The ancient conflict between the Welf and Staufen dynasties left the region without a ruler by the end of the Middle Ages. In the vacuum arose countless city-states and principalities, many of which existed as independent states for centuries. Sundered again by religion, the region is united only by language and a shared Swabian identity.
Upper Swabia or “Oberschwaben” corresponds broadly to the Danube basin and the dialect groups associated with it. This is in contrast to the Swabian peoples around Lake Constance who speak a dialect more similar to Swiss German and the Allgäu, which is based along the Iller River. Other than the Duchy of Württemberg, there is no simple political or cultural division of Swabia. The choice of Upper-Swabia and the Allgäu is somewhat arbitrary based on historical tradition.
This region of Swabia splintered into numerous microstates in the late middle ages after the Duchy of Swabia was left without a ruler. The result of this fracture is a land where every city, town, and village was the capital of their own tiny realm. Everywhere you can expect to see the trappings of power: resplendent town halls, palaces, and churches.
