March of Pannonia

The March of Pannonia or Eastern March was a frontier area of the Carolingian Empire. It was named after the old Roman province of Pannonia and was created from a bigger area known as the Avar March ****.

Sometimes it was called the end of the kingdom of the Bavarians in the east. This name is also used for other similar places, but today it most often talks about the later Margraviate of Austria, which started in 976 ****.

The March of Pannonia was set up in the middle of the ninth century. It was made in the lands of the old Avar Khaganate to protect against the threat from Great Moravia. Leaders of the East Frankish kingdom chose special rulers called margraves to manage this area ****.

History

Charlemagne worked with Khan Kardam of Bulgaria and began military actions against the Avars. He created the Avar March near his land, which was led by his brother-in-law, Prefect Gerold of Bavaria. When the Avar leaders were defeated in 804, Charlemagne divided their lands.

The area known as the March of Pannonia came from this. It became part of the lands given to Louis the German in 817. Over time, leaders needed to defend against threats from nearby rulers. By the 890s, the March of Pannonia was no longer a separate area, especially after invasions by people from Hungary.

Margraves

Here are the leaders who governed the March of Pannonia:

• Radbod, from 833 to 854
• Carloman of Bavaria, starting in 856
  • William, until 871, together with his brother
  • Engelschalk I, until 871
• Aribo, from 871 to 909
  • Engelschalk II, son of Engelschalk I, opposing Aribo until 893
  • Luitpold, from 893 to 907