Louis I (died January 12, 1140) was ruler of

Thuringia Thuringia (; officially the Free State of Thuringia, ) is one of Germany, Germany's 16 States of Germany, states. With 2.1 million people, it is 12th-largest by population, and with 16,171 square kilometers, it is 11th-largest in area. Er ...

from 1123 to 1140.

Biography

The son of Count Louis the Springer ("the jumper") and his wife Adelheid, he was appointed

Landgrave Landgrave (, , , ; , ', ', ', ', ') was a rank of nobility used in the Holy Roman Empire, and its former territories. The German titles of ', ' ("margrave"), and ' ("count palatine") are of roughly equal rank, subordinate to ' ("duke"), and su ...

by the Emperor Lothair III in 1131. According to the succession in his line he should have been called Louis III, but he won Thuringia for his family and, in case of territorial expansion, it was customary to start counting from one. Thanks to his marriage with Hedwig of Gudensberg he obtained the rule over an extensive heritage, after the death of his father-in-law, Count Giso IV, which led to the union of Thuringia and Hesse. In 1137 Louis became Landgrave of Hesse-Gudensberg as well. His close relationship to the King Lothair III favoured his rise into the rank of a prince. After the death of Lothair, in 1137, Louis decided to support 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 their struggle for power in the Reich against the Welf party. The Landgrave died on January 12, 1140, and was buried inside the abbey of Reinhardsbrunn. Louis had a daughter,

Judith of Thuringia Judith of Thuringia (; – ), a member of the Ludovingians, Ludovingian dynasty, was List of Bohemian consorts, Queen consort of Bohemia from 1158 until 1172 as the second wife of King Vladislaus II, Duke of Bohemia, Vladislaus II. She was the s ...

, who married king Vladislaus II of Bohemia.Jonathan R. Lyon, "Princely Brothers and Sisters: The Sibling Bond in German Politics, 1100-1250", Cornell Press, 243

Bibliography

* * * *

References

Ludwig 1 of Thuringia Ludwig 1 of Thuringia Landgraves of Thuringia Ludovingians {{Germany-noble-stub