little opportunity for expansion. His ducal title was described by Otto of Freising as one of the first "empty titles" in medieval Germany: a title signifying little in the way of governmental or territorial significance. His was not a political or military office nor a tribal or territorial command. Rather, his ducal title was a mere dignity and his estates family possessions. In 1093, he founded the Benedictine monastery of Saint Peter, which became the family mausoleum. The monasteries he founded were usually reformed monasteries hostile to the emperor. With the displacement of the Counts of Hohenburg from the region of the Black Forest, Berthold successfully turned it into his centre of power. By the end of his life, Berthold's estates amounted to a justification of his grandiose title. He was succeeded as duke by his eldest son Berthold III. His second son Conrad succeeded Berthold III after eleven years.

House of Hohenstaufen

Frederick I (1079–1105) - Frederick I von Staufen (1050–July 21, 1105) was Duke of Swabia from 1079 to his death. He was the first ruler of Swabia of the House of Hohenstaufen. He was the son of Frederick von Büren and Hildegard von Bar-Mousson. In 1089, Frederick married Agnes of Germany, daughter of Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor. They had several sons and daughters, amongst whom were:
- Frederick II of Swabia (1090-1147), the father of Frederick Barbarossa
- Conrad III, king of Germany (1093-1152)
Frederick II (1105–47) - Frederick II (1090 – 6 April 1147), called the One-Eyed, was the second Hohenstaufen Duke of Swabia from 1105. He was the eldest son of Frederick I and Agnes. He succeeded his father in 1105. In 1121 he married Judith of Bavaria, a member of the powerful House of Guelph. On the death of Emperor Henry V, his uncle, Frederick stood for election as King of the Romans with the support of his younger brother Conrad, Duke of Franconia and several houses. However, he lost this election of 1125 to Lothar III, crowned Emperor later in 1133. A conflict erupted between Frederick and his supporters, and Lothar. Encouraged by Albert, Archbishop of Mainz, who loathed the supporters of the late Emperor Henry V, Lothar besieged Nuremberg in 1127. Frederick relieved the siege of Nuremberg in 1127 and occupied Speyer in 1128. The attempt of Henry the Proud, duke of Bavaria, to capture Frederick during negotiations failed (1129). However, afterwards supporters of Lothar won a number of victories both in Germany and in Italy. Speyer (1129), Nuremberg (1130) and Ulm (1134) were captured and in October 1134 Frederick submitted to the emperor. In 1135 both Frederick and Conrad were finally reconciled with Lothar. After Lothar's death (1137) and election of Conrad as King of the Romans (1138) Frederick supported his brother in the struggle with Guelphs. According to Otto of Freising, Frederick was "so faithful a knight to his sovereign and so helpful a friend to his uncle that by valor he supported the tottering honor of the realm, fighting manfully against its foes..." Frederick's second wife, Agnes, was the niece of his old enemy Albert of Mainz.
Frederick III (1147–52), King of the Romans from 1152 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1155 - Frederick I Barbarossa (1122 – 10 June 1190) was elected King of Germany at Frankfurt on 4 March 1152 and crowned in Aachen on 9 March, crowned King of Italy at Pavia in 1154, and finally crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Pope Adrian IV on 18 June 1155. He was crowned King of Burgundy at Arles on 30 June 1178. Before his royal election, he was by inheritance Duke of Swabia (1147–1152, as Frederick III). He was the son of Duke Frederick II of the Hohenstaufen dynasty. His mother was Judith, daughter of Henry IX, Duke of Bavaria, from the rival House of Welf, and Frederick therefore descended from Germany's two leading families, making him an acceptable choice for the Empire's prince-electors.
Frederick IV (1152–67) - Frederick IV of Hohenstaufen (1145 – 1167) was Duke of Swabia, succeeding his cousin, Frederick Barbarossa, Holy Roman Emperor, in 1152. He was the son of Conrad III of Germany and his second wife Gertrude von Sulzbach and thus the direct heir of the crown, had there been true heredity. However, on his death bed, Conrad III allegedly advised the only two persons present, his nephew Frederick Barbarossa and the Bishop of Bamberg, to nominate Frederick Barbarossa; and handed the Imperial insignia to him. Barbarossa wasted no time in getting the Bavarian clerics to endorse him, and had the Archbishop of Cologne convene a hurried Reichstag. There the electors of the Empire (minus their "primus inter pares", Henry I, Archbishop of Mainz, the Archbishop of Mainz, an ally of the Pope) elected Frederick Barbarossa to be King, instead of his six-year-old cousin Frederick. The younger man became Duke of Swabia instead. Frederick participated in Barbarossa's campaigns in Italy, becoming one of the many casualties of the Imperial army. He succumbed to disease after occupying Rome in 1167. Barbarossa then gave Swabia to his three-year-old son, Frederick V. Frederick IV married Gertrude of Bavaria. She was a daughter of Henry the Lion and his first wife Clementia of Zähringen. They had no known children.
