March of Carinthia

The Holy Roman Empire during the tenth century. The march of Carinthia is the central portion of the collection of Bavarian marches hatched in purple in the lower right.

The March of Carinthia was a frontier district (march)[1] of the Carolingian Empire created in 889. Before it was a march, it had been a principality or duchy ruled by native-born Slavic (or semi-Slavic) princes at first independently and then under Bavarian and subsequently Frankish suzerainty. The realm was divided into counties which, after the succession of the Carinthian duke to the East Frankish throne, were united in the hands of a single authority. When the march of Carinthia was raised into a Duchy in 976, a new Carinthian march (that is, a march defending the Carinthian duchy) was created. It became the later March of Styria.

  1. ^ It is also known as a mark or margrav(i)ate, German Markgrafschaft.