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Alamannia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For other uses, seeAlemannia (disambiguation).
"Alemania" redirects here. For the European country which is sometimes translated to "Alemania", seeGermany.
Kingdom of Alamannia
Königreich Alamannien(German)
Regnum Alamanniae(Latin)
213–911
Alemannia (orange) and Upper Burgundy (green) in the 10th century
Alemannia (orange) and Upper Burgundy (green) in the 10th century
StatusPart of theFrankish Empire(496, 539–843), theOstrogothic Kingdom(496–539), andEast Francia(843–911)
GovernmentMonarchy
Historical eraMigration Period,Early Middle Ages
• Alemanni invadeGermania superior
213
• UnderFrankishsuzerainty
496
• Under direct Carolingian rule
746
843
• Election ofConrad I of Germany,formation of theHoly Roman Empire
911
Preceded by		 Succeeded by
Germania superior
Duchy of Swabia

Alamannia,orAlemania,was the kingdom established and inhabited by theAlemanni,aGermanictribal confederation that had broken through the Romanlimesin 213.

The Alemanni expanded from theMainRiver basin during the 3rd century and raided Roman provinces and settled on the left bank of theRhineRiver from the 4th century.

Ruled by independenttribal kingsduring the 4th and the 5th centuries, Alamannia lost its independence in the late 5th century and became a duchy of theFrankish Empirein the 6th century. As theHoly Roman Empirestarted to form under KingConrad IofEast Francia(reigning 911 to 918), the territory of Alamannia became theDuchy of Swabiain 915. Scribes often used the termSuebiainterchangeably withAlamanniain the 10th to the 12th centuries.[1]

The territory of Alamannia as it existed from the 7th to 9th centuries centred onLake Constanceand included theHigh Rhine,theBlack Forestand theAlsaceon either side of theUpper Rhine,the upperDanubeRiver basin as far as the confluence with theLechRiver, with an unclear boundary towardsBurgundyto the south-west in theAareRiver basin (theAargau).Raetia Curiensis,although not part of Alemannia, was ruled by Alemannic counts, and became part of theDuchy of Swabiasince it was established byBurchard I(Duke of Alemannia from 909 to 911).

The territory corresponds to what is still the area ofAlemannic Germanin the modern period, FrenchAlsace,GermanBadenandSwabia,German-speaking Switzerlandand the AustrianVorarlberg.

In the area of present-daySwitzerland,the Alemannic territory expanded during the High Middle Ages, with theWalsermigration into the Alps, with theZähringerand later the influence ofBerntowardsUpper Burgundy,and intoGrisonsas lower Raetia came under the rule of theWerdenbergcounts.

Geography

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Further information:List of Alamannic pagi

The Alamanni were pushed south from their original area of settlement in theMainbasin and in the 5th and 6th century settled new territory on either side of the Rhine. Alemannia under Frankish rule later the Duchy of Swabia within the Holy Roman Empire covered a territory that was more or less undisputed during the 7th to 13th centuries, organised into counties orpagi.

InSwabia: Hegowe(Hegau), between Lake Constance, the upper Danube and theSwabian Jura.Perahtoltaspara(Berchtoldsbaar) in the upper Neckar basin, left of the upper Danube as far asUlm,including thesource of the Danube.Nekargowe(named for theNeckar,capitalCanstatt). Swiggerstal(the modernErmstal),Filiwigawe(Filsgau, named for theFils),Trachgowe(Drachgau,nearSchwäbisch Gmünd) andAlba(Albuch) between the Neckar and the Danube. Duria(Duriagau) between Ulm and Augsburg.

Albegowe(Allgäu),Keltinstein(between Geltnach andWertach) andAugestigowe(capitalAugsburg) along theLechforming the border toBavaria.Rezia(Ries,ultimately from the name of the Roman province ofRaetia) in the Northeastern corner, left of the Danube (capitalNördlingen). Linzgowe(Linzgau) andArgungowe(named forArgen River) north of Lake Constance. Eritgau,Folcholtespara(Folcholtsbaar),Rammegowe(Rammachgau) andIllargowe(named for theIller,capitalMemmingen) on the right side of the Danube.

