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Welf I, Duke of Bavaria

 

 
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Welf I, Duke of Bavaria
 
 
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Welf I (died 6 November 1101, Paphos
Paphos

Paphos Paphos is the mythical birthplace of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty, and the founding myth is interwoven with the goddess at every level....
) was duke of Bavaria
Bavaria

Bavaria , with an area of and almost 12.5 million inhabitants, is a region located in the southeast of Germany and is the largest States of Germany of Germany by area....
 from 1070 to 1077 and from 1096 to his death. He was the first member of the Welf
Welf

The House of Welf is a European dynasty that has included many Germany and United Kingdom monarchs from the 11th to 20th century.The House of Welf is the older branch of the House of Este, a dynasty whose oldest known members lived in Lombardy in the 9th century....
 branch of the House of Este. In the Welf genealogy he is counted as Welf IV.

Welf was the son of Azzo II of Este
Albert Azzo II, Margrave of Milan

Albert Azzo II , Margrave of Milan and Liguria, Count of Gavello and Padua, Rovigo, Lunigiana, Monselice, and Montagnana, was a powerful nobleman in the Holy Roman Empire....
 and his wife Chuniza of Altdorf. When Welf's maternal uncle, Welf, Duke of Carinthia
Welf, Duke of Carinthia

Welf III , as he is numbered in the genealogy of the Swabian line of the Elder House of Welf, was the duke of Carinthia and margrave of Verona from 1047....
 (also known as Welf III), died childless, Welf inherited his property. Welf married Ethelinde, daughter of Otto II, Duke of Bavaria
Otto of Nordheim

Otto of Northeim , born about 1020, died 11 January 1083, was List of rulers of Bavaria from 1061 until 1070. He was one of the leaders of the Saxons revolt against Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor....
.

Although the Marquis of Este, guided by his cousin Matilda, continued firm in the Pope's interests, his son Welf, who had succeeded to the Bavarian states, and whose views were more immediately directed to Germany, supported the emperor.






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Welf I (died 6 November 1101, Paphos
Paphos

Paphos Paphos is the mythical birthplace of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty, and the founding myth is interwoven with the goddess at every level....
) was duke of Bavaria
Bavaria

Bavaria , with an area of and almost 12.5 million inhabitants, is a region located in the southeast of Germany and is the largest States of Germany of Germany by area....
 from 1070 to 1077 and from 1096 to his death. He was the first member of the Welf
Welf

The House of Welf is a European dynasty that has included many Germany and United Kingdom monarchs from the 11th to 20th century.The House of Welf is the older branch of the House of Este, a dynasty whose oldest known members lived in Lombardy in the 9th century....
 branch of the House of Este. In the Welf genealogy he is counted as Welf IV.

Welf was the son of Azzo II of Este
Albert Azzo II, Margrave of Milan

Albert Azzo II , Margrave of Milan and Liguria, Count of Gavello and Padua, Rovigo, Lunigiana, Monselice, and Montagnana, was a powerful nobleman in the Holy Roman Empire....
 and his wife Chuniza of Altdorf. When Welf's maternal uncle, Welf, Duke of Carinthia
Welf, Duke of Carinthia

Welf III , as he is numbered in the genealogy of the Swabian line of the Elder House of Welf, was the duke of Carinthia and margrave of Verona from 1047....
 (also known as Welf III), died childless, Welf inherited his property. Welf married Ethelinde, daughter of Otto II, Duke of Bavaria
Otto of Nordheim

Otto of Northeim , born about 1020, died 11 January 1083, was List of rulers of Bavaria from 1061 until 1070. He was one of the leaders of the Saxons revolt against Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor....
.

Although the Marquis of Este, guided by his cousin Matilda, continued firm in the Pope's interests, his son Welf, who had succeeded to the Bavarian states, and whose views were more immediately directed to Germany, supported the emperor. For his fidelity he was rewarded with the duchy of Bavaria, which had been forfeited by Otto
Otto of Nordheim

Otto of Northeim , born about 1020, died 11 January 1083, was List of rulers of Bavaria from 1061 until 1070. He was one of the leaders of the Saxons revolt against Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor....
, his father-in-law. When Duke Otto had become an enemy of King Henry IV
Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor

Henry IV was King of Germany from 1056 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1084 until his forced abdication in 1105. He was the third emperor of the Salian dynasty and one of the most powerful and important figures of the 11th century....
, Welf divorced Ethelinde, and soon thereafter (in 1070) was appointed duke of Bavaria in Otto's stead. This event took place at Goslar
Goslar

Goslar is a historic town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the administrative centre of the Goslar and located on the northwestern wikt:slope of the Harz mountain range....
 in 1070, when the states of Bavaria submitted quietly to the new made duke, who was the representative of one of the most ancient families in the province; and although, in compliance with the commands of the emperor, he afterwards repudiated his duchess, the daughter of Otho, we do toot find that his influence was at all affected by such an act, which savored somewhat of injustice.

