Arnulf, Duke of Bavaria
Encyclopedia
Arnulf called the Bad or the Evil (der Böse), was the duke of Bavaria from 907 until his death. He was a member of the Luitpolding
dynasty.
Arnulf was the son of Margrave Luitpold of Bavaria and Cunigunda, daughter of Berthold I, the count palatine
of Swabia
. After the death of his father at the Battle of Brezalauspurc
in 907, he followed him as ruler of the Bavarian estates around Regensburg
.
Besieged by frequent raids by the Hungarians and desperate to raise funds to finance a defence, Arnulf strengthened his power through confiscation of church lands and property, which earned him the nickname "the Bad". He re-established the stem duchy
of Bavaria and eventually negotiated a truce with the Hungarians
who thereafter largely passed through Bavaria on their raids into other German territories.
Arnulf vigorously resisted King Conrad I
, whom he had supported in the course of his election and who in 913 had married his mother Cunigunda. In Conrad's conflict with Erchanger
and Burchard II of Swabia
he backed his Swabian cousins and later challenged Conrad's successor, Henry the Fowler of Saxony
. According to the Annales Iuvavenses
, in 920, Baiuarii sponte se reddiderunt Arnolfo duci et regnare ei fecerunt in regno teutonicorum: the Bavarians, with some other East Franks, elected Arnulf king in opposition to Henry (actually in 919). Arnulf's "reign" was short-lived. Henry defeated him in two campaigns in 921, confirmed his sovereignty over Bavaria in return for Arnulf's renunciation of his royal claim.
Arnulf died in Regensburg
in 937 and is buried at St. Emmeram's Abbey
. Many believe Arnulf was married to Judith of Friuli, daughter of Count Eberhard of Friuli
and Gisela of Verona. The dates, however, do not match up. Judith of Friuli died ca. 881. This would have made a marriage between a boy (or at least young) Arnulf and an elder Judith, who was supposed to have produced several children 23 years or so after her death. More likely, therefore, is that he was married to Judith of Sulichgau (born ca. 888), daughter of Eberhard of Sulichgau. Arnulf's daughter Judith
married Henry I of Bavaria, brother of Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor
.
Luitpolding
The Luitpoldings were a medieval dynasty which ruled the German stem duchy of Bavaria from some time in the late ninth century off and on until 985. The progenitor of the family was Margrave Luitpold of Bavaria , possibly a descendant of the Early medieval Huosi noble family and maybe related to...
dynasty.
Arnulf was the son of Margrave Luitpold of Bavaria and Cunigunda, daughter of Berthold I, the count palatine
Count palatine
Count palatine is a high noble title, used to render several comital styles, in some cases also shortened to Palatine, which can have other meanings as well.-Comes palatinus:...
of Swabia
Swabia
Swabia is a cultural, historic and linguistic region in southwestern Germany.-Geography:Like many cultural regions of Europe, Swabia's borders are not clearly defined...
. After the death of his father at the Battle of Brezalauspurc
Battle of Brezalauspurc
Battle of Pressburg, or Battle of Bratislava or Battle of Pozsony refers to a battle fought on July 4, 907, during which the Bavarian army was defeated by the Hungarians.-The battle:...
in 907, he followed him as ruler of the Bavarian estates around Regensburg
Regensburg
Regensburg is a city in Bavaria, Germany, located at the confluence of the Danube and Regen rivers, at the northernmost bend in the Danube. To the east lies the Bavarian Forest. Regensburg is the capital of the Bavarian administrative region Upper Palatinate...
.
