Louis I, Landgrave of Thuringia
Encyclopedia
Ludwig I or Louis I was ruler of Thuringia
from 1123 to 1140.
of Thuringia
by the Emperor Lothair III
in 1131.
According to the succession in his line he should have been called Louis III, but he won Thuringia for his family and, in case of territorial expansion, it was customary to start counting from one.
Thanks to his marriage with Hedwig of Hesse
he obtained the rule over an extensive heritage, after the death of his father-in-law, earl Giso IV, which lead to the union of Thuringia and Hesse. In 1137 Louis became Landgrave of Hesse-Gudensberg as well.
His close relationship to the King Lothair III favoured his rise into the rank of a prince. After the death of Lothair, in 1137, Ludwig decided to support the Hohenstaufen
in their struggle for power in the Reich against the Welf party. The Landgraf died on January 12, 1140 and was buried inside the abbey of Reinhardsbrunn
.
Louis had a daughter, Judith of Thuringia
, who married king Vladislaus II of Bohemia.
Thuringia
The Free State of Thuringia is a state of Germany, located in the central part of the country.It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen states....
from 1123 to 1140.
Biography
The son of Count Louis the Springer ("the jumper") and his wife Adelheid, he was appointed LandgraveLandgrave
Landgrave was a title used in the Holy Roman Empire and later on by its former territories. The title refers to a count who had feudal duty directly to the Holy Roman Emperor...
of Thuringia
Thuringia
The Free State of Thuringia is a state of Germany, located in the central part of the country.It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen states....
by the Emperor Lothair III
Lothair III, Holy Roman Emperor
Lothair III of Supplinburg , was Duke of Saxony , King of Germany , and Holy Roman Emperor from 1133 to 1137. The son of Count Gebhard of Supplinburg, his reign was troubled by the constant intriguing of Frederick I, Duke of Swabia and Duke Conrad of Franconia...
in 1131.
According to the succession in his line he should have been called Louis III, but he won Thuringia for his family and, in case of territorial expansion, it was customary to start counting from one.
Thanks to his marriage with Hedwig of Hesse
Hesse
Hesse or Hessia is both a cultural region of Germany and the name of an individual German state.* The cultural region of Hesse includes both the State of Hesse and the area known as Rhenish Hesse in the neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate state...
he obtained the rule over an extensive heritage, after the death of his father-in-law, earl Giso IV, which lead to the union of Thuringia and Hesse. In 1137 Louis became Landgrave of Hesse-Gudensberg as well.
His close relationship to the King Lothair III favoured his rise into the rank of a prince. After the death of Lothair, in 1137, Ludwig decided to support the Hohenstaufen
Hohenstaufen
The House of Hohenstaufen was a dynasty of German kings in the High Middle Ages, lasting from 1138 to 1254. Three of these kings were also crowned Holy Roman Emperor. In 1194 the Hohenstaufens also became Kings of Sicily...
in their struggle for power in the Reich against the Welf party. The Landgraf died on January 12, 1140 and was buried inside the abbey of Reinhardsbrunn
Reinhardsbrunn
Reinhardsbrunn in Friedrichroda near Gotha, in Thuringia in Germany, is the site of a formerly prominent Benedictine abbey extant between 1085 and 1525, and, from 1827, of a royal castle and park of the Saxe-Coburg-Gotha family.-Monastery:...
.
Louis had a daughter, Judith of Thuringia
Judith of Thuringia
Judith of Thuringia was thesecond wife of Duke and later King Vladislaus II of Bohemia and after 1158 the second Queen of Bohemia.-Marriage to Vladislaus II:...
, who married king Vladislaus II of Bohemia.