Wurzburg - Franconia

After the division of the Carolingian empire under the Treaty of Verdun in 843, Franconia became the nucleus of the East Frankish (German) kingdom. Würzburg was the center of this kingdom known as Franconia. Founded in the 10th century, it served as the home of powerful prince-bishops for many centuries.

The eastern division of the Treaty of Verdun was called the regnum Francorum Orientalium or Francia Orientalis: the Kingdom of the Eastern Franks or simply East Francia. It was the eastern half of the old Merovingian regnum Austrasiorum. The "east Franks" (or Austrasians) themselves were the people of Franconia, which had been settled by Franks. The other peoples of East Francia were Saxons, Frisians, Thuringii, and the like, referred to as Teutonici (or Germans) and sometimes as Franks

In eastern Franconia (Ostfranken) was the prince bishopric of Würzburg the most influential state. It was in an effort to curve the clerical influence in that region emperor Heinrich IV granted his future son in law Friedrich of Hohenstaufen the duchy of Ostfranken 1079.

A Francônia era um dos cinco ducados do antigo reino Francia Orientalis (Ducado Francônia do Leste). A área atual era a parte leste deste antigo reino. Até o século X algumas partes de Baden, Palatinado, Renânia, o atual estado de Hessen, como áreas da Turíngia eram conhecidas sob o nome de Francônia.
Durante a Idade Média e até o início do Período Moderno, boa parte da Francônia Superior, em especial aquelas áreas que haviam sido alguma vez parte da Turíngia, caíram sobre controle do Bispo de Bamberg, o Bispo de Würzburg e o Abade de Fulda.
Em 1803, Napoleão incorporou a Francônia na Baviera, da qual até hoje ainda faz parte.