SWABIA, SUABIA or SUEVIA (Ger. Schwaben), one of the stem-duchies of mediaeval Germany, taking its name from the Suevi, a tribe who inhabited the district in the first century of the Christian era. They were joined by other tribes, and the dis trict was called Alamannia, until about the Ilth century, when the form Swabia began to prevail. In 496 the Alamanni were de feated by Clovis and governed by dukes dependent on the Frank ish kings. In the 7th century the people were converted to Christi anity, bishoprics were founded at Augsburg and Constance, and in the 8th century abbeys at Reichenau and St. Gall. The Ala manni had gradually thrown off the Frankish yoke, but in 73o Charles Martel again reduced them to dependence.
The duchy, bounded by the Rhine, the lake of Constance, the Lech and Franconia, was ruled by the counts of Raetia, one of whom, Burkhard, took the title of duke in 917 and was recognized as such by King Henry I., the Fowler, in 919. On his death in 926 he was succeeded by Hermann, a Franconian noble, who married his widow. When Hermann died in 948 Otto the Great gave the duchy to his own son Ludolf, who had married Hermann's daughter Ida; but he reduced the ducal privileges and appointed counts palatine to watch the royal in terests. Ludolf revolted and was deposed, and other dukes
followed in quick succession. During these years the Swabians were loyal to the kings of the Saxon house. In 1077, Rudolph, count of Rheinfelden, as duke, was chosen German king in oppo sition to the emperor Henry IV., but found little support in Swabia, which was given by Henry to his faithful adherent, Frederick I., count of Hohenstaufen. Frederick II. succeeded his father in I 105, and was followed by Frederick III., afterwards the emperor Frederick I. The earlier Hohenstaufen increased the imperial domain in Swabia, where they received steady support, although ecclesiastical influences were very strong. After numerous changes, the chief authority in Swabia in 1268 fell to the counts of WUrttemberg, the margraves of Baden, the counts palatine of Tiibingen and the counts of Hohenzollern.