Editing History of Bavaria (section)

== The stem duchy of Bavaria {{anchor|Duchy of Bavaria}} ==
{{Main|Duchy of Bavaria}}

===Bavaria and the Agilolfings under Frankish overlordship===
The Bavarians soon came under the dominion of the Franks, probably without a serious struggle. The Franks regarded this border area as a buffer zone against peoples to the east, such as the [[Pannonian Avars|Avars]] and the [[Slavs]], and as a source of manpower for the army. Sometime around 550 AD they put it under the administration of a duke – possibly Frankish or possibly chosen from amongst the local leading families – who was supposed to act as a regional governor for the [[Kingdom of the Franks|Frankish]] king. The first duke known was [[Garibald I (Bavaria)|Garibald I]], a member of the powerful [[Agilolfing]] family.{{sfn|Schutz|2000|page=292}} This was the beginning of a series of Agilolfing dukes that was to last until 788 AD.

For a century and a half, a succession of dukes resisted the inroads of the [[Slavs]] on their eastern frontier and by the time of [[Theodo of Bavaria|Duke Theodo I]], who died in 717, had achieved complete independence from the feeble Frankish kings. When [[Charles Martel]] became the virtual ruler of the Frankish realm he brought the Bavarians into strict dependence and deposed two dukes successively for [[contumacy]]. His son and successor [[Pippin III|Pepin the Short]] likewise maintained Frankish authority. Several marriages took place between the family to which he belonged and the Agilolfings, who were united in a similar manner with the kings of the [[Kingdom of the Lombards|Lombards]]. The ease with which the Franks suppressed various risings gives colour to the supposition that family quarrels rather than the revolt of an oppressed people motivated the rebellions.

Bavarian law was committed to writing between the years 739 AD and 748 AD. Supplementary clauses, added afterward, bear evidence of Frankish influence. Thus, while the duchy belongs to the Agilolfing family, the duke must be chosen by the people and his election confirmed by the Frankish king, to whom he owes [[fealty]]. The [[duke]] has a fivefold [[weregild]], summons the nobles and clergy for purposes of deliberation, calls out the host, administers justice, and regulates finance. Five noble families exist, possibly representing former divisions of the people. Subordinate to the nobles we find the freeborn and then the freedmen. The law divided the country into ''gaits'' or counties, under their counts, assisted by judges responsible for declaring the law.

===Christianity===
[[Christianity]] had lingered in Bavaria from Roman times, but a new era set in when Bishop Rupert of [[Bishopric of Worms|Worms]] came to the county at the invitation of Duke Theodo I in 696. He founded several monasteries, as did Bishop [[Emmeram of Regensburg|Emmeran]] of [[Bishopric of Poitiers|Poitiers]], with the result that before long, most of the people professed Christianity and relations commenced between Bavaria and [[Rome]]. The 8th century witnessed indeed a heathen reaction, but the arrival of [[Saint Boniface]] in Bavaria during c. 734 AD checked [[apostasy]].{{Citation needed|date=November 2010}} Boniface organised the Bavarian church and founded or restored [[Diocese|bishopric]]s at [[Salzburg]], [[Freising]], [[Regensburg]] and [[Passau]].

[[Tassilo III]], who became duke of the Bavarians in 749, recognized the supremacy of the Frankish king, [[Pepin the Short]] in 757 AD, but soon afterward refused to furnish a contribution to the war in [[Aquitaine]]. Moreover, during the early years of the reign of [[Charlemagne]], Tassilo gave decisions in ecclesiastical and civil causes in his own name, refused to appear in the assemblies of the Franks, and in general acted as an independent ruler. His control of the Alpine passes, and his position as an ally of the [[Avars (Carpathians)|Avars]] and as a son-in-law of the Lombard king [[Desiderius]], became so troublesome to the Frankish kingdom that Charlemagne determined to crush him.

The details of this contest remain obscure. Tassilo appears to have done homage in 781 AD and again in 787 AD, probably owing to the presence of Frankish armies. But further trouble soon arose, and in 788 AD, the Franks summoned the duke to [[Ingelheim]] and sentenced him to death on a charge of treachery. The King, however, pardoned Tassilo who entered a monastery and formally renounced his duchy at [[Frankfurt]] in 794.

Gerold, a brother-in-law of Charlemagne, ruled Bavaria till his death in a battle with the Avars in 799, when Frankish counts took over the administration and assimilated the land with the rest of the [[Carolingian]] empire. Measures taken by Charlemagne for the intellectual progress and material welfare of his realm improved conditions. The Bavarians offered no resistance to the change which thus abolished their duchy. Their incorporation with the Frankish dominions, due mainly to the unifying influence of the church, appeared already so complete that Charlemagne did not find it necessary to issue more than two capitularies dealing especially with Bavarian affairs.