Frederick V (1167–70) - Frederick V of Hohenstaufen (1164 – 1170) was Duke of Swabia from 1167 to his death. He was the eldest son of Frederick III Barbarossa and Beatrice I, Countess of Burgundy.
Frederick VI (1170–91) - Frederick VI of Hohenstaufen (1167 – January 20, 1191) was Duke of Swabia from 1170 to his death at the Siege of Acre. He was the third son of Frederick III Barbarossa and Beatrice I, Countess of Burgundy and brother of Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor. Frederick married (or only betrothed) with the Princess Constanze of Hungary, but had no known descendants.
Conrad II (1191–96) - Conrad II, German: Konrad II von Hohenstaufen (February/March 1173 – August 15, 1196) was Duke of Swabia from 1191 to his death and Duke of Rothenburg (1188-1191). He was the fifth son of Frederick III Barbarossa and Beatrice, Countess of Burgundy and brother of Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor. He was engaged to Berenguela of Castile but died before they could be married. In 1191, Conrad was present in Rome for the coronation of his brother, Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor. He then joined the Norman campaigns in Sicily in 1191 and 1194. A chronicler described Conrad as "a man thoroughly given to adultery, fornication, defilement, and every foulness; nevertheless, he was vigorous and brave in battle and generous to his friends." Conrad was murdered in Durlach in 1196, allegedly by the husband of a woman he had raped. Another story says that Conrad was bitten in the eye by a virgin he was attempting to rape, and that he died of the resulting infection.
Philip I (1196–1208), King from 1198 - Philip was the fifth and youngest son of the emperor Frederick I and Beatrix, daughter of Renaud III, Count of Burgundy, and brother of the Emperor Henry VI. He entered the clergy, was made provost of Aix-la-Chapelle, and in 1190 or 1191 was chosen bishop of Würzburg. Having accompanied his brother Henry to Italy in 1191, Philip forsook his ecclesiastical calling, and, travelling again to Italy, was made duke of Tuscany in 1195 and received an extensive grant of lands. In 1196 he became duke of Swabia, on the death of his brother Conrad; and in May 1197 he married Irene Angelina, daughter of the Byzantine emperor, Isaac II, and widow of Roger III, Titular King of Sicily, a lady who is described by Walther von der Vogelweide as " the rose without a thorn, the dove without guile." Philip enjoyed his brother's confidence to a very great extent, and appears to have been designated as guardian of the Henry's young son Frederick, afterwards the emperor Frederick II, in case of his father's early death. In 1197 he had set out to fetch Frederick from Sicily for his coronation as King of the Germans when he heard of the emperor's death and returned at once to Germany. He appears to have desired to protect the interests of his nephew and to quell the disorder which arose on Henry's death, but was overtaken by events. The hostility to the kingship of a child was growing, and after Philip had been chosen as defender of the empire during Frederick's minority he consented to his own election. He was elected German king at Mühlhausen on March 8, 1198, and was crowned at Mainz on the September 8 following. Meanwhile, a number of princes hostile to Philip, under the leadership of Adolph, Archbishop of Cologne, had elected an anti-king in the person of Otto, second son of Henry the Lion, Duke of Saxony. In the war that followed, Philip, who drew his principal support from south Germany, met with considerable success. In 1199 he received further accessions to his party and carried the war into his opponent's territory, although unable to obtain the support of Pope Innocent III, and only feebly assisted by his ally Philip Augustus, king of France. The following year was less favourable to his arms; and in March 1201 Innocent took the decisive step of placing Philip and his associates under the ban, and began to work energetically in favour of Otto. Also in 1201, Philip was visited by his cousin Boniface of Montferrat, the leader of the Fourth Crusade. The Crusaders were by this time under Venetian control and were besieging Zara on the Adriatic Sea. Although Boniface's exact reasons for meeting with Philip are unknown, while at Philip's court he also met Alexius Angelus, Philip's brother-in-law. Alexius convinced Boniface, and later the Venetians, to divert the Crusade to Constantinople and restore Isaac II to the throne, as he had recently been deposed by Alexius III, Alexius and Irene's uncle. The two succeeding years were still more unfavourable to Philip. Otto, aided by Ottokar I, king of Bohemia, and Hermann I, landgrave of Thuringia, drove him from north Germany, thus compelling him to seek by abject concessions, but without success, reconciliation with Innocent. The submission to Philip of Hermann of Thuringia in 1204 marks the turning-point of his fortunes, and he was soon joined by Adolph of Cologne and Henry I, Duke of Brabant. On January 6, 1205 he was crowned again with great ceremony by Adolph at Aix-la-Chapelle, though it was not till 1207 that his entry into Cologne practically brought the war to a close. A month or two later Philip was loosed from the papal ban, and in March 1208 it seems probable that a treaty was concluded by which a nephew of the pope was to marry one of Philip's daughters and to receive the disputed dukedom of Tuscany. Philip was preparing to crush the last flicker of the rebellion in Brunswick-Lüneburg when he was murdered at Bamberg, on June 21, 1208, by Otto of Wittelsbach, count palatine in Bavaria, to whom he had refused the hand of one of his daughters. Philip was a brave and handsome man, and contemporary writers, among whom was Walther von der Vogelweide, praise his mildness and generosity.

