The Kingdom of East Francia

 Today part of: central, southern, parts of northern and western Germany, Slovenia, Austria, nothern Switzerland)

After the annexation of the northern part of the disbanded Middle Francia (870), it had included the lands east of the river Maas, as well. A cut of sorts, and falling apart from West Francia in a significant manner, came in 911, when the line of Carolingians died out in the east. Then, as it happened, the representatives of East Francian duchies, instead of submitting themselves to the rule of the living Carolingians in the west, had chosen Conrad (ruled 911 – 918) from a Francian duchy, as their new king. This showed that the Eastern Francian throne was “elective,” and not “hereditary,” but it will, nonetheless, bear the title rex Francorum throughout the 10^th century. Conrad was probably chosen because Francia was not exposed to Hungarian attacks from the east, while his lasting relations with the ruling Franks in the western parts of the Empire meant that, in a time of need, he could ask for help from his strong allies.

 The great duchies of the Kingdom of the East Franks – Saxony, Bavaria, Franconia, and Swabia (as well as Lotharingia in the second half of the 10^th century) – formed in the beginning of the 10^th century, supported by the families who had risen to a position of hegemonic power. Not all who lived in Francia were Franks, however. Those in the east were Saxons, Frisians, Bavarians, Thuringii, etc. known under their common name of Teutons. The names such as Teutons, Germans, Alemanni, were used as synonyms, but neither their common language, nor centuries of belonging to the same state, had led to a creation of a “German national consciousness,” or their self-understanding as being “German.”