# March of Carinthia

The March of Carinthia (Markgrafschaft Karantanien) was a frontier district (march, or margraviate) of the Carolingian Empire. It was created in 889, by king Arnulf of East Francia, encompassing the region of Carantania. Before it became a march, it was organized as a county, since 828 under the Bavarian jurisdiction. In 976, the march of Carinthia was raised into a Duchy.
In the meantime, a new Carinthian "transalpine" march (that is, a march beyond the mountains, defending the Carinthia proper) was created in eastern regions, on the river Mur (thus also known as the march on the Mur), and that new province was later transformed into the March of Styria.

## Background

In 745, Carantania, an independent Slavic principality, with the growth of the Avar threat, submitted to Odilo of Bavaria, himself a vassal of the Franks. With this, the Bavarian frontier was extended and Odilo's son, Tassilo III, began the Christianisation of the Slavic tribes beyond the Enns. In 788, Charlemagne fully integrated the territory of Carinthia (Carantania) into the Frankish Empire by making it a part of the extended Duchy of Friuli, along with the March of Istria. Under him, missionary work increased, especially through the Archdiocese of Salzburg.
Between 819 and 823, the native Slavic population supported Ljudevit Posavski in revolt against Frankish overlordship. In 827, the Bulgars attacked Carinthia and, in 828, Louis the Pious reorganised Friuli into four counties, the two northernmost of which — Carinthia and Lower Pannonia — were detached from the Italian kingdom and incorporated into Bavaria. Louis, King of Bavaria, reorganised Carinthia into Frankish counties soon after. The division of Carinthia may have occurred as early as before 819 or perhaps simultaneously with division of Friuli. Before this, the Carinthians were still ruled by native dukes. The new comital administration was mixed Bavarian-Slavic.

## Carloman and Arnulf

The territory remained within the Bavarian kingdom of Louis. In 855, Radbod, Prefect of the Ostmark was deposed for unfaithfulness and Rastislav of Moravia rebelled against East Frankish suzerainty. In place of Radbod, Louis appointed his eldest son Carloman (856). Carloman took control of the other eastern marches, Carinthia and Pannonia, and in 858 campaigned heavily against Rastislav, forcing him to come to terms. In 861, Pabo, margrave of Carinthia, rebelled with his counts and Carloman replaced him with Gundachar. In 863, Louis, fearing a filial rebellion, invaded Carinthia, Carloman's home base. Gundachar went over to the king with a large army he had been given to command the defence of the Schwarza. Consequently, Carloman was captured and deprived of his prefecture, which was bestowed on Gundachar.
When Carloman reconciled with his father and was created King of Bavaria, he granted Carinthia to his son by a Carinthian concubine, Arnulf. Arnulf kept his seat at Moosburg (Mosapurc) and the Carinthians treated him as their native duke. After Carloman was incapacitated by a stroke in 879, Louis the Younger inherited Bavaria and confirmed Arnulf in Carinthia by an agreement with Carloman. Bavaria, however, was ruled more or less by Arnulf. Arnulf had ruled Bavaria during the summer and autumn of 879 while his father arranged his succession and he himself was granted "Pannonia," in the words of the Annales Fuldenses, or "Carantanum," in the words of Regino of Prüm.

## March

After he in turn became King of all East Francia, Arnulf created a march of Carinthia. Alongside it were the marches of Istria, Austria, and Carniola. The southernmost marches, Carinthia and Carniola, were especially susceptible to Magyar raids. In 901, just two years after their first contact with western Europe, Carinthia was ravaged by the Magyars. In 952, Carinthia was placed under the Duchy of Bavaria, as were Carniola, Istria, and Friuli.
The march's major cities were Friesach and Villach. The only known Carinthian margrave from this period — though many counts are known — is Markward III, who was a preses de Carinthia.
In 976, the Emperor Otto II made his nephew Otto I Duke of Bavaria and separated the March of Caranthia and the other marches from the duchy. He made Carinthia a duchy for the Liutpoldinger Henry, who acted as a sort of "chief of the border police," controlling Istria, Friuli, and Carniola.
In the meantime, during the 10th century, eastern regions were detached from the Carinthia proper, and reorganized into a new march, originally called the Carantanian transalpine march (marchia transalpina), but also known as the March on the Mur (Mark an der Mur), in reference to the main river of the region. That newly created province was designated as "Carantanian" because it was detached from the Carinthia proper, and organized as the march [i.e. frontier district] of the Bavarian duchy, and later of the newly formed Carinthian duchy. The Carantanian transalpine march was later to become the Duchy of Styria.