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First House |
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Our Lady of St. Lambrecht |
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Second House |
| The Dynasty of Carantania |
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The seals of 1253 belonging to Duke Bernard and his son Ulric III, kept in the Kärntner Landesarchiv MC IV/1 (above) | |
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The first and the second coat of arms of Carantania or Carinthia (below) | |
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| We see the votive fresco upon the grave of the Carantanian dynasty (Second House) in the Abbey of St. Paul. Beside the coat of arms, it depicts the founders of the monastery, Count Engelbert and Duchess Hedwig, who are recommended to God by their protectors St. Catherine and St. Benedict. (Fresco of Thomas of Villach, 1493) |
| by Dr. Jožko Šavli |
| In the 10th century, Carantania (Slovenia) developed to a grand duchy (952 - 1180), and had a social structure based on a combined symbiosis of the ancient Slovenian and Franks, i.e., similar to the European feudal system. At first it was conserved on the basis of the old Carantanian social structure, meaning that the leaders of the villages and districts (and even the former Carantanian dukes) were elected by the peoples' assembly. |
| In the feudal system, however, the leadership appointments of the lords were hereditary. Due to these fundamental possibilities leaderships could originate only from very potent feudal families. Such families were also present in Carantania at that time, and one of them arose to the dynasty of Carantania. |
| First House |
| Around 930, the historical records point out the name of a landowner, who had his lands on the Ingering Creek in the Mura Valley, close to today's town of Knittelfeld. All we know is that his name was Markvart I, and that he was the forefather of the family who created the dynasty in coming years. His son Markvart II is mentioned in the records aroud 970. He was married to Hadmut Sempt-Ebersberg, a Bavarian Countess. |
| In 1012, their son Adalbero was the appointed Duke of Carantania, and he became the real father of the Carantanian dynasty. His consort and mother of the dynasty, Beatrice, was a Swabian Princess (Conradins). She originated in the female line from the Western Carolingians, what indeed gave an enormous prestige to her husband. Duke Adalbero even confronted the Emperor Conrad II in 1036, and therefore was deposed of his charges. Some years later he died in Bavaria († 1039), and was burried in the abbey of Greisenfeld (near Ingolstadt), founded by the family of his mother Hadmut. |
| In the following decennium the Imperial Court continued to nominate dukes of Carantania. However, three dukes, that where appointed in a row, were rejected by the Carantanian assembly (vechah). Neither one of them entered the dukedom, where Adalbero's son Markvart III was the very ruler. He also was Count of Goerz (Gorica, now belonging to Italy). Only in the year 1076 he was recognized by the Court as the true Carantanian duke († 1076). |
| On the duke's throne he was followed by his sons, first Luitpold († 1093) and then Henry III († 1122), who was the last successor of the family in the male line. But the dynasty continued through his nephew Henry, son of his sister, Duchess Hedwig, and Count Engelbert (called Spanheim). |
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| Benedictine Abbey of St. Lambrecht, founded by Duke Markvard. The vault became the burial place of the First House (Eppenstein) of the Dynasty of Carantania, in 1076. The abbey is located west of Neumarkt, in the district of Murau (now Styria). The coat of arms of the abbey appears for the first time in 1359. |
| In 1076 Duke Markvart III laid the foundation of the Monastery of St. Lambrecht in the Upper Mura basin, which became the last resting-place of the dynasty respectively of its First House. The building was completed by his son Henry III. |
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| by Dr. Jožko Šavli |
| This beautiful picture is now hanging in the Joanneum, the provincial museum of Graz (Styria, Austria). The picture is property of the Benedictine Abbey of St. Lambrecht, which is located in the upper valley of the Mura River, west of Neumarkt (hist. Forum Novum, Novi trg). The abbey was founded by Duke Markvard from the First House (Eppenstein) of the Carantanian dynasty, in 1076. Later, the upper Mura valley became part of the then Carantanian March (since 1180 duchy of Styria), in 1122. |
| The picture is a masterpiece of Gothic arts. It depicts Mary and Child in the middle of a radiant wreath surrounded by a circle of playing angels. One of them is putting the crown on Mary's head. She is holding an apple in her hand, which symbolizes the sweet doctrine of Christ. The visages of Mary and Child are spiritualized, wholly in the sense of Gothic art. The picture was completed around 1410. |
