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Hohenstaufen–Welf Conflict (1140s)
In the 1140s the Holy Roman Empire was torn by a prolonged power struggle between the Hohenstaufen royal house and the Welf family over ducal success…
Timeline
- 1141–1142Saxon-Bavarian border · Holy Roman EmpireWelf VI and his allies continued to resist Conrad III's authority in Saxony and Bavaria, with rival princely coalitions facing off; the imperial center could not effectively govern the northern German duchies, and the shadow of civil war hung over Germany.
- 1142Frankfurt · HesseImperial princes brokered a peace at Frankfurt: Conrad III recognized young Henry, son of Henry the Proud, as heir to the Duchy of Saxony, a major concession to the Welfs; in return the Welf family acknowledged Conrad's kingship, and the German civil war temporarily ended.
- 1147–1149Germany · Holy Roman EmpireWhile Conrad III was away on crusade, the imperial regency was held by Hohenstaufen loyalists, and Welf princes used the opportunity to expand their influence; after Conrad's return he had to maintain the fragile coexistence of the two great houses through marriage alliances and territorial concessions, and the factional rift was not eradicated.
Sources
- Germany: The Hohenstaufen and Welf rivalry https://www.britannica.com/place/Germany/The-Hohenstaufen-and-Welf-rivalry
- The Oxford Illustrated History of Medieval Europe — George Holmes (1988)