Leopold (, c. 1108 – 18 October 1141), known as Leopold the Generous (), was
Margrave of Austria
From 976 until 1246, the Margraviate of Austria and its successor, the Duchy of Austria, was ruled by the House of Babenberg. At that time, those states were part of the Holy Roman Empire. From 1246 until 1918, the duchy and its successor, the Ar ...
(appearing in lists as Leopold IV) from 1136, and
Duke of Bavaria
The following is a list of monarchs during the history of Bavaria. Bavaria was ruled by several dukes and kings, partitioned and reunited, under several dynasties. Since 1918, Bavaria has been under a republican form of government, and from 19 ...
from 1139 until his death in 1141.Lingelbach 1913, pp. 90–91.
Biography
He was one of the younger sons of Margrave Leopold III, the Holy. It is not known why he was originally preferred to his brothers Adalbert and Henry Jasomirgott.
Through his mother Agnes, he was related to the
Hohenstaufen
The Hohenstaufen dynasty (, , ), also known as the Staufer, was a noble family of unclear origin that rose to rule the Duchy of Swabia from 1079, and to royal rule in the Holy Roman Empire during the Middle Ages from 1138 until 1254. The dynast ...
. In the course of their struggle against the competing Welfen family, he was given the formerly Welfish
Bavaria
Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...
as a fief by Emperor Conrad III. He managed to maintain his position there, as his brother
Otto
Otto is a masculine German given name and a surname. It originates as an Old High German short form (variants '' Audo'', '' Odo'', '' Udo'') of Germanic names beginning in ''aud-'', an element meaning "wealth, prosperity".
The name is recorded fr ...
was
Bishop of Freising
The following people were bishops, prince-bishops or archbishops of Freising or Munich and Freising in Bavaria:
Bishops of Freising
* St. Corbinian (724–730); founded the Benedictine abbey in Freising, although the diocese was not organ ...
there.
The most important measure of his short reign was the ''Exchange of Mautern'' entered into with the
Bishop of Passau
The Diocese of Passau (; ) is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church in Germany that is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising.St. Peter's Church in Vienna, while the Margrave received extended stretches of land from the bishop outside the city walls, with the notable exception of the territory where a new church was to be built, which was to become St. Stephen's Cathedral.
Leopold died unexpectedly at
Niederaltaich Abbey
Niederaltaich Abbey (Abtei or Kloster Niederaltaich) is a house of the Benedictine Order founded in 741, situated in the village of Niederalteich on the Danube in Bavaria.
Foundation and early history
After its foundation in 741 by Duke Odilo, D ...
in Bavaria and was succeeded by his brother Henry.
See also
*
List of rulers of Austria
From 976 until 1246, the Margraviate of Austria and its successor, the Duchy of Austria, was ruled by the House of Babenberg. At that time, those states were part of the Holy Roman Empire. From 1246 until 1918, the duchy and its successor, the ...