The Dukes of Swabia were the rulers of the

Duchy of Swabia The Duchy of Swabia (; ) was one of the five stem duchy, stem duchies of the medieval Kingdom of Germany, German Kingdom. It arose in the 10th century in the southwestern area that had been settled by Alemanni tribes in Late Antiquity. While th ...

during the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

Swabia Swabia ; , colloquially ''Schwabenland'' or ''Ländle''; archaic English also Suabia or Svebia is a cultural, historic and linguistic region in southwestern Germany. The name is ultimately derived from the medieval Duchy of Swabia, one of ...

was one of the five stem duchies of the medieval German kingdom, and its dukes were thus among the most powerful magnates of Germany. The most notable family to rule Swabia was 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 ...

family, who held it, with a brief interruption, from 1079 until 1268. For much of that period, the Hohenstaufen were also Holy Roman Emperors. With the death of

Conradin Conrad III (25 March 1252 – 29 October 1268), called ''the Younger'' or ''the Boy'', but usually known by the diminutive Conradin (, ), was the last direct heir of the House of Hohenstaufen. He was Duke of Swabia (1254–1268) and nominal King ...

, the last Duke of Hohenstaufen, the duchy itself disintegrated although King Rudolf I attempted to revive it for his

Habsburg The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout Europe d ...

family in the late 13th century.

Dukes of Swabia (909–1268)

Early dukes

* Burchard I Hunfriding (d. 911), mentioned as ''marchio'' (margrave) in 903 and ''dux'' (duke) in 909 * Erchanger Ahalolfing, dominant count in Alemannia after the execution of Burchard I, declared duke in 915, exiled September 916, executed January 917. * Burchard II (917–926, Hunfriding), recognized

Henry the Fowler Henry the Fowler ( or '; ; – 2 July 936) was the duke of Saxony from 912 and the king of East Francia from 919 until his death in 936. As the first non- Frankish king of East Francia, he established the Ottonian dynasty of kings and emper ...

as king of Germany in 919 and was recognized by Henry as Duke of Swabia in return. * Hermann I (926–949, Conradine) * Liudolf (950–954, Ottonian) * Burchard III (954–973, Hunfriding) *

Otto I Otto I (23 November 912 – 7 May 973), known as Otto the Great ( ) or Otto of Saxony ( ), was East Francia, East Frankish (Kingdom of Germany, German) king from 936 and Holy Roman Emperor from 962 until his death in 973. He was the eldest son o ...

(973–982, Ottonian)

Conradines

* Conrad I (982–997) * Hermann II (997–1003) * Hermann III (1003–12)

House of Babenberg

* Ernest I (1012–15) * Ernest II (1015–30) * Hermann IV (1030–38)

Miscellaneous houses

* Henry I (1038–45, Salian),

King of the Romans King of the Romans (; ) was the title used by the king of East Francia following his election by the princes from the reign of Henry II (1002–1024) onward. The title originally referred to any German king between his election and coronatio ...

from 1039 and

Holy Roman Emperor The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans (disambiguation), Emperor of the Romans (; ) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period (; ), was the ruler and h ...

from 1046 * Otto II (1045–48,

Ezzonen The Ezzonids (, ) were a dynasty of Lotharingian stock dating back as far as the ninth century. They attained prominence only in the eleventh century, through marriage with the Ottonian dynasty of Holy Roman Emperors. Named after Ezzo, Count Pal ...

) * Otto III (1048–57,

Schweinfurt Schweinfurt ( , ; ) is a town#Germany, city in the district of Lower Franconia in Bavaria, Germany. It is the administrative centre of the surrounding Schweinfurt (district), district (''Landkreis'') of Schweinfurt and a major industrial, cultur ...

