duchy · Germany and Central Europe
Duchy of Swabia
Origins
After the death of the Alemannic dukes in 746, Alamannia was governed by counts. In 915 Count Erchanger defeated King Conrad I's forces at Wahlwies and was proclaimed duke; Conrad executed him in 917, but Burchard II established the duchy, recognised by Henry the Fowler in 919. Swabia covered south-west Germany, Alsace and eastern Switzerland.
Rule and society
Dukes were often royal relatives, and from 1079 the office went to the Staufer family, who became emperors with Conrad III and Frederick Barbarossa. Swabia was rich in monasteries, imperial cities such as Ulm and Augsburg, and lesser nobles. Its knightly culture produced Minnesang poets.
Decline and legacy
After the fall of the Staufer, the last duke, Conradin, was beheaded at Naples in 1268. The duchy dissolved into many territories, including the County of Württemberg, the Margraviate of Baden, Habsburg lands and free imperial cities, which later formed the Swabian League and the Swabian Circle.
Lineage
On the connections map
Open the full map →Connections (2)
- Duchy of Swabia was part of East Francia915 CE – 962 CE
- Duchy of Swabia was part of Holy Roman Empire962 CE – 1268 CE
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Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Duchy of Swabia. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/duchy-of-swabia
- MLA
- “Duchy of Swabia.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/duchy-of-swabia. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Duchy of Swabia.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/duchy-of-swabia.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Duchy of Swabia’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/duchy-of-swabia (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