InBaden:Brisigowe(Breisgau) along the Upper Rhine opposite Sundgau, andMortunova,the laterOrtenau,along the Upper Rhine opposite Nordgau.Alpegowe(Albgau), centered onSt. Blaise Abbey, Black Forest.

In modern France (the Alsace):Suntgowe(Sundgau) andNordgowe(Nordgau).

In modern Switzerland:Augestigowe(the territory surroundingAugst) andTurgowe(modernThurgau,named for theThur;Zürichgauwas detached from Thurgau in the 8th century).

The territory between Alamannia andUpper Burgundywas known asArgowe(modernAargau,named for theAare). The pertinence of this territory to either Alamannia or Upper Burgundy was disputed.

The county ofRaetia Curiensiswas absorbed into Alamannia in the early 10th century. It comprised theRingowe(Rheingau,named for theRhine) andRetiaproper.

History

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Tribal kingdoms

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Main article:Alamanni
Further information:Crisis of the Third Century
Alamanniais shown beyondSilva Marciana(theBlack Forest) in theTabula Peutingeriana.Sueviais indicated separately, further downstream of theRhine,beyondSilva Vosagus,betweenArgentorate(Strasbourg) andMoguntiacum(Mainz).

Originally a loose confederation of unrelated tribes, the Alemanni underwent coalescence orethnogenesisduring the 3rd century, and were ruled by kings throughout the 4th and 5th centuries until 496, when they were defeated byClovis Iof theFranksat theBattle of Tolbiac.

The Alemanni during the Roman Empire period were divided into a number of cantons orgoviae,each presided by a tribal king. But there appears to have been the custom of the individual kings uniting under the leadership of a single king in military expeditions.

Area settled by the Alamanni during the 3rd to 6th centuries; notable raids or battles of the 3rd to 4th centuries are also indicated.

Some kings of the Alemanni of the 4th and 5th centuries are known by name, the first beingChrocus(died 306), a military leader who organized raids across the limes during the 3rd century. Chnodomarius(fl.350) supportedConstantius IIin the rebellion ofMagnentius. Chnodomarius was the leader of the Alemannic army in thebattle of Strasbourgin 357.

Macrian,Hariobaudes,Urius,Ursicinus,Vadomarius,andVestralpuswere Alemannic kings who in 359 made treaties withJulian the Apostate.Macrian was deposed in an expedition ordered byValentinian Iin 370. Macrian appears to have been involved in building a large alliance of Alemannic tribes against Rome, which earned him the title ofturbarum rex artifex( "king and crafter of unrest" ).

The Romans installed Fraomar as a successor of Marcian, but theBucinobanteswould not accept him and he was expelled and Macrian restored and Valentinian made theBucinobanteshisfoederatiin the war against theFranks.Macrian was killed on campaign against the Franks, in an ambush laid by the Frankish kingMallobaudes.

Gibuld(fl. 470) is the last known king of the Alemanni. His raid onPassauis mentioned in thevitaofSaint Lupus.The name of Gibuld's successor who was defeated at Tolbiac is not known.

Merovingian duchy

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After their defeat in 496, the Alemanni bucked the Frankish yoke and put themselves under the protection ofTheodoric the Greatof theOstrogoths[2]but after his death they were again subjugated by the Franks underTheudebert Iin 536.[3]Thereafter, Alamannia was a nominal dukedom within Francia.

Though ruled by their own dukes, it is not likely that they were very often united under one duke in the 6th and 7th centuries. The Alemanni most frequently appear as auxiliaries in expeditions to Italy. TheDuchy of Alsacewas Alemannic, but it was ruled by a line of Frankish dukes and the region around the upperDanubeandNeckarrivers was ruled by theAhalolfingfamily and not by the ducal house which ruled central Alamannia aroundLake Constance.Rhaetiatoo, though Alamannic, was ruled by theVictoridscoterminously with theDiocese of Chur.

