Welf VII (c. 1135 – 11 or 12 September 1167) was the only son of

Welf VI Welf VI (111515 December 1191) was the margrave of Tuscany (1152–1162) and duke of Spoleto (1152–1162), the third son of Henry IX, Duke of Bavaria, and a member of the illustrious family of the Welf (also known as the House of Guelph). ...

, Duke of Spoleto and Margrave of Tuscany, and Uta, daughter of Godfrey of Calw, count palatine of the Rhine. He was a member of the House of Welf. Arms of Welf ancient

His father inherited the family's estates in Swabia, including the prominent counties of Altdorf and Ravensburg, which he gave to Welf. Welf, however, spent much of his time managing the Italian possessions while his father stayed in Swabia. Both Welfs supported Frederick Barbarossa as

king of Germany This is a list of monarchs who ruled over East Francia, and the Kingdom of Germany (), from Treaty of Verdun, the division of the Francia, Frankish Empire in 843 and Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, the collapse of the Holy Roman Empire in ...

and the younger Welf (VII) accompanied him on his Italian campaigns, starting in 1154. In 1160, he was made duke of Spoleto by the emperor. Between 1164 and 1166, he was a central theme in the notable Stuafen-Welf feud between his father and Hugh of Tübingen, which the emperor himself resolved. He was a participant in Frederick I’s campaign against Alexander III in 1167. After the successful siege of Rome, a massive thunderstorm on 2 August swept across the imperial camp and caused massive destruction. A few days later an epidemic broke out among the army. This epidemic has often been identified as

malaria Malaria is a Mosquito-borne disease, mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects vertebrates and ''Anopheles'' mosquitoes. Human malaria causes Signs and symptoms, symptoms that typically include fever, Fatigue (medical), fatigue, vomitin ...

, but the swiftness with which the illness spread and the enormous death toll, precludes malaria as a cause. Most likely the epidemic was caused by Shigella dysenteriae. .Peter Herde, Die Katastrophe von Rom im August 1167. Eine Historisch-Epidemiologische Studie zum vierten Italienzug Friedrichs I. Barbarossa (SB Wiss. Gesellschaft Frankfurt a. M. 27) (Stuttgart, 1991), S. 157; Joachim Ehlers, Heinrich der Löwe. Eine Biographie (München, 2008), S. 213. The rapid withdrawal of the army did not stop the spread of the disease. Welf VII died of this illness on 12 September in

Siena Siena ( , ; traditionally spelled Sienna in English; ) is a city in Tuscany, in central Italy, and the capital of the province of Siena. It is the twelfth most populated city in the region by number of inhabitants, with a population of 52,991 ...

. He was buried in Steingaden Abbey in Bavaria, where his father was also later buried. The death of Welf (and Frederick IV) allowed his cousin Frederick I to exercise power directly in Swabia and accept the autonomy of the Lombard communes.

References

Sources

* Thomas Zotz (Editor), Andreas Schmauder (Editor), Johannes Kuber (Editor)
Von Den Welfen Zu Den Staufern: Der Tod Welfs VII 1167 Und Die Grundlegung Oberschwabens Im Mittelalter
(From the Guelphs to the Staufers. The Death of Welfs VII 1167 and the Foundation of Upper Swabia in the Middle Ages): Volume 4. Kohlhammer, Stuttgart 2020. ISBN 978-3-17-037334-1. {{DEFAULTSORT:Welf 07 Margraves of Tuscany Dukes of Spoleto House of Welf 1130s births 1167 deaths Year of birth uncertain