![COA family de Landgrafen von Hessen](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a5/COA_family_de_Landgrafen_von_Hessen.svg)
The Ludovingians or Ludowingians (german: Ludowinger) were the ruling dynasty of
Thuringia
Thuringia (; german: Thüringen ), officially the Free State of Thuringia ( ), is a state of central Germany, covering , the sixth smallest of the sixteen German states. It has a population of about 2.1 million.
Erfurt is the capital and larg ...
and
Hesse
Hesse (, , ) or Hessia (, ; german: Hessen ), officially the State of Hessen (german: links=no, Land Hessen), is a States of Germany, state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt. Two other major histor ...
during the 11th to 13th centuries.
Their progenitor was
Louis the Bearded who was descended from a noble family whose genealogy cannot be precisely determined. Like the related
Reginbodo family, they had a close relationship with the
Archbishopric of Mainz
The Electorate of Mainz (german: Kurfürstentum Mainz or ', la, Electoratus Moguntinus), previously known in English as Mentz and by its French name Mayence, was one of the most prestigious and influential states of the Holy Roman Empire. In the ...
and also had estates on the Middle
Main
Main may refer to:
Geography
* Main River (disambiguation)
**Most commonly the Main (river) in Germany
* Main, Iran, a village in Fars Province
*"Spanish Main", the Caribbean coasts of mainland Spanish territories in the 16th and 17th centuries
...
.
The male line of Ludovingians was extinguished on the death of
Henry Raspe
Henry Raspe (; – 16 February 1247) was the Landgrave of Thuringia from 1231 until 1239 and again from 1241 until his death. In 1246, with the support of the Papacy, he was elected King of the Romans, King of Germany in Anti-king, opposition t ...
in 1247, leading to the
War of the Thuringian Succession
The War of the Thuringian Succession (German: ''Thüringisch-hessischer Erbfolgekrieg'') (1247–1264) was a military conflict over a successor to the last Landgrave of Thuringia for control of the state of Thuringia (now in modern-day Germany).
...
.
History
Around 1040 Louis the Bearded received a
fief
A fief (; la, feudum) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an Lord, overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a for ...
north of the
Thuringian Forest
The Thuringian Forest (''Thüringer Wald'' in German), is a mountain range in the southern parts of the German state of Thuringia, running northwest to southeast. Skirting from its southerly source in foothills to a gorge on its north-west side i ...
and had the (now ruined) castle of
Schauenburg
Schauenburg is a municipality in the district of Kassel, in Hesse, Germany. It is situated west of Kassel
Kassel (; in Germany, spelled Cassel until 1926) is a city on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat o ...
near
Friedrichroda
Friedrichroda () is a town in the district of Gotha, Thuringia, Germany. It is situated at the north foot of the Thuringian Forest, 21 km by rail southwest of the town of Gotha. It is surrounded by fir-clad hills and possesses numerous han ...
. However these origins are legendary and based solely on unverifiable
Reinhardsbrunn
Reinhardsbrunn in Friedrichroda near Gotha, in the German state of Thuringia, is the site of a formerly prominent Benedictine abbey, the house monastery of the Ludovingian Landgraves of Thuringia abbey extant between 1085 and 1525. Later used as ...
sources.
Around 1080, Louis' sons,
Louis the Springer
Louis the Springer (german: Ludwig der Springer), sometimes called Louis the Jumper or Louis the Leaper (died 8 May 1123), was a German nobleman and count in Thuringia from 1056 until his death. Little is known about him, although he is mentioned ...
and Beringer of
Sangerhausen
Sangerhausen () is a town in Saxony-Anhalt, central Germany, capital of the district of Mansfeld-Südharz. It is situated southeast of the Harz, approx. east of Nordhausen, and west of Halle (Saale). About 26,000 people live in Sangerhausen ( ...
, founded the Abbey of Kloster
Schönrain in the land of their ancestors,
Main Franconia. In a deed dated 1100 the brothers are named as the counts of Schauenburg.
In the period that followed, the Ludovingians expanded their possessions in Thuringia, for example around Sangerhausen, the
estate of Cecilia, wife of Louis the Bearded (who died around 1080), and around estates on the
River Unstrut, that Adelheid, that the widow of Count Palatine
Frederick III, had left to Louis the Springer in her will. The latter built the castle of
Wartburg
The Wartburg () is a castle originally built in the Middle Ages. It is situated on a precipice of to the southwest of and overlooking the town of Eisenach, in the state of Thuringia, Germany. It was the home of St. Elisabeth of Hungary, the p ...
(first mentioned in 1080) above
Eisenach
Eisenach () is a town in Thuringia, Germany with 42,000 inhabitants, located west of Erfurt, southeast of Kassel and northeast of Frankfurt. It is the main urban centre of western Thuringia and bordering northeastern Hessian regions, situat ...
as his new seat of residence and in 1085 founded Reinhardsbrunn, henceforth the
house monastery
A house monastery, family monastery or dynastic monastery (german: Hauskloster) is a Christian monastery that has a particular relationship with a noble family.
