Erchanger (or Erchangar) (c. 860/880 – 21 January 917) 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 duchy, stem duchies of the medieval German kingdom, and its dukes were thus among the most powerful magnates of Germany. The most no ...

from September 915 to his death. He was the son of Berthold I,

count palatine A count palatine (Latin ''comes palatinus''), also count of the palace or palsgrave (from German ''Pfalzgraf''), was originally an official attached to a royal or imperial palace or household and later a nobleman of a rank above that of an or ...

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 Louis the German (German language, German: ''Ludwig der Deutsche''; c. 806/810 – 28 August 876), also known as Louis II of Germany (German language, German: ''Ludwig II. von Deutschland''), was the first king of East Francia, and ruled from 8 ...

and his family is known as the

Ahalolfinger The Alaholfings (occasionally Ahalolfings) were a noble family of Alemannia in the Early Middle Ages. They were related to the previous rulers of Alemannia, to the Bavarian Agilolfings and to the Geroldings. Their original power base was around t ...

. He was originally a ''

missus dominicus A ''missus dominicus'' (plural ''missi dominici''), Latin for "envoy of the lord uler, also known in Dutch as Zendgraaf ( German: ''Sendgraf''), meaning "sent Graf", was an official commissioned by the Frankish king or Holy Roman Emperor to sup ...

'' in Swabia. In 911, he allied with Bishop

Solomon III of Constance Solomon III (died 919) was the Bishop of Constance from 890 to his death. In 885, the Emperor Charles III made him archchancellor of the Empire, for Konstanz was then the greatest diocese in Swabia, which had been Charles' original kingdom and ...

due their common political goals. At the time, Erchanger was striving for greater political power in Swabia at the expense of duke Burchard I and his son Burchard II, and he played a part in the downfall of the elder Burchard, who was convicted of

high treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its d ...

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 Conrad I (; c. 881 – 23 December 918), called the Younger, was the king of East Francia from 911 to 918. He was the first king not of the Carolingian dynasty, the first to be elected by the nobility and the first to be anointed. He was chosen as ...

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 Arnulf II (birth unknown; died 14 July 937), also known as the Bad (), the Evil () or the Wicked, a member of the Luitpolding dynasty, held the title of Duke of Bavaria from about 907 until his death in 937. He is numbered in succession to A ...

and his old enemy Burchard II against the

Magyars Hungarians, also known as Magyars, are an ethnic group native to Hungary (), who share a common culture, language and history. They also have a notable presence in former parts of the Kingdom of Hungary. The Hungarian language belongs to the ...

. Erchanger and Burchard then turned against Conrad. Defeating him at the Battle of Wahlwies in the

Hegau Hegau () either refers to a region of the Duchy of Swabia or to only that part of said region which is presently located in the country of Germany. It is known for its extinct, partly eroded volcanoes, most of which are crowned with ruins of medi ...

, Erchanger was proclaimed duke. However, at a high court in

Hohenaltheim Hohenaltheim is a municipality in the district of Donau-Ries in Bavaria in Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the ...

in September 916, Erchanger was condemned to a monastery for offences against king and bishop. He was executed on the instructions of the king on 21 January 917.

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* * {{Authority control Dukes of Swabia 10th-century dukes in Europe Ahalolfing dynasty 9th-century births 917 deaths Year of birth uncertain