How a medieval German noble family became the architects of modern British royalty

Cultures · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: The House of Welf began as obscure Bavarian counts in the ninth century, yet their relentless rivalry with the Hohenstaufen emperors reshaped European history. From the battlefields of Italy to the British throne, this dynasty survived centuries of conflict, exiles, and revolutions to leave an indelible mark on the continent.

The origins of the Welf dynasty remain shrouded in the Carolingian era, where the name Welf appears as a common baptismal designation. The first clearly identifiable ancestor, Count Welf, held lands in Bavaria during the early ninth century. His influence was cemented through his daughters, Judith and Emma, who married into the highest echelons of Frankish power. By the eleventh century, the dynasty had split into the 'Elder' and 'Younger' houses, the latter emerging when Welf IV, son of Alberto Azzo II of the House of Este, inherited the family's German estates in 1055.

The Welfs are perhaps best remembered for their fierce, centuries-long power struggle against the Hohenstaufen emperors. This rivalry defined medieval German politics, with the Welfs frequently aligning themselves with the papacy. In Italy, this alliance became so iconic that the term 'Guelf' was adopted to describe supporters of the Pope against imperial authority. The conflict reached a zenith under Henry the Lion, who ruled vast swathes of Saxony and Bavaria before being dispossessed by Emperor Frederick I in 1180. His son, Otto IV, remains the only Welf to have ascended to the position of Holy Roman Emperor.

Despite the collapse of their imperial ambitions in the thirteenth century, the dynasty proved remarkably resilient. Through strategic marriages and political maneuvering, they secured the Electorate of Hanover in 1692 and eventually claimed the British throne in 1714 with the accession of George I. Their influence extended as far as Russia, where Ivan VI held the imperial throne. The dynasty's long reign in Britain concluded with Queen Victoria, while their German holdings were eventually lost following the political upheavals of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, culminating in the abdication of the last Welf rulers after World War I.

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