House of Guelph

Otto IV (1208–12), King of the Romans from 1208 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1209 - Otto was born in Normandy, the son of Henry the Lion, Duke of Bavaria and Saxony, and Matilda Plantagenet. He grew up in England in the care of his grandfather King Henry II. Otto became a friend of Richard I of England, who attempted to make him Earl of York, and, through marriage, King of Scotland. Both attempts failed, and so in 1196, he was made count of Poitou. He participated in the war against France on the side of Richard. After the death of Emperor Henry VI, some of the princes of the Empire elected his brother, Philip, Duke of Swabia, king in March 1198. The papacy, under Innocent III, seized the opportunity to extend its sway at the expense of the vulnerable empire and proceeded to move heaven and earth on behalf of Otto, whose family had always been opposed to the house of Hohenstaufen. Otto himself also seemed willing to grant any demands that Innocent would make. Those princes opposed to the Staufen dynasty also decided, on the initiative of Richard of England, to elect instead a member of the House of Welf. Otto's elder brother, Henry, was on a crusade at the time, and so the choice fell to Otto. The papal favorite, soon recognized over the whole empire, was elected king by the princes of northern Germany in Cologne on June 9, 1198. Otto took control of Aachen, the place of coronation, and was crowned by Adolf, Archbishop of Cologne, on July 12, 1198. The coronation was done with fake regalia, because the actual materials were in the hands of the Staufen. Otto's election pulled the empire into the conflict between England and France, since Philip allied himself with France, and Otto was being supported by England. In 1200-01, Innocent announced that he recognized Otto as the only legitimate king. In return, Otto promised to support the pope's interests in Italy. In the following years, Otto's situation worsened because after England's defeat by France he lost England's financial support. Many of his allies changed sides to Philip, including his brother Henry. Otto was defeated and wounded in battle by Philip on July 27, 1206, near Wassenberg, and as a consequence also lost the support of the pope. Otto was forced to retire to his possessions near Braunschweig. However, Philip was murdered two years later, on June 8, 1208. After Philip's death, Otto made amends with the Staufen party and became engaged to Philip's daughter Beatrix. In an election in Frankfurt on November 11, 1208, he gained the support of all the electoral princes. He was crowned emperor by Pope Innocent on October 4, 1209. Contradicting his earlier promises, Otto worked to restore imperial power in Italy and was excommunicated by the pope for this in 1210. In 1211, he tried to conquer Sicily, which was held by the Staufen king Frederick Roger. While Otto was in southern Italy, several princes of the empire, at the instigation of King Philip II of France and with the consent of the pope, elected Frederick Roger king at the Diet of Nuremberg. Otto returned to Germany to deal with the situation. After Beatrix died in the summer of 1212, and Frederick arrived in Germany with his army in September 1212, most of the former Staufen supporters deserted Otto for Frederick. On December 5, 1212, Frederick was elected king for a second time by a majority of the princes. However, Frederick did not manage to defeat Otto until 1214, when Otto, who was allied with King John of England, decisively lost the Battle of Bouvines (July 27, 1214) to the forces of Philip II of France. Otto was forced again to withdraw to his private possessions around Brunswick. His death, at Harzburg castle on May 19, 1218, was described by historian Kantorowicz as gruesome: "deposed, dethroned, he was flung full length on the ground by the Abbot, confessing his sins, while the reluctant priests beat him bloodily to death. Such was the end of the first and last Welf Emperor."[1] He is entombed in Brunswick Cathedral.