Often, but not always, what subsequently became the house monastery was founded by t ...
of the family.
In the stormy period of the
Investiture Controversy
The Investiture Controversy, also called Investiture Contest (German: ''Investiturstreit''; ), was a conflict between the Church and the state in medieval Europe over the ability to choose and install bishops (investiture) and abbots of monast ...
, Louis the Springer was one of the leading opponents of Emperor
Henry V Henry V may refer to:
People
* Henry V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1026)
* Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (1081/86–1125)
* Henry V, Duke of Carinthia (died 1161)
* Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine (c. 1173–1227)
* Henry V, Count of Luxembourg (121 ...
. The distinct anti-imperial stance of the Ludovingians, their prominent political position and other factors led Wolfgang Hartmann vertretene to propose that, amongst the famous benefactors portrayed in
Naumburg Cathedral Naumburg Cathedral (german: Naumburger Dom St. Peter und St. Paul, ), located in Naumburg, Germany, is the former cathedral of the Bishopric of Naumburg-Zeitz. The church building, most of which dates back to the 13th century, is a renowned landmark ...
, were the statues of the founder of the Wartburg, Louis and his wife Adelheid.
Even before 1122 the family's territory expanded under Louis' sons, Louis and Henry, acquiring estates near
Marburg
Marburg ( or ) is a university town in the German federal state (''Bundesland'') of Hesse, capital of the Marburg-Biedenkopf district (''Landkreis''). The town area spreads along the valley of the river Lahn and has a population of approximate ...
and
Kassel
Kassel (; in Germany, spelled Cassel until 1926) is a city on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Kassel and the district of the same name and had 201,048 inhabitants in December 2020 ...
, especially through the marriage of
Louis I Louis I may refer to:
* Louis the Pious, Louis I of France, "the Pious" (778–840), king of France and Holy Roman Emperor
* Louis I, Landgrave of Thuringia (ruled 1123–1140)
* Ludwig I, Count of Württemberg (c. 1098–1158)
* Louis I of Blois ...
(d 1140) to
Hedwig of Gudensberg
Hedwig of Gudensberg, also known as ''Hedwig of Hesse'' (1098–1148) was German regent: she served as regent of Thuringia during the minority of her son Louis II from 1140.
Life
She was the daughter and heiress of Giso IV, Count of Gudensberg ( ...
, the daughter and heiress of the Hessian
gaugrave ("gau count"),
Giso IV
Giso IV, Count of Gudensberg ( – 12 March 1122) was a German nobleman. He was a Count in the Upper Lahngau and from 1121, he was Count of Gudensberg in Lower Hesse and Imperial Standard Bearer. During his lifetime, the Gisones dynasty re ...
, on the basis of which, after the death of
Giso V in 1137, the vast inheritance of the
House of Giso
A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...
(''Gisonen'') and the
counts of Werner in North Hesse was added to their domain. The link thus established between Thuringia and large parts of Hesse was not severed until the
War of the Thuringian Succession
The War of the Thuringian Succession (German: ''Thüringisch-hessischer Erbfolgekrieg'') (1247–1264) was a military conflict over a successor to the last Landgrave of Thuringia for control of the state of Thuringia (now in modern-day Germany).
...
. Until 1247, the Hessian estate of the Ludovingians was largely ruled by the younger brothers of the landgraves, who bore the title of Count of
Gudensberg
Gudensberg () is a small town in northern Hesse, Germany. Since the municipal reform in 1974, the nearby villages of Deute, Dissen, Dorla, Gleichen, Maden and Obervorschütz have become parts of the municipality.
Geography
Gudensberg is situated ...
and of Hesse and in resided in
Gudensberg
Gudensberg () is a small town in northern Hesse, Germany. Since the municipal reform in 1974, the nearby villages of Deute, Dissen, Dorla, Gleichen, Maden and Obervorschütz have become parts of the municipality.
Geography
Gudensberg is situated ...
and Marburg; they included
Henry Raspe I,
Henry Raspe II
Henry may refer to:
People
*Henry (given name)
*Henry (surname)
* Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry
Royalty
* Portuguese royalty
** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal
** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...
,
Henry Raspe III and
Conrad Raspe.
