26.3 Europe: a.d. 1101 to 1200  (Page 3/8)

The Salic-Frankish Dynasty ended with the death of Henry V in 1125 and there followed dynastic battles between two great families for control of the empire. These were the Welfs or Geulfs (primarily in Saxony) and the Waiblingens or Ghibellines (from Swabia and southern Germany). (Ref. 68) The latter was the family name of the Hohenstaufen Dynasty

In spite of the empire, most of the old Stem Duchies of Germany continued their own separate ways, pretty much independent of the empire. In Brandenburg the aggressive leaders of the Ascanian Dynasty, such as Albert the Bear, increased the size and power of their state. Settlers were imported and towns were founded. In Bavaria, from the 9th to the 12th century, all the dukes were at the center of the rebellions of the great German princes against the imperial authority. Early in the period Emperor Conrad II had deposed Guelph Henry the Proud and gave Bavaria to the Babenbergs of Austria, but Frederick I restored its autonomy. He soon put Otto of Wittelsbach in charge, however, and that family then ruled Bavaria until the 20th century.

Frederick's son, the future Henry VI, had married the daughter of Roger II of Sicily and after he was crowned emperor in 1190, he proceeded to take over Sicily after a struggle with the Norman anti-king, Tancred of Lecce. The Waiblingen or Hohenstauf en supremacy then extended over all Italy except for the Papal states. Capturing King Richard on his return from the Crusade, Henry used the captivity to make the crown of England a fief of the empire and to extort an enormous ransom.

Austria

Although Vienna had been partially fortified since Roman times the ramparts were further improved by 1137 and ten years later work was started on the St. Stephens cathedral. In 1156 Austria was given the special status of an hereditary duchy within the Holy Roman Empire, by Frederick I, Barbarossa. This was an era of great prosperity under the leadership of the Babenberg family.

Hungary

After Coloman I conquered Damatia from the Venetians in 1102, Hungary had nearly a century of peace, if we do not count a few dynastic fights and lesser border skirmishes. By the end of the century Hungary had doubled her area and increased the population to 2,000,000 people. There was farming and some good sized towns and gold, silver and salt mines. Promotions to the rank of freemen or nobles became less and less and did not keep pace with the growth of the unfree population and so government dwindled to an oligarchy. Further transition to private ownership of land resulted in changes with diminution of clan and crown lands. In 1150 Germans from the Moselle region (Saxons) were called in to help defend Transylvania against Poland and the Greeks and they settled in the Zips and southern Transylvania. At the end of the century Bela III married the daughter of the King of France and Hungary became the most powerful kingdom in southwestern Europe. Educated at Constantinople, Bela introduced Byzantine customs to the Hungarian court. (Ref. 126, 222)