Ernest I (died 31 March or 31 May 1015) was the

Duke of Swabia The Dukes of Swabia were the rulers of the Duchy of Swabia during the Middle Ages. 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 famil ...

(1012–1015). He was a younger son of Leopold I, the

Babenberg The House of Babenberg was a noble dynasty of Austrian Dukes and Margraves. Originally from Bamberg in the Duchy of Franconia (present-day Bavaria), the Babenbergs ruled the imperial Margraviate of Austria from its creation in 976 AD until its ...

Margrave of Austria This is a list of people who have ruled either the Margraviate of Austria, the Duchy of Austria or the Archduchy of Austria. From 976 until 1246, the margraviate and its successor, the duchy, was ruled by the House of Babenberg. At that time, thos ...

. His mother was called

Richardis of Sualafeldgau Richardis of Sualafeldgau (''Richwara''; – 8 July 994) was Margravine of Austria from 976 until 994 as consort of the first Babenberg margrave Leopold I. Life Richardis' descent has not been conclusively established: she possibly was a daught ...

Life and family

In 1012 Henry II,

King of Germany This is a list of monarchs who ruled over East Francia, and the Kingdom of Germany (''Regnum Teutonicum''), from the division of the Frankish Empire in 843 and the collapse of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806 until the collapse of the German Emp ...

, 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 Gisela of Swabia ( 990 – 15 February 1043), was queen of Germany from 1024 to 1039 and empress of the Holy Roman Empire from 1027 to 1039 by her third marriage with Emperor Conrad II. She was the mother of Emperor Henry III. She was regent of ...

, the eldest sister of Hermann. Ernest and Gisela had two sons,

Ernest Ernest is a given name derived from Germanic word ''ernst'', meaning "serious". Notable people and fictional characters with the name include: People *Archduke Ernest of Austria (1553–1595), son of Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor * 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 Würzburg (; Main-Franconian: ) is a city in the region of Franconia in the north of the German state of Bavaria. Würzburg is the administrative seat of the ''Regierungsbezirk'' Lower Franconia. It spans the banks of the Main River. Würzburg ...

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ernest I, Duke Of Swabia 10th-century births 1015 deaths Dukes of Swabia Hunting accident deaths Accidental deaths in Germany