Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
tables were turned on the Romans by maraud-
ing eastern Germanic tribes pushing up the
Danube Valley in search of pastures new.
As with all central Europe's peoples, the
precise origin of the Bavarian tribe is obscure,
but it's widely assumed that it coalesced from
the remaining Romans, Romanised Celts and the newcomers from the east. The name
'Bajuwaren' may be derived from 'men from Bohemia', the neighbouring region of
today's Czech Republic.
The Franken began forming in the 3rd century AD from several western Germanic
tribes who settled along the central and lower Rhine, on the border with the Roman Em-
pire. The Schwaben, meanwhile, are a subtribe of the population group of the Alemannen
(Alemannic tribes) who spread across the southwestern corner of Germany around the 2nd
century AD. In the 3rd century they took on the Romans, eventually pushing as far east as
the Lech River.
government-financed Haus der Bayerischen
Geschichte at
www.hdbg.de
.
Church Dominance
Religion, especially of the Roman Catholic
variety, has shaped all aspects of Bavarian his-
tory and culture for nearly two millennia. Fol-
lowing the decline of the Roman Empire, mis-
sionaries from Ireland and Scotland swarmed
across Europe to spread the gospel. They found
open arms and minds among the Agilofinges,
the dynasty who had founded the first Bavarian
duchy in the 6th century. They adopted the faith eagerly and Christianity quickly took
root. By 739 there were bishoprics in Regensburg, Passau, Freising and Salzburg, and
monasteries had been founded in Tegernsee, Benediktbeuern, Weltenburg and several oth-
er locations.
For almost the next 800 years, the Church dominated daily life as the only major reli-
gion in the land. Until 1517, that is. That's when a monk and theology professor named
Martin Luther sparked the Reformation with his 95 theses critiquing papal infallibility,
clerical celibacy, selling indulgences and other elements of Catholic doctrine.
Despite the Church's attempt to quash Luther, his teachings
resonated widely, especially in Franconia and Swabia, though
not in Bavaria proper where local rulers instantly clamped
down on anyone toying with conversion. They also encour-
On Bavaria's coat of arms, 'Old Bavaria' is repres-
ented by a blue panther, the Franconians by a red-
and-white rake, the Swabians by three black lions,
and the Upper Palatinate (no longer part of today's
Bavaria) by a golden lion.