) * Rudolf I (1057–79, Rheinfelden) * Berthold I (1079–90, Rheinfelden) * Berthold II (1092–98, Zähringen)

House of Hohenstaufen, 1079–1268

, Frederick I
1079–1105
, , Rauchbeinchronik Herzog Friedrich I

, , 1050
son of

Frederick of Büren Frederick of Büren ( 1053) was a count in northern Duchy of Swabia, Swabia and an ancestor of the imperial Hohenstaufen, Staufer dynasty., nn. 8 & 9. The name Frederick of Büren is known only from the ''Tabula Consanguinitatis'', a Staufer gene ...

and Hildegard of Egisheim-Dagsburg, ,

Agnes of Germany Agnes of Germany may refer to: * Agnes of Poitou (died 1077), wife of King Henry III of Germany * Agnes of Waiblingen (died 1143), daughter of King Henry IV of Germany {{hndis ...

1089
11 children
, , 21 July 1105
aged 54 or 55 , - , Frederick II the One-Eyed
1105–1147
, , Frederick II of Swabia

, , 1090
son of Frederick I and

Agnes of Germany Agnes of Germany may refer to: * Agnes of Poitou (died 1077), wife of King Henry III of Germany * Agnes of Waiblingen (died 1143), daughter of King Henry IV of Germany {{hndis ...

, , Judith of Bavaria
1121
2 children

Agnes of Saarbrücken Agnes of Waiblingen (1072/73 – 24 September 1143), also known as Agnes of Germany, Agnes of Franconia and Agnes of Saarbrücken, was a member of the Salian imperial family. Through her first marriage, she was Duchess of Swabia; through her ...

c.1132
2 children
, , 6 April 1147
aged 56 or 57 , - , Frederick III Barbarossa
1147–1152
, ,

, , 1122
son of Frederick II and Judith of Bavaria , , Adelheid of Vohburg
2 March 1147

Eger Eger ( , ; ; also known by other #Names and etymology, alternative names) is the county seat of Heves County, and the second largest city in Northern Hungary (after Miskolc). A city with county rights, Eger is best known for Castle of Eger, its ...

no children
Beatrice of Burgundy
9 June 1156

Würzburg Würzburg (; Main-Franconian: ) is, after Nuremberg and Fürth, the Franconia#Towns and cities, third-largest city in Franconia located in the north of Bavaria. Würzburg is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Lower Franconia. It sp ...

12 children
, , 10 June 1190
aged 67 or 68 , - , Frederick IV
1152–1167
, , Frederick IV of Swabia

, , 1145
son of

Conrad III of Germany Conrad III (; ; 1093 or 1094 – 15 February 1152) of the Hohenstaufen dynasty was from 1116 to 1120 Duke of Franconia, from 1127 to 1135 anti-king of his predecessor Lothair III, and from 1138 until his death in 1152 King of the Romans in t ...

and Gertrude von Sulzbach , , Gertrude of Bavaria
1166
no children
, , 19 August 1167

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

aged 21 or 22 , - , Frederick V
1167–1170
, , , , 16 July 1164

Pavia Pavia ( , ; ; ; ; ) is a town and comune of south-western Lombardy, in Northern Italy, south of Milan on the lower Ticino (river), Ticino near its confluence with the Po (river), Po. It has a population of c. 73,086. The city was a major polit ...

son of Frederick III and Beatrice of Burgundy , ,
unmarried
, , 28 November 1170
aged 6 , - , Frederick VI
1170–1191
, , FridrichSwabia

, , February 1167

Modigliana Modigliana () is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Forlì-Cesena in the Italy, Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about southeast of Bologna and about southwest of Forlì. The toponym derives from (Castrum) ''Mutilum'', meaning � ...

son of Frederick III and Beatrice of Burgundy , ,
unmarried
, , 20 January 1191

Acre The acre ( ) is a Unit of measurement, unit of land area used in the Imperial units, British imperial and the United States customary units#Area, United States customary systems. It is traditionally defined as the area of one Chain (unit), ch ...

aged 24 , - , Conrad II
1191–1196
, , Vad-0321 052 Konrad von Schwaben

, , February or March 1173
son of Frederick III and Beatrice of Burgundy , ,
unmarried
, , 15 August 1196
Durlach
aged 23 , - ,

Philip Philip, also Phillip, is a male name derived from the Macedonian Old Koine language, Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominen ...

