Welf I, Duke of Bavaria

Who was Welf I, Duke of Bavaria?

Welf I 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 IV.

Welf was the son of Azzo II of Este and his wife Kunigunde of Altdorf. When Welf's maternal uncle, Welf, Duke of Carinthia, died childless, Welf inherited his property. Welf married Ethelinde of Northeim, daughter of Otto II, 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 IV 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 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.