Hohenstaufen restored

Frederick VII (1212–16), King of the Romans from 1212 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1220 - Frederick II (December 26, 1194 – December 13, 1250), of the Hohenstaufen dynasty, was a pretender to the title of King of the Romans from 1212 and unopposed holder of that monarchy from 1215. As such, he was King of Germany, of Italy, and of Burgundy. He was also King of Sicily from his mother's inheritance. He was Holy Roman Emperor (Emperor of the Romans) from his papal coronation in 1220 until his death. His original title was King of Sicily, which he held as Frederick I from 1198 to his death. His other royal titles, accrued for a brief period of his life, were King of Cyprus and Jerusalem by virtue of marriage and his connection with the Sixth Crusade. He was raised and lived most of his life in Sicily, with his mother, Constance, being the daughter of Roger II of Sicily. His empire was frequently at war with the Papal States, so it is unsurprising that he was excommunicated twice and often vilified in chronicles of the time. Pope Gregory IX went so far as to call him the Antichrist. After his death the idea of his second coming where he would rule a 1,000-year reich took hold, possibly in part because of this. He was known in his own time as Stupor mundi ("wonder of the world") and was said to speak six languages: Latin, Sicilian, German, French, Greek and Arabic. By contemporary standards, Frederick was a ruler very much ahead of his time, being an avid patron of science and the arts. He was patron of the Sicilian School of poetry. His royal court in Palermo, from around 1220 to his death, saw the first use of a literary form of an Italo-Romance language, Sicilian. The poetry that emanated from the school predates the use of the Tuscan idiom as the preferred language of the Italian peninsula by at least a century. The school and its poetry were well known to Dante and his peers and had a significant influence on the literary form of what was eventually to become the modern Italian language. He founded the University of Naples in 1224.
Henry II (1216–35), King from 1220 - Henry VII (1211 – 12 February (?) 1242) was King of Sicily from 1212, King of Germany (formally Rex Romanorum) from 1220, and Duke of Swabia (as Henry II) from 1216. He was the son and co-king of Emperor Frederick II and elder brother of Conrad IV of Germany.
Conrad III (1235–54), King from 1237 - Conrad IV (25 April 1228 – 21 May 1254) was King of Jerusalem (as Conrad II) (1228–1254), of Germany (1237–1254), and of Sicily (as Conrad I) (1250–1254). He was a son of the Hohenstaufen Emperor Frederick II and the Queen Regnant of Jerusalem, Yolanda. Born in Andria, Conrad was the second but only surviving son of Frederick and Yolanda, who died while bearing him. Conrad lived in Italy until 1235, when he first visited Germany. During this period his kingdom of Jerusalem, ruled by his father as regent through proxies, was racked by the War of the Lombards until Conrad declared his majority and his father's regency lost its validity. When Frederick II deposed his eldest son, Conrad's rebellious older brother Henry, in 1237 had Conrad elected King of the Romans in diet in Vienna. This title presumed a future as Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. Archbishop Siegfried III of Mainz acted as German regent until 1242, when Frederick chose Henry Raspe, Landgrave of Thuringia, and Wenceslaus I of Bohemia, to assume this function. Conrad intervened directly in German politics from around 1240. However, when Pope Innocent IV imposed a papal ban on Frederick in 1245 and declared Conrad deposed, Henry Raspe supported the pope and was in turn elected as anti-king of Germany on 22 May 1246. Henry Raspe defeated Conrad in the battle of Nidda in August 1246, but died several months later. He was succeeded as anti-king by William of Holland. Also in 1246, Conrad married Elisabeth of Bavaria, a daughter of Otto II Wittelsbach, Duke of Bavaria. They had a son, Conradin, in 1252. In 1250 Conrad settled momentarily the situation in Germany by defeating William of Holland and his Rhenish allies. When Frederick II died in the same year, he passed Sicily and Germany, as well as the title of Jerusalem, to Conrad, but the struggle with the pope continued. Having been defeated by William in 1251, Conrad decided to invade Italy in 1251 in the hope to regain the rich reign of his father, and where his brother Manfred acted as vicar. He was however not able to subdue the pope's supporters, and the pope in turn offered Sicily to Edmund Crouchback, son of Henry III of England (1253). Conrad was excommunicated in 1254, but died of a malaria in the same year at Lavello in Basilicata. Manfred first, and later his infant son Conradin, continued the struggle with the Papacy, although unsuccessfully. Conrad's widow Elisabeth married second Meinhard II, Count of Tirol, who in 1286 became Duke of Carinthia. With Conrad's death in 1254 began the "Interregnum", during which no ruler managed to gain undisputed control of Germany. It would only be ended with the election of Rudolph of Habsburg as King of the Romans in 1273.