1196–1208
, , Vad-0321 040 Philipp von Schwaben

, , August 1177
son of Frederick III and Beatrice of Burgundy , , Irene Angelina
25 May 1197
4 children
, , 21 June 1208

Bamberg Bamberg (, , ; East Franconian German, East Franconian: ''Bambärch'') is a town in Upper Franconia district in Bavaria, Germany, on the river Regnitz close to its confluence with the river Main (river), Main. Bamberg had 79,000 inhabitants in ...

aged 30 , - , align="center" colspan="7", ''Vacancy: 1208-1212'' , - , Frederick VII
1212–1216
, , , , 26 December 1194

Jesi Jesi () is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of Ancona, in the Italian region of Marche. It is an important industrial and artistic center in the floodplain on the left (north) bank of the Esino river, before its mouth on the Adria ...

son of Henry I and Constance of Sicily, , Constance of Aragon
15 August 1209
1 child

Isabella II of Jerusalem Isabella II (12124 May 1228), sometimes erroneously called Yolanda, was Queen of Jerusalem from 1212 to 1228. She was the daughter of Queen Maria of Jerusalem and her husband, John of Brienne. By marriage to Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, Is ...

9 November 1225
2 children

Isabella of England Isabella of England (1214 – 1 December 1241) was an English princess of the House of Plantagenet The House of Plantagenet (Help:IPA/English, /plænˈtædʒənət/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''plan-TAJ-ə-nət'') was a royal hou ...

15 July 1235
4 children, , 13 December 1250
Torremaggiore
aged 55 , - ,

Henry II Henry II may refer to: Kings * Saint Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor (972–1024), crowned King of Germany in 1002, of Italy in 1004 and Emperor in 1014 *Henry II of England (1133–89), reigned from 1154 *Henry II of Jerusalem and Cyprus (1271–1 ...

1216–1235
, , , , 1211

Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...

son of Frederick I and Constance of Aragon , ,

Margaret Margaret is a feminine given name, which means "pearl". It is of Latin origin, via Ancient Greek and ultimately from Iranian languages, Old Iranian. It has been an English language, English name since the 11th century, and remained popular thro ...

29 November 1225
2 children, , 12 February 1242
Martirano
aged 30 , - , Conrad III
1235–1254 , , , , 25 April 1228
Andria
son of Frederick I and

, ,

Elisabeth of Bavaria Elisabeth (born Duchess Elisabeth Amalie Eugenie in Bavaria; 24 December 1837 – 10 September 1898), nicknamed Sisi or Sissi, was Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary from her marriage to Franz Joseph I of Austria on 24 April 1854 until h ...

1 September 1246
1 child, , 21 May 1254
Lavello
aged 26 , - , Conrad IV the Younger
1254–1268, , , , 25 March 1252
Wolfstein
son of Conrad I and

, , never married, , 29 October 1268

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

aged 16
(executed) , -

House of Habsburg (1283–1309)

* Rudolf (1283–90) *

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

(1290–1309)

Family tree

Successor states

In the 13th century, the

disintegrated into numerous smaller states. Some of the more important immediate successor states were: During the following century, several of these states were acquired by the County of Württemberg or the

Duchy of Austria The Duchy of Austria (; ) was a medieval principality of the Holy Roman Empire, established in 1156 by the '' Privilegium Minus'', when the Margraviate of Austria ('' Ostarrîchi'') was detached from Bavaria and elevated to a duchy in its own ri ...

, as marked above. In 1803 Bavarian Swabia was annexed by Bavaria and shortly afterwards became part of the

Kingdom of Bavaria The Kingdom of Bavaria ( ; ; spelled ''Baiern'' until 1825) was a German state that succeeded the former Electorate of Bavaria in 1806 and continued to exist until 1918. With the unification of Germany into the German Empire in 1871, the kingd ...

References

{{reflist History of Swabia