Duchy of Bavaria: Map & History
The Duchy of Bavaria was a frontier region in the southeastern part of the Merovingian kingdom from the sixth through the eighth century.
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The Duchy of Bavaria was a frontier region in the southeastern part of the Merovingian kingdom from the sixth through the eighth century. It was settled by Bavarian tribes and ruled by dukes (duces) under Frankish overlordship. A new duchy was created from this area during the decline of the Carolingian Empire in the late ninth century. It became one of the stem duchies of the East Frankish realm, which evolved as the Kingdom of Germany and the Holy Roman Empire.
Modern Countries Once Part of Duchy of Bavaria
At its mapped extent, Duchy of Bavaria covered territory in 4 present-day countries. The period shown is when the mapped borders include that country, and the note says how much of it.
- Luxembourg1422–1428 CE · nearly all
- Belgium1363–1449 CE · a large part
- Netherlands1363–1449 CE · a large part
- Germany1260–1805 CE · a small part
States and Provinces
Largest Present-Day Cities in Its Territory
Each opens on the live map inside Duchy of Bavaria's borders of that time.
Derived by testing mapped cities against this polity's dated territorial polygons, so the list is indicative and follows the borders in the source dataset.
Duchy of Bavaria in Depth
History
The origins of the older Bavarian duchy can be traced to the year 551/555. In his Getica, the chronicler Jordanes writes: "That area of the Swabians has the Bavarii in the east, the Franks in the west..."
Until the end of the first duchy, all rulers descended from the family of the Agilolfings. The Bavarians then colonized the area from the March of the Nordgau along the Naab river (later called the Upper Palatinate) up to the Enns in the east and southward across the Brenner Pass to the Upper Adige in present-day South Tyrol. The first documented duke was Garibald I, a scion of the Frankish Agilolfings, who ruled from 555 onward as a largely independent Merovingian vassal.
Geography
The medieval Bavarian stem duchy covered present-day Southeastern Germany and most parts of Austria along the Danube river, up to the Hungarian border which then ran along the Leitha tributary in the east. It included the Altbayern regions of the modern state of Bavaria, with the lands of the Nordgau march (the later Upper Palatinate), but without its Swabian and Franconian regions. The separation of the Duchy of Carinthia in 976 entailed the loss of large East Alpine territories covering the present-day Austrian states of Carinthia and Styria as well as the adjacent Carniolan region in today's Slovenia. The eastern March of Austria — roughly corresponding to the present state of Lower Austria — was likewise elevated to a duchy in its own right by 1156.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Duchy of Bavaria (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Duchy of Bavaria: Key Facts
| Capital | Munich |
|---|---|
| Founded | 907 CE |
| Dissolved | 1805 |
Facts from Wikidata Q47261 (CC0).
Duchy of Bavaria Map Over Time
Dated world maps on which Duchy of Bavaria appears, with the other states of the time.
Duchy of Bavaria Timeline
Key historical inflections from foundation to peak territorial expansion
Expansion to peak recorded area of 97,158 km² in 1357 CE.
Duchy of Bavaria: Frequently Asked Questions
When did Duchy of Bavaria exist?
Duchy of Bavaria is dated to 1260 CE – 1805 CE, in the High & Late Middle Ages era.
What was the capital of Duchy of Bavaria?
The capital of Duchy of Bavaria was Regensburg (until 1255), Munich (from 1505).
How large was Duchy of Bavaria at its peak?
At its peak in 1357 AD Duchy of Bavaria covered about 97,158 km².
How did the map of Duchy of Bavaria change over time?
Duchy of Bavaria appears on 6 dated world maps in the atlas, from 1300 CE to 1800 CE. Each shows its borders in that year next to the other states of the time.
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