===The Duchy during the Carolingian period===
[[File:Karte Herzogtum Bayern im 10. Jahrhundert.png|thumb|[[Stem duchy]] of Bavaria in the 10th century]]
The history of Bavaria for the ensuing century intertwines with that of the [[Carolingian]] empire. Bavaria, given during the partition of 817 AD to the king of the [[Kingdom of the East Franks|East Franks]], [[Louis the German]], formed a part of the larger territories confirmed to him in 843 AD by the [[Treaty of Verdun]]. Louis made Regensburg the center of his government and actively developed Bavaria, providing for its security by numerous campaigns against the Slavs. When he divided his possessions in 865 AD, it passed to his eldest son, [[Carloman, King of Bavaria|Carloman]], who had already managed its administration, and after his death in 880 AD, it became a part of the extensive territories of the emperor, [[Charles the Fat]]. This incompetent ruler left its defense to [[Arnulf of Carinthia|Arnulf]], an illegitimate son of Carloman. Mainly due to the support of the Bavarians, Arnulf could take the field against Charles in 887 AD and secure his own election as a [[Kingdom of Germany|German]] king in the following year. In 899 AD, Bavaria passed to [[Louis the Child]], during whose reign continuous [[Hungary|Hungarian]] ravages occurred. Resistance to these inroads became gradually feebler, and tradition has it that on 5 July 907 almost the whole of the Bavarian tribe perished in the [[Battle of Brezalauspurc|Battle of Pressburg]] against these formidable enemies.

During the reign of Louis the Child, [[Luitpold, Margrave of Bavaria|Luitpold]], Count of [[County of Scheyern|Scheyern]], who possessed large Bavarian domains, ruled the Mark of [[Carinthia (duchy)|Carinthia]], created on the southeastern frontier for the defense of Bavaria. He died in the great battle of 907 AD, but his son [[Arnulf the Bad|Arnulf]], surnamed the Bad, rallied the remnants of the tribe, in alliance with the Hungarians, became duke of the Bavarians in 911 AD, uniting Bavaria and Carinthia under his rule. The German king, [[Conrad I of Germany|Conrad I]], attacked Arnulf when the latter refused to acknowledge his royal supremacy but failed in the end.

=== Duchy during the Ottonian and Salian periods ===
[[File:Holy Roman Empire 1000 map-en.svg|thumb|Bavaria within the [[Holy Roman Empire]] in AD 1000, forming the southeasternmost part of the [[kingdom of Germany]], bordered by the [[March of Verona]] to the south, and the [[March of Carinthia]] to the east]]

In 920 AD, Conrad's successor was the German king, [[Henry the Fowler]] of the [[Ottonian]] dynasty. Henry recognized Arnulf as duke, confirming his right to appoint bishops, coin money, and issue laws.

A similar conflict took place between Arnulf's son and successor [[Eberhard, Duke of Bavaria|Eberhard]] and Henry's son [[Otto I the Great]]. Eberhard proved less successful than his father, and in 938 AD, fled from Bavaria, which Otto granted (with reduced privileges) to the late duke's uncle, [[Bertold, Duke of Bavaria|Bertold]]. Otto also appointed a [[count palatine]] in the person of Eberhard's brother, [[Arnulf, Count Palatine of Bavaria|Arnulf]] to watch the royal interests.

When Bertold died in 947 AD, Otto conferred the duchy upon his own brother [[Henry I, Duke of Bavaria|Henry]], who had married Judith, a daughter of Duke Arnulf. The Bavarians disliked Henry, who spent his short reign mainly in disputes with his people.

The ravages of the Hungarians ceased after their defeat on the [[Battle of Lechfeld|Lechfeld]] (955 AD) and the area of the duchy was augmented for a time by the addition of certain adjacent districts in Italy.
[[File:Kronung Heinrich II.jpg|thumb|[[Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor|Emperor Henry II]]]]
In 955 AD, Henry's young son [[Henry II, Duke of Bavaria|Henry]], surnamed the Quarrelsome, succeeded him, but in 974 AD he became involved in a conspiracy against King [[Otto II, Holy Roman Emperor|Otto II]]. The rising occurred because the king had granted the [[Duchy of Swabia]] to Henry's enemy, [[Otto I, Duke of Swabia and Bavaria|Otto]], a grandson of Emperor Otto the Great, and had given the new [[Bavarian Eastern March]], subsequently known as [[Duchy of Austria|Austria]], to [[Leopold I of Austria (Babenberg)|Leopold of Babenberg]]. The revolt soon failed but Henry, who on his escape from prison renewed his plots, formally lost his Duchy of Bavaria in 976 AD to Otto, Duke of [[Duchy of Swabia|Swabia]]. At the same time, [[Duchy of Carinthia|Carinthia]] was made a separate duchy, the office of Count Palatine was reestablished, and the Bavarian church became dependent on the king instead of on the duke.

Bavaria at this stage included the [[Inn River|Inn basin]] (including [[Salzburg]] and the [[Salzach]] basin) and the [[Danube]] from [[Donauwörth]] ([[Lech (river)|Lech]] confluence) to [[Linz]]; the [[March of Verona]] ([[South Tyrol]]) briefly fell to Bavaria (952 AD) before passing to Carinthia (976 AD). The most important Bavarian cities at the time were [[Freising]], [[Passau]], [[Salzburg]] and [[Regensburg]].