Alamannia wasChristianisedduring the 7th century, although not as thoroughly[dubious–discuss]as either Francia to its west orBavariato its east. The first Alamannic law code,Pactus Alamannorum,dates to this period. The Roman dioceses ofStrasbourgandBaselcovered Alsace and that of Chur, as mentioned, Rhaetia. Alamannia itself had a diocese only in the east, atAugsburg(early 7th century). There were two Roman bishoprics,WindischandOctodurum,which were moved early to other sites (AvenchesandSittenrespectively).

Western Alamannia did eventually (7th century) receive a diocese (Constance) through the cooperation of the bishops of Chur and theMerovingianmonarchs. The foundation of Constance is obscure, though it was the largest diocese in Germany throughout the Merovingian and earlyCarolingianera. The dioceses of Alamannia, including Chur, which had been a suffragan of theArchdiocese of Milan,were placed under the jurisdiction of theArchdiocese of Mainzby the Carolingians.

After the death ofDagobert Iin 638, Alamannia, like Bavaria,Aquitaine,andBrittany,broke its ties with its Frankish sovereigns and struggled for independence. This was largely successful until the early 8th century, when a series of campaigns waged by theArnulfingmayors of the palacereduced Alamannia to a province of Francia once again. It was, however, during this period ofde factoindependence that the Alamanni began to be ruled by one duke, though Alsace and Rhaetia remained outside of the scope of Alamannia.

Between 709 and 712,Pepin of Heristalfought againstLantfrid,who appears asduxof the Alamanni, and who committed to writing the second Alamannic law code, theLex Alamannorum.In 743,Pepin the ShortandCarlomanwaged a campaign to reduce Alamannia and in 746 Carloman began a final thrust to subdue the Alamannic nobility. Several thousand Alamanni noblemen were summarily arrested, tried, and executed for treason at aCouncil at Cannstatt.

Carolingian rule

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See also:Duchy of Swabia

During the reign ofLouis the Pious,there were tendencies to renewed independence in Alamannia, and the 830s were marked by bloody feuds between the Alamannic and Rhaetian nobility vying for dominion over the area. Following theTreaty of Verdunof 843, Alamannia became a province ofEast Francia,the kingdom ofLouis the German,the precursor of theKingdom of Germany.It was called aregnumin contemporary sources, though this does not necessarily mean that it was a kingdom or subkingdom. At times, however, it was.

It was granted toCharles the Baldin 829, though it is not certain whether he was recognised as duke or king. It was certainly a kingdom, including Alsace and Rhaetia, when it was granted toCharles the Fatin the division of East Francia in 876. Under Charles, Alamannia became the centre of the Empire, but after his deposition, it found itself out of favour. Though ethnically singular, it was still plagued by Rhaetian-Alamannic feuds and fighting over the control of the Alamannic church.

Alamannia in the late 9th century, like Bavaria,Saxony,andFranconia,sought to unite itself under one duke, but it had considerably less success than either Saxony or Bavaria. Alamannia was one of thejüngeres Stammesherzogtum,one of the "younger" stem duchies, or tribal duchies, which formed the basis of the political organisation of East Francia after the collapse of the Carolingian dynasty in the late 9th and early 10th centuries.

In the 10th century, no noble house of Alamannia succeeded in founding a ducal dynasty, as theOttoniansdid in Saxony or theLiutpoldingin Bavaria, though theHunfridingscame closest.

The duchy encompassed the area surrounding Lake Constance, theBlack Forest,and the left and right banks of theRhine,including Alsace and parts of theSwiss plateau,bordering onUpper Burgundy.The boundary with Burgundy, fixed in 843, ran along the lowerAare,turning towards the south at the Rhine, passing west ofLucerneand across theAlpsalong the upperRhôneto theSaint Gotthard Pass.In the north, the boundary ran from theMurg(some 30 km south ofKarlsruhe) toHeilbronnand theNördlinger Ries.The eastern boundary was at theLech.Argoviawas disputed territory between the dukes of Alamannia and Burgundy.

