Other Events and Attributes:

• Occupation: 1070, Bayern, Tyskland; Hertug av Bayern.

Notes:

Occupation:
Welf 1 (died 6 November 1101, Paphos, Cyprus) was Duke of Bavaria from 1070 to 1077 and from 1096 to his death. He was the first member of the Welf branch of the House of Este. In the genealogy of the Elder House of Welf he is counted as Welf 4.

Welf was the son of Marquis Azzo 2 of Este and his wife Kunigunde of Altdorf. When Welf's maternal uncle, Welf, Duke of Carinthia (also known as Welf 3), died childless, Welf inherited his property.

Welf married Ethelinde of Northeim, daughter of Otto 2, Duke of Bavaria.

Although the Marquis of Este, guided by his cousin Matilda, continued firm in the pope's interests, his son Welf, who had succeeded to the Bavarian states, and whose views were more immediately directed to Germany, supported the emperor.

When his father-in-law, Duke Otto had become an enemy of King Henry 4 and forfeited his duchy, Welf remained loyal to the king. In compliance with Henry's commands, he repudiated and divorced his duchess, Ethelinde, and soon thereafter (in 1070) he was rewarded for his fidelity by being appointed Duke of Bavaria in Otto's stead. This event took place at Goslar in 1070, when the States of Bavaria submitted quietly to the newly made duke, who was the representative of one of the most ancient families in the province. His repudiation of the duchess, which could have been considered an act of injustice, does not seem to have been held against him.

During the Investiture Controversy, however, Welf changed sides, turning against the emperor — supporting Pope Gregory 7 as well as lending his support for the election of Rudolf of Rheinfelden as anti-king in March 1077. Pope and emperor were superficially reconciled in 1076, but the following year saw them again engaged in active hostilities. Henry, in consequence of these repeated acts of rebellion, declared Welf deposed in his newly acquired duchy. However, supported by his faithful Bavarians, and aided by his father in Italy, Welf was able to maintain his place, and openly defy the ban of the empire in May 1077.

Welf joined the discontented princes who supported the standard of Rudolph, at a time when any who refused to follow the pope's direction could expect to be excommunicated by the church — a potent and effective threat in the social and political conditions of the time. However, Gregory died in 1085 and his successors took a less intensive part in the affairs of Germany. Welf, though still adhering to the party of the church, began to relax in his exertions to maintain the anti-king.

In 1089, Welf's son Welf married Matilda of Tuscany, thus strengthening relationships with the pope. However, after the younger Welf divorced Matilda in 1095, Welf made amends with King Henry 4 and was reconfirmed in his position as Duke of Bavaria.

After the divorce, in 1070, from his first wife, Welf married Judith of Flanders, daughter of Baldwin 4, Count of Flanders, and the widow of Tostig Godwinson, Earl of Northumbria.

After the death of his father Azzo in 1097, Welf tried to acquire his father's property south of the Alps, but did not succeed against his younger half-brother Fulco.

In 1099, Welf joined what would become known as the Crusade of 1101, along with William 9 of Aquitaine, Hugh of Vermandois and Ida of Austria. His main success was to prevent a clash between fellow Crusaders, who had been pillaging Byzantine territory on their way to Constantinople, and the Byzantine emperor's Pecheneg mercenaries.

The Crusade itself, entering Anatolia, ended disastrously; after passing Heraclea in September, Welf's Bavarians — like other crusader contingents — were ambushed and massacred by the Turkish troops of Kilij Arslan 1, the Seljuq Sultan of Rûm.

Welf himself escaped the fiasco, but died on his way back in Paphos, Cyprus, in 1101 and was buried in Weingarten Abbey. He was succeeded as Duke of Bavaria by his son Welf.

Welf married Judith av Flandern in 1070. Judith (daughter of Balduin (Baldwin) av Flandern, "Balduin 4" and Eleonore av Normandie) was born about 1033 in Flandern, Belgia; died on 05 Mar 1094 in England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Frederick Rocho av Diessen. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Occupation: 1101, Bayern, Tyskland; Hertug av Bayern.

Notes:

Occupation:
Welf 2, or Welfhard, called Welf the Fat, was duke of Bavaria from 1101 until his death. In the Welf genealogy, he is counted as Welf 5.

Welf was the oldest son of Welf 1, Duke of Bavaria, and his wife Judith of Flanders.

In 1089, he was married to Matilda of Tuscany, who was 26 years older, in order to strengthen the relation between his family and the pope during the Investiture Controversy between king and pope. During King Henry 4's Italian campaign of 1090, Welf and Matilda fought against the King.

Since Matilda had secretly transferred her property to the Church before her marriage, Welf left her in 1095 and, together with his father, changed sides to King Henry 4, possibly in exchange for a promise of succeeding his father as duke of Bavaria.

After his father's death in 1101 Welf indeed inherited the office of duke of Bavaria. He continued his alliance with the kings; he did not remarry and died childless in 1120. Welf was buried at Weingarten Abbey.

Other Events and Attributes:

• Occupation: 1120, Bayern, Tyskland; Hertug av Bayern.

Notes:

Occupation:
Henry 9, called the Black, a member of the House of Welf, was Duke of Bavaria from 1120 to 1126.
Henry was the second son of Welf 1, Duke of Bavaria and Judith of Flanders.

As a young man, he administered the family's property south of the Alps. Through his marriage to Wulfhilde, daughter of Magnus, Duke of Saxony, he acquired part of the Billung property in Saxony.

In 1116, he joined Emperor Henry 5's Italian campaign. He succeeded his brother Welf 2, Duke of Bavaria, when the latter died childless in 1120.

In the royal election of 1125, he supported his son-in-law Frederick 2, Duke of Swabia, but switched his allegiance to Lothair, Duke of Saxony, after Lothair promised that Gertrud, his only daughter and heir, would marry Henry's son Henry.

After Lothair won the election and banned Frederick, in 1126 Henry abdicated as duke of Bavaria and retired to the family foundation of Weingarten Abbey so that he did not have to take part in the prosecution of his son-in-law. Henry died shortly thereafter and was buried in Weingarten.

Henry and Wulfhilde had the following children:
1. Judith, married Frederick 2, Duke of Swabia.

2. Conrad, died 17 March 1126.

3. Henry X the Proud.

4. Welf.

5. Sophia, married Berthold 3, Duke of Zähringen and Leopold 1, Duke of Styria.

6. Wulfhild, married Rudolf, Count of Bregenz
Mathilde, married Diepold 4, Margrave of Vohburg and Gebhard 3, Count of Sulzbach.

7. Adalbert, Abbot of Corvey.