Welf (father of Judith)

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Welf I
Depiction in the Historia Welforum, about 1170
Bornc. 776
Hall of Ramida
Diedc. 825
Noble familyElder House of Welf
Spouse(s)Hedwig of Bavaria
Issue
Details...

Welf I (or Hwelf; died about 825) is the first documented ancestor of the Elder House of Welf. He is mentioned as a count (comes) in the Frankish lands of Altdorf in Alamannia. He is the son of Rothard of the Argengau and grandson of Hardrad.

Life[edit]

Welf originated from a distinguished dynasty of Franconian nobles. He is mentioned only once: on the occasion of the wedding of his daughter Judith to Emperor Louis the Pious in 819 at Aachen. His son Conrad later appeared as a dux (duke) in Alamannia and achieved a powerful position in the Upper Swabian estates he possibly had inherited from his mother Hedwig.

His family became politically powerful when Louis the Pious chose Welf's oldest daughter as his second wife upon the death of his consort Ermengarde of Hesbaye. Though Welf himself never became publicly prominent, his family became interwoven with the Carolingian dynasty.

Marriage and issue[edit]

Welf married Hedwig (Heilwig),[1] daughter of the Saxon count Isambart; Hedwig later became abbess of Chelles. The couple had the following children:

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e Riche 1993, p. Table 5.

Sources[edit]

  • Riche, Pierre (1993). The Carolingians, A Family Who Forged Europe. Translated by Allen, Michael Idomir. University of Philadelphia Press.