Restored in 985 AD, Henry proved himself a capable ruler, establishing internal order, issuing important laws, and taking measures to reform the monasteries. In 1002 AD, his son and successor [[Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor|Henry II]] gave Bavaria to his brother-in-law [[Henry V, Duke of Bavaria|Henry]] of [[Luxembourg]], after whose death in 1026 AD it passed successively to Henry, afterward Emperor [[Henry III, Holy Roman Emperor|Henry III]], and then to another member of the family of Luxembourg, ruling as Duke [[Henry VII, Duke of Bavaria|Henry VII]]. In 1061 AD, [[Agnes de Poitou|Empress Agnes]], mother and regent of the German king [[Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor|Henry IV]], entrusted the duchy to [[Otto of Nordheim]].

===Under the Welfs===
In 1070 AD, King Henry IV deposed duke Otto, granting the duchy to Count [[Welf I, Duke of Bavaria|Welf]], a member of an influential Bavarian family with roots in northern Italy.

In consequence of his support of [[Pope Gregory VII]] in his quarrel with Henry, Welf lost but subsequently regained Bavaria; two of his sons followed him in succession: [[Welf II, Duke of Bavaria|Welf II]] from 1101 AD and [[Henry IX, Duke of Bavaria|Henry IX]] from 1120 AD. Both exercised considerable influence among the German princes.

Henry IX's son [[Henry X, Duke of Bavaria|Henry X]], called the Proud, succeeded in 1126 AD and also obtained the [[Duchy of Saxony]] in 1137 AD. Alarmed at his power, King [[Conrad III of Germany|Conrad III]] refused to allow two duchies to remain in the same hands and declared Henry deposed. He bestowed Bavaria upon [[Leopold IV of Austria (Babenberg)|Leopold IV]], Margrave of [[Margraviate of Austria|Austria]]. When Leopold died in 1141, the king retained the duchy himself; but it continued to be the scene of considerable disorder, and in 1143 AD he entrusted it to [[Henry II of Austria|Henry]], surnamed Jasomirgott, Margrave of Austria.

The struggle for its possession continued until 1156 AD, when [[Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor|Emperor Frederick I]], in his desire to restore peace to Germany, persuaded Henry to give up Bavaria to [[Henry the Lion]], duke of [[Duchy of Saxony|Saxony]] and son of Henry the Proud. In return, Austria was elevated from a margraviate to an independent duchy in the [[Privilegium Minus]]. It was Henry the Lion who founded [[Munich]].

===Geographic fluctuations===
During the years following the dissolution of the Carolingian empire the borders of Bavaria changed continuously and for a lengthy period after 955 AD, it finally started expanding. To the west, the [[Lech (river)|Lech]] still divided Bavaria from Swabia but on three other sides Bavaria took advantage of opportunities for expansion and the duchy occupied a considerable area north of the [[Danube]]. During the later years of the rule of the [[Elder House of Welf|Welf]]s, however, a contrary tendency operated, and the extent of Bavaria shrank.

In 1027 AD, [[Conrad II, Holy Roman Emperor|Conrad II]] split off the [[Prince-Bishopric of Trent|Bishopric of Trent]] from the former Lombard [[Kingdom of Italy (medieval)|Kingdom of Italy]]. He attached it to the stem duchy of Bavaria, which was then under the rule of his son [[Henry III, Holy Roman Emperor|Henry III]]. From the 12th century onwards, the counts residing in [[Castle Tyrol]] near [[Merano]] extended their territory over much of the region and came to surpass the power of the [[Bishopric of Brixen|bishops of Brixen]], of whom they were nominally vassals. After the deposition of [[Henry X, Duke of Bavaria|Henry X the Proud]] as Bavarian duke in 1138 AD, the Counts of [[County of Tyrol|Tyrol]] strengthened their independence from Bavaria under his son, [[Henry the Lion]]. When the [[House of Welf]] was again given to the Bavarian duchy by [[Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor|Frederick Barbarossa]] at the 1154 AD [[Reichstag (Holy Roman Empire)|Reichstag]] of [[Goslar]], the [[county of Tyrol]] was no longer counted as part of Bavaria.

Duke Henry the Lion focused on his northern duchy of Saxony rather than on his southern duchy of Bavaria, and when the dispute over the Bavarian succession ended in 1156 AD, the district between the [[Enns (river)|Enns]] and the [[Inn (river)|Inn]] became part of Austria.

The increasing importance of former Bavarian territories like the March of [[Styria (duchy)|Styria]] (erected into a duchy in 1180 AD) and of the [[county of Tyrol]] had diminished both the actual and the relative strength of Bavaria, which now on almost all sides lacked opportunities for expansion. The neighboring [[Duchy of Carinthia]], the large territories of the [[Archbishopric of Salzburg]], as well as a general tendency to claim more independence on the part of the nobles: all these causes limited Bavarian expansion.