| We think in this case we can truly speak of a masterpiece of Carantanian arts. There is first of all the historical tradition, which continued from the period of Carantania into the later Austria. Secondly, at the same time, the spiritual tradition of Carantania still flourished for centuries under the House of Habsburg, the Austrian rulers. In fact, there is no boundary between Carantania and Austria except in the difference of names. (Feb. 21, 2007) |
| Second House |
| The Carantanian law, called Slavica lex, also granted succession to the female line! In this sense, duke Henry IV († 1123) continued the dynasty until his death in 1123 and was succeeded by his brother Engelbert († 1141), the former Margrave of Istria. After him his son Ulric I († 1144) took over the ducal charge. His sister Mathilda († 1161) was married to a French nobleman, Theobold II, Count of Champagne. Their daughter Alice became Queen of France and mother of King Philip II August. |
| In Carantania the ducal throne was ascended by the sons of Ulric I: First, there was Herny V († 1161) followed by his brother Hermann († 1181). On the ducal seal of 1163, belonging to the latter, the famous figure of the Carantanian panther appears for the very first time. |
| His son, duke Ulric II died untimely of leprosy († 1202). He was followed by his brother Bernard, who reigned for a long time († 1256) and became very famous. Among other facts it is known, that his court was a meeting place of troubadours with great reputation. |
| Bernard's son and successor Ulric III († 1269) was the last duke of the Carantanian dynasty. It was his choice to appoint as his successor Otokar II, King of Bohemia, his cousin from his mother's side, and not his younger brother Philip. The latter, being the last member of the dynasty, was elected Archbishop of Salzburg and then Patriarch of Aquileia, but he never received confirmation by the Pope in his official duties († 1279). He is intered in Krems (Lower Austria). |
| The last resting-place of the Second House is to be found in St. Paul, a monastery in the Lavant Valley, which was founded in 1091 by Count Egelbert and Duchess Hedwig, parents of Henry IV. |
| The decline of the dynasties of Austria in 1246, and shortly after of Carantania in 1269, opened up the territory for expansion to the Habsburgs. After defeating their new ruler Otokar II, King of Bohemia, they acquired Austria and other Carantanian provinces. Under their power the name Austria prevailed definitely over all provinces. |
| The German and Austrian historiography did not recognize the Carantanian dynasty, because they did not take the Slavica lex into consideration but falsely supported the Germanic leges, meaning that, the succession in the families had followed in the male line only. The Germanic leges had no value for Carantania and their families. |
| The German and Austrian standpoints have been rejected now by a number of facts. For example, in case of the two seals of 1253, which depict the following images: |
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The first seal belonged to duke Bernard showing himself on horseback and holding a shield with the Carantanian Panther. | |
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The second seal belonged to his son Ulric III and depicts a shield divided per pale: In the first part we see three lions "sable" on "or" called "Swabian lions", in the second a fess "argent" on "gules". It is still today the coat of arms of Carinthia. | |
| Even today the three lions are forming the coat of arms of Swabia. The seal of Ulric III makes it obvious, that it refers to the mother of the Carantanian dynasty, namely Princess Beatrice of Swabia, and her Carolingian descent. The image of Charlemagne was still very present in that period. Even in the following century, Emperor Carl IV ordered artists to create a precious bust of him. Thus, Beatrice of Swabia was considered the mother of both "First" and "Second House" of the Carantanian dynasty. |
| The former Yugoslav historiography, in reference to the part of the Slovenian historiography, denies the existence of the Carantanian dynasty. Since the founding of Yugoslavia, Slovenian historians have been suppressed under the control of Belgrade, a Serbian center, which was envious of the historical roots of Slovenians. Therefore, it did not allow a full and independent explanation of their history, depicting them, likewise the German nationalists, as "historical serfs" only. |
| It is truly understandable that such a "scientific" explanation of Slovenian history, in comparison to those of their neighbours, left enormous frustration in many Slovenians. Indeed, this was its very purpose that Belgrade used as a cheap instrument for their ideological and political manipulation. |