Burchard II,son of the late Burchard I and count in Raetia Curiensis, took the title ofduke of Swabia,[4]Duke acknowledged by the newly elected kingHenry the Fowlerin 919. Theduchy of Swabiawas ruled by theHohenstaufenduring 1079–1268 and was disestablished with the execution ofConradinand its territory was politically fragmented during the succeedinginterregnum period.

Legacy

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Further information:SwabiaandHelvetii § Legacy

Alemannic Germanpersists as a separate family ofdialectswithinHigh German. The distribution of theLow AlemannicandHigh Alemannicsubgroups largely correspond to the extent of historical Alemannia, while theHighest Alemannicdialects spread beyond its limits during the High Middle Ages. TheBrünig-Napf-Reuss lineis a cultural boundary within High Alemannic which marks the division of Alemannia proper and theArgoviamarches between Alemannia and Burgundy.

Thenames for Germanyin modernArabic(ألمانيا),Catalan(Alemanya),Welsh(Yr Almaen),Cornish(Almayn),French(Allemagne),Persian(ألمان),Galician-Portuguese(Alemanha),Spanish(Alemania), andTurkish(Almanya) all derive from Alamannia. A similar correspondence exists for "German", both as the language and the adjectival form of "Germany".

List of rulers of Alamannia

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Further information:Annales Alamannici

Independent kings

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Further information:Alamannia § Tribal kingdoms

The following are the known names of early Alemannic kings. They did not necessarily rule all of Alamannia, but were more likely petty kings ruling over smaller tribes or cantons, e.g.Macrian(fl. 370), king of the Alamannic tribe of theBucinobantes.

Dukes under Frankish suzerainty

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Further information:Alamannia § Merovingian duchy

Carolingians

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Further information:Alamannia § Carolingian rule
Further information:Duchy of Swabia

The Alemanni were under direct Carolingian rule during 746 (Council of Cannstatt) to 892. Intermittently, junior members of the Carolingian dynasties were appointedregulusorsubregulusof Alemannia while at other times, Alemannia was under the direct administration of the Carolingian kings (after 843 kings ofEast Francia).

Further information:Duke of Swabia

From the later 8th century, Alemannic dynasties were able to establish themselves once again. Variously called counts, or margraves, or dukes, these native dynasties during the later years of Carolingian rule managed to establish themselves as de facto independent, establishing the "younger stem duchy"of Alemannia/Swabia by the early 10th century. The rivalry between theHunfridingsandAhalolfingswas decided in favour ofBurchard IIHunfriding in theBattle of Winterthurof 919.

See also

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References

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  1. ^The nameAlamanniaitself came into use from at least the 8th century;in pago Almanniae762,in pago Alemannorum797,urbs Constantia in ducatu Alemanniae797;in ducatu Alemannico, in pago Linzgowe873. From the 9th century,Alamanniawas increasingly used as a reference to theAlsacespecifically, and the Alamannic territory in general was increasingly called theSuebia.By the 12th century, the nameSuebiahad mostly replacedAlamannia. S. Hirzel,Forschungen zur Deutschen Landeskunde6 (1888), p. 299.
  2. ^Jonathan J. Arnold (2016).A Companion to Ostrogothic Italy.BRILL. p. 93.ISBN978-9004-31376-7.
  3. ^Ian Wood (1998).Franks and Alamanni in the Merovingian Period: An Ethnographic Perspective.The Boydell Press. p. 33.ISBN0-85115-723-8.
  4. ^Bernd Schneidmüller,Die Welfen. Herrschaft und Erinnerung (819–1252).Kohlhammer Verlag,Stuttgart 2000, 82–83.
  5. ^According to theChroniconofMarius of Avenches.Geuenich, Dieter.Geschichte der Alemannen.Verlag Kohlhammer: Stuttgart, 2004.
  • Reuter, Timothy.Germany in the Early Middle Ages 800–1056.New York: Longman, 1991.
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