The Wilhelminers were a noble Bavaria

Bavaria

Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...

n family of the 9th century. They rose to prominence mid-century under the brothers William

William (marcha orientalis)

William was the margrave of the March of Pannonia in the mid ninth century until his death on campaign against the Moravians in 871. In his day, the march orientalis corresponded to a front along the Danube from the Traungau to Szombathely and the Rába river and including the Vienna basin...

 and Engelschalk I

Engelschalk I

Engelschalk I was the margrave of the March of Pannonia in the mid ninth century until his death on campaign against the Moravians in 871. In his day, the march orientalis corresponded to a front along the Danube from the Traungau to the Szombathely and Raba rivers and including the Vienna basin...

, sons of William I, the founder of the family. The family held the March of Pannonia

March of Pannonia

The March of Pannonia was a frontier march of the Carolingian Empire erected in the mid-ninth century against the threat of Great Moravia and lasting only as long as the strength of that state....

 until 871, but their possession of it was the cause of a dispute, the Wilhelminer War

Wilhelminer War

Wilhelminer War was a minor war fought in the March of Pannonia from 882 to 884. It was initially a rebellion of the sons of the margraves William II and Engelschalk I, led by Engelschalk II, against the new margrave Aribo. Svatopluk I of Great Moravia intervened as an ally of Aribo because he had...

, with the Aribonids

Aribonids

The Aribonids were a noble family of probably Bavarian origin who rose to preeminence in the March of Pannonia in the late ninth and early tenth centuries...

. In the dispute the Wilhelminers had the support of Arnulf of Carinthia

Arnulf of Carinthia

Arnulf of Carinthia was the Carolingian King of East Francia from 887, the disputed King of Italy from 894 and the disputed Holy Roman Emperor from February 22, 896 until his death.-Birth and Illegitimacy:...

 and Svatopluk of Moravia.

The Wilhelminers regained some of their lost importance after Arnulf became king in 887. In 893, however, they came into the hatred of the Bavarian aristocracy, who summarily blinded Engelschalk II

Engelschalk II

Engelschalk II was the margrave of the March of Pannonia in the late ninth century in opposition to Aribo...

 without royal approval. The subsequent years saw some Wilhelminers fleeing to Moravia and others expelled from court. They soon disappear from view.

Sources

• Reuter, Timothy. Germany in the Early Middle Ages 800–1056. New York: Longman, 1991.
• MacLean, Simon. Kingship and Politics in the Late Ninth Century: Charles the Fat and the end of the Carolingian Empire. Cambridge University Press: 2003.
• Reuter, Timothy (trans.) The Annals of Fulda. (Manchester Medieval series, Ninth-Century Histories, Volume II.) Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1992.