Besieged by frequent raids by the Hungarians and desperate to raise funds to finance a defence, Arnulf strengthened his power through confiscation of church lands and property, which earned him the nickname "the Bad". He re-established the stem duchy
Stem duchy
Stem duchies were essentially the domains of the old German tribes of the area, associated with the Frankish Kingdom, especially the East, in the Early Middle Ages. These tribes were originally the Franks, the Saxons, the Alamanni, the Burgundians, the Thuringii, and the Rugii...
of Bavaria and eventually negotiated a truce with the Hungarians
Kingdom of Hungary in the Middle Ages
The Kingdom of Hungary was formed from the previous Principality of Hungarywith the coronation of Stephen I in AD 1000. This was a result of the conversion of Géza of Hungary to the Western Church in the 970s....
who thereafter largely passed through Bavaria on their raids into other German territories.
Arnulf vigorously resisted King Conrad I
Conrad I of Germany
Conrad I , called the Younger, was Duke of Franconia from 906 and King of Germany from 911 to 918, the only king of the Conradine dynasty...
, whom he had supported in the course of his election and who in 913 had married his mother Cunigunda. In Conrad's conflict with Erchanger
Erchanger, Duke of Swabia
Erchanger was the duke of Swabia from September 915 to his death. He was the son of Berthold I, count palatine of Swabia, who is sometimes called Erchanger as well, in which case the duke is Erchanger II...
and Burchard II of Swabia
Burchard II, Duke of Swabia
Burchard II was the Hunfriding Duke of Swabia and Count of Raetia. He was the son of Burchard I and Liutgard of Saxony....
he backed his Swabian cousins and later challenged Conrad's successor, Henry the Fowler of Saxony
Duchy of Saxony
The medieval Duchy of Saxony was a late Early Middle Ages "Carolingian stem duchy" covering the greater part of Northern Germany. It covered the area of the modern German states of Bremen, Hamburg, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Saxony-Anhalt and most of Schleswig-Holstein...
. According to the Annales Iuvavenses
Annales Iuvavenses
The Annales iuvavenses or Annals of Salzburg were a series of annals written in the 9th and 10th centuries at Salzburg in the East Frankish stem duchy of Bavaria...
, in 920, Baiuarii sponte se reddiderunt Arnolfo duci et regnare ei fecerunt in regno teutonicorum: the Bavarians, with some other East Franks, elected Arnulf king in opposition to Henry (actually in 919). Arnulf's "reign" was short-lived. Henry defeated him in two campaigns in 921, confirmed his sovereignty over Bavaria in return for Arnulf's renunciation of his royal claim.
Arnulf died in Regensburg
Regensburg
Regensburg is a city in Bavaria, Germany, located at the confluence of the Danube and Regen rivers, at the northernmost bend in the Danube. To the east lies the Bavarian Forest. Regensburg is the capital of the Bavarian administrative region Upper Palatinate...
in 937 and is buried at St. Emmeram's Abbey
St. Emmeram's Abbey
St. Emmeram's Abbey , now known as Schloss Thurn und Taxis, Schloss St. Emmeram, and St...
. Many believe Arnulf was married to Judith of Friuli, daughter of Count Eberhard of Friuli
Eberhard of Friuli
Eberhard was the Frankish Duke of Friuli from 846. His name is alternatively spelled Everard, Evrard, Erhard, Eberhard, or Eberard, or in Latinized fashion Everardus, Eberardus, or Eberhardus. He wrote his own name "Evvrardus"...
and Gisela of Verona. The dates, however, do not match up. Judith of Friuli died ca. 881. This would have made a marriage between a boy (or at least young) Arnulf and an elder Judith, who was supposed to have produced several children 23 years or so after her death. More likely, therefore, is that he was married to Judith of Sulichgau (born ca. 888), daughter of Eberhard of Sulichgau. Arnulf's daughter Judith
Judith of Bavaria
Judith , was Duchess of Bavaria. She was the eldest daughter of Arnulf the Bad of Bavaria and Judith of Sülichgau....
married Henry I of Bavaria, brother of Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor
Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor
Otto I the Great , son of Henry I the Fowler and Matilda of Ringelheim, was Duke of Saxony, King of Germany, King of Italy, and "the first of the Germans to be called the emperor of Italy" according to Arnulf of Milan...
.