In 1131, Louis was elevated by
Emperor Lothair (of Supplinburg) to the rank of
landgrave
Landgrave (german: Landgraf, nl, landgraaf, sv, lantgreve, french: landgrave; la, comes magnus, ', ', ', ', ') was a noble title used in the Holy Roman Empire, and later on in its former territories. The German titles of ', ' ("margrave"), a ...
and became Louis I. As a consequence, Thuringia, as an
imperially immediate
Imperial immediacy (german: Reichsfreiheit or ') was a privileged constitutional and political status rooted in German feudal law under which the Imperial estates of the Holy Roman Empire such as Imperial cities, prince-bishoprics and secular prin ...
territory, left the
Duchy of Saxony
The Duchy of Saxony ( nds, Hartogdom Sassen, german: Herzogtum Sachsen) was originally the area settled by the Saxons in the late Early Middle Ages, when they were subdued by Charlemagne during the Saxon Wars from 772 and incorporated into the C ...
, and the Ludovingians took on a ducal-like status in Thuringia. Around the middle of the 12th century, the landgravial minting capital of Eisenach was established and, somewhat later, the
Gotha Mint as the second mint owned by the Ludovingians.
[Wolfgang Streguweit: ''Geschichte der Münzstätte Gotha vom 12. bis zum 19. Jahrhundert'', Weimar, 1987, p. 24] Under
Louis II and
Louis III Louis III may refer to:
* Louis the Younger, sometimes III of Germany (835–882)
* Louis III of France (865–882)
* Louis the Blind, Louis III, Holy Roman Emperor, (c. 880–928)
* Louis the Child, sometimes III of Germany (893–911)
* Louis I ...
the territory of the landgraviate was further expanded, whilst
Hermann I sought to strengthen the position of his family politically, for example, through the marriages of his children. Prior to that, Hermann had to resist attempts by Emperor
Henry VI, to turn the Landgraviate of Thuringia into a
fiefdom
A fief (; la, feudum) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form o ...
following the death of Hermann's brother, Louis III.
Hermann's son,
Louis IV, who married the subsequently beatified
Elizabeth of Hungary
Elizabeth of Hungary (german: Heilige Elisabeth von Thüringen, hu, Árpád-házi Szent Erzsébet, sk, Svätá Alžbeta Uhorská; 7 July 1207 – 17 November 1231), also known as Saint Elizabeth of Thuringia, or Saint Elisabeth of Thuringia, ...
, hoped that, through the guardianship of his nephews,
Henry
Henry may refer to:
People
*Henry (given name)
* Henry (surname)
* Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry
Royalty
* Portuguese royalty
** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal
** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...
Margrave of Meissen and a
minor
Minor may refer to:
* Minor (law), a person under the age of certain legal activities.
** A person who has not reached the age of majority
* Academic minor, a secondary field of study in undergraduate education
Music theory
*Minor chord
** Barb ...
, to gain the
March of Meissen
The Margravate of Meissen (german: Markgrafschaft Meißen) was a medieval principality in the area of the modern German state of Saxony. It originally was a frontier march of the Holy Roman Empire, created out of the vast ''Marca Geronis'' (Saxon ...
. In 1226 he was indeed promised the enfeoffment of the March, but died the same year before he was able to actually acquire it.
In 1241, following the death of Louis IV's son, the only 19-year-old
Hermann II, Louis' brother,
Henry Raspe
Henry Raspe (; – 16 February 1247) was the Landgrave of Thuringia from 1231 until 1239 and again from 1241 until his death. In 1246, with the support of the Papacy, he was elected King of the Romans, King of Germany in Anti-king, opposition t ...
, inherited the Landgraviate, which he had already ruled as
regent
A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...
during the minority of his nephew. A second brother,
Conrad Raspe, ruled the Hessian estates of the family, but entered the
Teutonic Order
The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem, commonly known as the Teutonic Order, is a Catholic religious institution founded as a military society in Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. It was formed to aid Christians on ...
in 1234, soon becoming its
Hochmeister
The Grand Master of the Teutonic Order (german: Hochmeister des Deutschen Ordens; la, Magister generalis Ordo Teutonicus) is the supreme head of the Teutonic Order. It is equivalent to the grand master of other military orders and the supe ...
. Henry Raspe, who in 1246 was elected as the German
antiking
An anti-king, anti king or antiking (german: Gegenkönig; french: antiroi; cs, protikrál) is a would-be king who, due to succession disputes or simple political opposition, declares himself king in opposition to a reigning monarch. OED "Anti-, ...
, died in 1247. On his death the male line of the Ludovingians died out. In 1243, Henry Raspe had already arranged for his nephew, Henry, the Margrave of Meissen, to be enfeoffed with the Landgraviate of Thuringia. In 1249, Henry was able to secure his claims in Thuringia after military operations that ended in the
Treaty of Weißenfels. These were not initially recognised, however, by his cousin
Sophia of Brabant, the daughter of Louis IV. In 1259, she attempted, with the aid of
Albert I of Brunswick
Albert the Tall ( lat, Albertus Longus, german: Albrecht der Große; 1236 – 15 August 1279), a member of the House of Welf, was Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg from 1252 and the first ruler of the newly created Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbü ...