During the Investiture Controversy
Investiture Controversy

The Investiture Controversy or Investiture Contest was an 11th century dispute between Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor and Pope Gregory VII over who would control appointments of church officials ....
, Welf sided with Pope Gregory VII
Pope Gregory VII

Pope Saint Gregory VII , born Hildebrand of Soana , was papacy from April 22, 1073, until his death. One of the great reforming popes, he is perhaps best known for the part he played in the Investiture Controversy, his dispute with Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor affirming the primacy of the papal authority and the new canon law governing...
, and in March 1077 supported the election of Rudolf of Rheinfelden as anti-king. They were reconciled in 1076, but the following year saw them again engaged in active hostilities. Henry, in consequence of these repeated acts of rebellion, deprived him of his newly-acquired sovereignty; but, supported by his faithful Bavarians, and aided by his father in Italy
Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia....
, he was able to maintain his place, and to set the ban of the empire at defiance in May 1077.

Welf joined the discontented princes who supported the standard of Rudolph, when all were put without the pale of the church who refused to obey the mandate of that Pope; and in that age of ignorance and superstition, many were obliged to comply with a Pope's mandate, who otherwise would have supported the sovereign of their own choice. Fortunately for the peace of Germany, Gregory died in 1085, and Welf , though he still adhered to the party of the church, began to relax in his exertions to maintain the usurper. In 1089, Welf's son Welf
Welf II, Duke of Bavaria

Welf II , or Welfhard, called Welf the Fat, was duke of Bavaria from 1101 until his death. In the Welf genealogy, he is counted as Welf V....
 married Matilda of Tuscany
Matilda of Tuscany

Matilda of Canossa , called la Gran Contessa or the Great Countess, was an italy noblewoman, the principal Italian supporter of Pope Gregory VII during the Investiture Controversy....
, thus strengthening relationships with the pope. After the younger Welf divorced Matilda in 1095, Welf made amends with King Henry IV and was reappointed as duke of Bavaria.

On the divorce of his first wife, Welf married a princess of Flanders
Flanders

Flanders is a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France, and the Netherlands. Over the course of history, the geographical territory that was called "Flanders" has varied....
, the widow of Tostig Godwinson
Tostig Godwinson

Tostig Godwinson was an Anglo-Saxons earl of Northumbria and brother of King Harold II of England, the last crowned Anglo-Saxon List of monarchs of England....
, Earl of Northumbria
Earl of Northumbria

Earl of Northumbria was a title in the Danish people, late Anglo-Saxon England, and early Anglo-Norman period in England. The earldom of Northumbria was the successor of the ealdormanry of Bamburgh, itself the successor of an independent Bernicia....
, in England, and the sister of the queen of William I of England
William I of England

William I , better known as William the Conqueror , was Duke of Normandy from 1035 and English monarchy from later 1066 to his death. William is sometimes also referred to as "William II" in relation to his position as the second Duke of Normandy of that name....
, the conqueror of that kingdom.

After the death of his father Azzo in 1097, Welf tried to acquire his father's property south of the Alps, but did not succeed against his younger half-brother Fulco.

In 1099, Welf joined the Crusade of 1101
Crusade of 1101

The Crusade of 1101 was a minor crusade of three separate movements, organized in 1100 and 1101 in the successful aftermath of the First Crusade....
. He died while returning from the crusade in Cyprus
Cyprus

Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is an island country situated in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, east of Greece, west of Lebanon, Syria, and Israel, south of Turkey and north of Egypt....
 in 1101 and was buried in Weingarten Abbey
Weingarten Abbey

Weingarten Abbey or St. Martin's Abbey is a Benedictine order monastery on the Martinsberg in Weingarten near Ravensburg in Baden-W?rttemberg ....
. He was succeeded as duke of Bavaria by his son Welf.

Children


Welf had the following children from his marriage with Judith of Flanders, daughter of Baldwin IV, Count of Flanders
Baldwin IV, Count of Flanders

Baldwin IV of Flanders , known as the Bearded, was Count of Flanders from 988 until his death. He was the son of Arnulf II of Flanders. His mother was Rozala of Lombardy....
:

  • Welf
    Welf II, Duke of Bavaria

    Welf II , or Welfhard, called Welf the Fat, was duke of Bavaria from 1101 until his death. In the Welf genealogy, he is counted as Welf V....
    , born 1072
  • Henry
    Henry IX, Duke of Bavaria

    Henry IX , called the Black, a member of the House of Welf, was duke of Bavaria from 1120 to 1126.Henry was the second son of Welf I, Duke of Bavaria and Judith of Flanders....
     (d. 13 December 1126)
  • Kunizza, died 6 March 1120, married Frederick Rocho, Count of Dießen