List of rulers of Thuringia

Thuringia is a historical and political region in central Germany. Originally inhabited by the Germanic Thuringii, it formed a kingdom in the 5th century before being conquered by the Franks in 531. In the Middle Ages, Thuringia became a Frankish duchy (631–908), and later a Landgraviate ruled by the Ludovingian dynasty from c. 1130 to 1247. After their line ended, the region passed to the Wettin dynasty, and from the mid-15th century it gradually developed into the Saxon principalities.

Historical Overview

Early Thuringian Kingdom and Duchy

• The early kingdom, founded in the 5th century, fell to the Franks in 531. By 631, it emerged as a duchy under Frankish rulers until 908.
• In the 9th and 10th centuries, the duchy was tied to broader Saxon authority before the rise of separate dynastic rule.

Landgraves of Thuringia

• 1031–1056: Louis the Bearded – significantly expanded the region and became its most powerful ruler.
• 1056–1123: Louis the Springer – founded Reinhardsbrunn Abbey and built Wartburg Castle.
• 1123–1247: The Ludowingian dynasty – held the Landgraviate as a hereditary title until their line ended.

Wettin Dynasty and Saxon Integration

• The death of Henry Raspe in 1247 ended the Ludowingian line, leading to the division of their lands. Hesse emerged as an independent territory, while Thuringia passed to the Wettins of Meissen, who ruled until the mid-15th century, when their domains were partitioned into various Saxon duchies.

Kings of Thuringia

See also: Thuringii

• 500?–507 Bisinus
• 507–529 Baderich
• 507–525 Berthachar
• 507–532 Herminafried

Conquered by the Franks.

Frankish dukes of Thuringia

Main article: Duchy of Thuringia

Merovingian dukes

• 632–642 Radulf I, "King of Thuringia" after 641
• 642–687 Heden I
• 687–689 Gozbert
• 689–719 Heden II, son

Carolingian dukes

• 849–873 Thachulf, Margrave of the Sorbian March
• 874–880 Radulf II, son
• 880–892 Poppo, House of Babenberg, dux Thuringorum in 892, deposed
  • 882–886 Egino, brother
• 892–906 Conrad, ancestor of the Conradiner dynasty
• 907–908 Burchard, last duke, killed in battle against the Hungarians

Ruled by the Margraves of Meissen

• 1000–1002 Eckard I, Margrave of Meissen since 985, assassinated
• 1002–1003 William II, Count of Weimar
• 1046–1062 William IV, grandson, Margrave of Meissen
• 1062–1067 Otto, brother, Margrave of Meissen
• 1067–1090 Egbert II, son-in-law, Count of Brunswick from the Brunonen dynasty, killed in 1090, line extinct

Landgraves of Thuringia

Winzenburger

• 1111/1112–1130 Herman I, Count of Winzenburg (deposed in 1130; died in 1138)

Ludovingians

• 1031–1056 Louis the Bearded
• 1056–1123 Louis the Springer
• 1123–1140 Louis I (first Landgrave from 1131)
• 1140–1172 Louis II the Iron
• 1172–1190 Louis III the Pious
• 1190–1217 Hermann I the Hard
• 1217–1227 Louis IV the Holy
• 1227–1241 Hermann II
• 1241–1242 Henry Raspe
• 1242–1264 Sophia (in Hesse only)

House of Wettin

Coat of arms of Landgrave Albert, 1265

The Ludovingian coat of arms, shown as the coat of arms of the landgraves of both Hesse and Thüringen in the Ingeram Codex of 1459.

• 1242–1265 Henry the Illustrious, Margrave of Meissen and Lusatia since 1221
• 1265–1294 Albert the Degenerate, son, Margrave of Meissen from 1288 until 1292, sold Thuringia to
• 1294–1298 Adolf of Nassau-Weilburg, King of Germany (not Wettin)
• 1298–1307 Albert of Habsburg, King of Germany (not Wettin)
• 1298–1307 Theodoric IV, Margrave of Lusatia from 1291 until 1303
• 1298–1323 Frederick I
• 1323–1349 Frederick II
• 1349–1381 Frederick III
• 1349–1382 William I
• 1349–1406 Balthasar
• 1406–1440 Frederick IV
• 1440–1445 Frederick V
• 1445–1482 William II
• 1482–1485 Albert
• 1482–1486 Ernest
• 1486–1525 Frederick VI (aka. Frederick III, Prince-Elector Saxony or ‘Frederick the Wise’)
• 1525–1532 John
• 1532–1547 John Frederick I
• 1542–1553 John Ernest
• 1554–1566 John Frederick II
• 1554–1572 John William