March of Styria
The Mark on the Mur, also Carantanians Mark, Carinthian Mark, marchia Carantana, marchia transalpina, Mark Hengist, Hengistgau etc., is considered the home country of Styria. The name marchia Carantana appears from the year 970 and is up after 1055 in use. For a long time after 1056, the beginning of the reign Traungau which originally had its headquarters in Steyr, gradually established itself the present name Styria.
Prehistory
The territory of the present-day Carinthia, Styria and was inhabited since the end of the 6th century from the Alps or Carantanians Slavs who founded the Slavic principality Karantania. After their subjugation by the Bavaria 772 Karantania 788 was attached to the Frankish Empire. Charlemagne smashed the Avar great power 795, the Frankish Empire extended deep into the Pannonian Plain up to the lower reaches of the Raab and created a karantanische and Pannonian province, both under Frankish administration, whose common boundary running through the middle of Styria, east of the Mur, is likely to be. 894 broke the Hungarians into the Danube and Tisza lowlands and tore the whole south-eastern flank of the Frankish Empire on. Not only Pannonia went 907 the eastern kingdom lost, but also Karantania to the line Fischbacher Alps, Mirror, stub and Koralpe.
The victory of Otto the Great over the Hungarians at the Battle of Lechfeld in 955 was the turning point: the recovery of a narrow strip of land belt in front of the Eastern Alps Wall and the establishment of several brands against Hungary, including the marchia Carantana.
The territory of the Mark
The territory comprised the present-day Western Styria (except the Salzburgische Sulm and Laßnitztal ) and a strip east of the Mur to the Schemmerl - ridge ( Mons Predel ), which is the watershed between the Mura and Raba. In the north, bordered Mark ( at Rothelstein ) to the County of Leoben; the southern boundary was the Possruck. ( Today's East Styria was then still occupied places in Hungarian. )
Initially, only the right, western bank of the Mur was settled. Here are the main castles like the Hengistburg emerged at that time the center of the cord.
The East Styria was probably the first time already in 1020 recovered ( eastern border Lafnitz ), 1030 lost again. King Henry III. finally succeeded in 1043 to regain the Eastern Styria to Lafnitz after it was already in 1042 Margrave Gottfried managed to wrest Hungary the Wiener Neustadt area again. Now the German colonization could use east of the Mur. During the Investiture Controversy reigned 1075-1122 state of civil war and the country's development stagnated. Also since 1056 entrusted with the Mark Traungau appeared at that time in the Mark does not seem to, but ruled in the distant Traungau as " Margrave of Styria " (first mentioned in 1074 ).
From 1122 it went with the Mark uphill. Inner peace and the increased power through the seizure of Eppensteiner heritage in 1122 initiated the foundation of a large forest clearing and settlement work in the country. Hartberg was first newly established Pfalz because Graz ground was not part of the Traun Gauern.
The area, originally built as the run-up to the Duchy of Carinthia, was 1122 directly to the Empire (?) Subordinated ( "Birth year Styria " according to H. Pirchegger ).
Other authors claim that comprised the upper Carantanians Mark from 976 ( separation of Mark Karantania of Bavaria and elevation of the Duchy of Carinthia's heartland ) the whole of modern Upper Styria with the ( Gau ) counties Enns, Muerztal, Jews castle and Leoben; the Hengistgau, which is the o a field in the middle Mur with the center of power Hengistburg at (or in ) Hengsberg in Laßnitztal, had " in a broader sense " entails.
Marquis in the Carantanians Mark
- March Warden of Eppenstein, from 970, ie in the Mark Karantania
- Adalbero of Eppenstein, son Mark Warts, deposed in 1035
- Arnold II of Wels- Lambach, † 1055
- Godfrey of Pitten, son Arnold, 1050 murdered
- Traungau, see there, 1056-1192