Welf VII

Welf VII (c. 1135 – 11 or 12 September 1167) was the only son of Welf VI, Duke of Spoleto and Margrave of Tuscany, and Uta, daughter of Godfrey of Calw, count palatine of the Rhine.

His father inherited the family's estates in Swabia, including the prominent counties of Altdorf and Ravensburg, which he gave to Welf.

Welf, however, spent much of his time managing the Italian possessions while his father stayed in Swabia.

Between 1164 and 1166, he was a central theme in the notable Stuafen-Welf feud between his father and Hugh of Tübingen, which the emperor himself resolved.

[1] The death of Welf (and Frederick IV) allowed his cousin Frederick I to exercise power directly in Swabia and accept the autonomy of the Lombard communes.