, ab 1259 to gain a military foothold in Thuringia. After a heavy defeat at Besenstedt near
Wettin in October 1263 she finally had to give up all claims to Thuringia in 1264, was successful in securing the claims of her son,
Henry
Henry may refer to:
People
*Henry (given name)
* Henry (surname)
* Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry
Royalty
* Portuguese royalty
** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal
** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...
to the family's Hessian estate, which as the
Landgraviate of Hesse
The Landgraviate of Hesse (german: Landgrafschaft Hessen) was a principality of the Holy Roman Empire. It existed as a single entity from 1264 to 1567, when it was divided among the sons of Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse.
History
In the early Mid ...
became independent and, in 1291, an
imperial principality.
List of reigning Ludovingians counts and landgraves
* 1031–1056
Louis the Bearded (Count of Schauenburg)
* 1056–1123
Louis the Springer
Louis the Springer (german: Ludwig der Springer), sometimes called Louis the Jumper or Louis the Leaper (died 8 May 1123), was a German nobleman and count in Thuringia from 1056 until his death. Little is known about him, although he is mentioned ...
(Count of Schauenburg)
* 1123–1140
Louis I Louis I may refer to:
* Louis the Pious, Louis I of France, "the Pious" (778–840), king of France and Holy Roman Emperor
* Louis I, Landgrave of Thuringia (ruled 1123–1140)
* Ludwig I, Count of Württemberg (c. 1098–1158)
* Louis I of Blois ...
(1st landgrave, from 1131)
* 1140–1172
Louis II ''the Iron''
* 1172–1190
Louis III Louis III may refer to:
* Louis the Younger, sometimes III of Germany (835–882)
* Louis III of France (865–882)
* Louis the Blind, Louis III, Holy Roman Emperor, (c. 880–928)
* Louis the Child, sometimes III of Germany (893–911)
* Louis I ...
''the Pious''
* 1190–1217
Hermann I
* 1217–1227
Louis IV ''the Saint''
* 1227–1241
Hermann II
* 1241–1247
Henry Raspe
Henry Raspe (; – 16 February 1247) was the Landgrave of Thuringia from 1231 until 1239 and again from 1241 until his death. In 1246, with the support of the Papacy, he was elected King of the Romans, King of Germany in Anti-king, opposition t ...
See also
*
History of Thuringia
Thuringia (; german: Thüringen ), officially the Free State of Thuringia ( ), is a state of central Germany, covering , the sixth smallest of the sixteen German states. It has a population of about 2.1 million.
Erfurt is the capital and larg ...
*
List of rulers of Thuringia
This is a list of the rulers of Thuringia, a historical and political region of Central Germany.
Kings of Thuringia
*450–500 Bisinus
*500–530 Baderich
*500–530 Berthachar
*500–531 Herminafried
:''Conquered by the Franks.' ...
*
Babenbergs
Literature
*
*
* Josef Heinzelmann gemeinsam mit Manuel Aicher: ''Wolf cum barba''. In: ''Archiv für Familiengeschichtsforschung''. Vol. 6, 2002, pp. 19–23 (zur These von Armin Wolf, Ludwig der Bärtige stamme von Ludwig von Mousson).
* Josef Heinzelmann, ''Nachträge zu: Ludwig von Arnstein und seine Verwandtschaft, Zugleich ein Beitrag: Die frühen Ludowinger (Grafen in Thüringen)''. In: ''Genealogisches Jahrbuch'' Vol. 36, 1997, pp 67–73.
* Hans-Joachim Kessler, Konrad Kessler: ''Auf den Spuren der Thüringer Landgrafen''. Sutton Verlag, Erfurt, 2010, .
* Tilo Köhn (ed.): ''Brandenburg, Anhalt und Thüringen im Mittelalter. Askanier und Ludowinger beim Aufbau fürstlicher Territorialherrschaften''. Böhlau, Cologne-Weimar-Vienna, 1997, , pp. 241–294.
* Hans Patze und Walter Schlesinger: ''Geschichte Thüringens''. Zweiter Band, erster Teil. Cologne, 1974, pp. 10–41,
* Jürgen Petersohn: ''Die Ludowinger. Selbstverständnis und Memoria eines hochmittelalterlichen Reichsfürstengeschlechts''. In: ''Blätter für deutsche Landesgeschichte''. Vol. 129, 1993, pp 1–39.
* Wilfried Warsitzka: ''Die thüringer Landgrafen.'' Verlag Dr. Bussert & Stadeler, Jena, 2003,
* Reinhard Zöllner: ''Die Ludowinger und die
. Feudale Herrschaft in Thüringen und
Kai no kuni'' Dieter Born, 1995,
External links
genealogie-mittelalter.de
References
{{Authority control
German noble families
Saxon nobility
History of Hesse
Eisenach
Thuringian Forest