Conrad IV (Conradin) (1254–68), also King of Sicily and Jerusalem - Conrad (25 March 1252 – 29 October 1268), called the Younger or the Boy, but usually known by the diminutive Conradin (German: Konradin, Italian: Corradino), was the Duke of Swabia (1254–1268, as Conrad IV), King of Jerusalem (1254–1268, as Conrad III), and King of Sicily (1254–1258, de jure until 1268, as Conrad II). He was born in Wolfstein, Bavaria, to Conrad IV of Germany and Elisabeth of Wittelsbach. He is sometimes known as Conrad V, though he never succeeded his father in Germany. Having lost his father in 1254 he grew up at the court of his uncle and guardian, Louis II, Duke of Upper Bavaria. His guardians were able to hold Swabia for him. Jerusalem was held by a relative from the royal house of Cyprus as regent. In Sicily, his father's half-brother Manfred continued as regent, but began to develop plans to usurp the kingship. We know little of his appearance and character except that he was "beautiful as Absalom, and spoke good Latin". Although his father had entrusted him to the guardianship of the church, Pope Innocent IV pursued Conradin with the same relentless hatred he had against his grandfather Frederick II, and attempted to bestow the kingdom of Sicily on a foreign prince. Innocent's successor, Pope Alexander IV, continuing this policy, offered the Hohenstaufen lands in Germany to Alfonso X, king of Castile, and forbade Conradin's election as King of the Romans. Having assumed the title of King of Jerusalem and Sicily, Conradin took possession of the Duchy of Swabia in 1262, and remained for some time in his dukedom. Conradin's first invitation to Italy came from the Guelphs of Florence: they asked him to take arms against Manfred, who had been crowned King of Sicily in 1258 on a false rumor of Conradin's death. Louis refused this invitation on his nephew's behalf. In 1266 the count Charles I of Anjou, called by the new pope Clement IV, defeated and killed Manfred at Benevento, taking possession of southern Italy: envoys from the Ghibelline cities came then to Bavaria and urged Conradin to come and free Italy. Pledging his lands, he crossed the Alps and issued a manifesto at Verona setting forth his claim on Sicily. Notwithstanding the defection of his uncle Louis and of other companions who returned to Germany, the threats of Clement IV, and a lack of funds, his cause seemed to prosper. Proclaiming him King of Sicily, his partisans both in the north and south of Italy took up arms; Rome received his envoy with enthusiasm; and the young king himself received welcomes at Pavia, Pisa and Siena. In September 1267 a Spanish fleet disembarked in the Sicilian city of Sciacca, and most of the island rebelled against the Angevine rule. Only Palermo and Messina remained loyal to Charles. The revolt spread to Calabria and Puglia. In November of the same year the Church excommunicated him; but his fleet won a victory over that of Charles; and in July 1268, Conradin himself entered with immense enthusiasm in Rome. Having strengthened his forces, he marched towards Lucera to join the Saracens troops settled there since the time of his grandfather. On August 23, 1268 his multi-national army of Italian, Spanish, Roman, Arab and German troops encountered the one of Charles at Tagliacozzo, in a hilly area of central Italy. The eagerness of Conradin's soldiers to obtain plunder in the enemy's camp after a momentary victorious assault gave the final victory to the French. Escaping from the field of battle, Conradin reached Rome, but acting on advice to leave the city he proceeded to Astura in an attempt to sail for Sicily: but here he was arrested and handed over to Charles of Anjou, who imprisoned him in the Castel dell'Ovo in Naples, together with the inseparable Frederick of Baden. He was tried as a traitor, and on October 29, 1268 he and Frederick were beheaded. With Conradin's death at 16, the legitimate Hohenstaufen line became extinct. His remains, with those of Frederick of Baden, lie in the church of the monastery of Santa Maria del Carmine at Naples, founded by his mother for the good of his soul; and here in 1847 Maximilian, crown prince of Bavaria, erected a marble statue by Bertel Thorvaldsen to his memory. In the 14th century Codex Manesse, a collection of medieval German lyrics, preserved at Heidelberg, there appear two songs written by Conradin, and his fate has formed the subject of several dramas. His hereditary Kingdom of Jerusalem passed to the heirs of his great-great-grandmother Isabella I of Jerusalem, among whom a succession dispute arose. The senior heir in primogeniture was Hugh of Brienne, a second cousin of Conradin's father, but another second cousin Hugh III of Cyprus already held the office of regent and managed to keep the kingdom as Hugh I of Jerusalem. Conradin's grandmother's first cousin Mary of Antioch also staked her claim on basis of proximity of blood, which she later sold to Conradin's executioner Charles of Anjou. The general heiress of his Kingdom of Sicily and the Duchy of Swabia was her aunt Margaret, half-sister of his father Conrad IV (the youngest but only surviving child of Frederick II and his third wife, Isabella of England) and married with Albert, Landgrave of Thuringia since 1255. Their son Frederick claimed Sicily and Swabia on her right. However, these claims met with little favor. Swabia, pawned by Conradin before his last expedition, was disintegrating as a territorial unit. He went unrecognized in Outremer, and Charles of Anjou was deeply entrenched in power in Southern Italy. Margrave Frederick proposed an invasion of Italy in 1269, and attracted some support from the Lombard Ghibellines, but his plans were never carried out, and he played no further part in Italian affairs. Finally, Sicily passed to Charles of Anjou, but the Sicilian Vespers in 1282 resulted in dual claims on the Kingdom; the Aragonese heirs of Manfred retaining the island of Sicily and the Angevin party retaining the southern part of Italy, popularly called the Kingdom of Naples.

House of Habsburg

Rudolf II (1289–90) - Duke Rudolph II of Austria, titular Duke of Swabia (1270–May 10, 1290) was the younger son of Rudolph of Habsburg, from 1273 King of the Romans, and Gertrude of Hohenburg. In December 1282 he became Duke of Austria and Styria jointly with his brother Albert I. However, in the Treaty of Rheinfelden (June 1, 1283) he had to relinquish his share. In 1289 he married Agnes of Bohemia (1269-96), daughter of Otakar II of Bohemia and Kunigunda of Slavonia. They had one son John. He died in the same year his son was born, at the age of 20. His brother's failure to ensure that Rudolf would be adequately compensated for relinquishing his claime on the throne caused strife in the Habsburg family, leading to the assassination of Albert by Rudolph's son John Parricida in 1308. His father King Rudolf also made him Duke of Swabia, a province in long-term disarray where the last duke, the underage Conradin, had been killed in 1268 and where the Habsburgs themselves were the most powerful provincial lords.
John (1290–1313) - John Parricida, or John the Parricide or Johann Parricida (see: Parricide), also called John of Swabia (born ca. 1290, died December 13, 1312 or 1313, probably in Pisa) was a son of Duke Rudolph II of Austria from the Habsburg family and Agnes, daughter of King Ottakar II of Bohemia. Consequently, he was a grandson of King Rudolph I of Germany. John was born shortly before or after the death of his father and passed his early days at the Bohemian court and the town of Brugg in the Habsburg home territory, where he is mentioned as titular Duke in a 1294 deed. As his father had been forced to waive his right to the Duchies of Austria and Styria in the 1283 Treaty of Rheinfelden, he felt deprived of his inheritance. When he came of age he demanded a portion of the family estates from his uncle, King Albert I of Germany. His wishes were not gratified nor did he receive any of the compensations awarded to his father by the Rheinfelden Treaty. Thereupon John, mocked as "Duke Lackland" (Hertzog Anlant), with three companions of Swabian nobility formed a plan to murder the King. On May 1, 1308 Albert became separated from his attendants when crossing the Reuss River at Windisch on his way home, and was at once attacked and killed by the four conspirators. John rided toward his uncle and splitted his skull without a word. He escaped the vengeance of Albert's sons, and was afterwards found in a monastery at Pisa, where in 1313 he is said to have been visited by Emperor Henry VII, who had placed him under the imperial ban (Reichsacht). His fate is unknown from this point.
The character of John is used by Friedrich Schiller in his play William Tell. John on the run arrives at Tell's house begging for help and arguing that he had to take revenge on his enemy - like Tell on bailiff Albrecht Gessler. Tell rejects the comparison but directs him to Italy, advising him to seek papal absolution.