The following is a list of German which existed during the Middle Ages.
It lists the names of the Frankish or German , many of which are still used today regionally, primarily in local traditions. Their locations are often no longer widely known, but are known from publications.
Duchy of Bavaria
Ammergau: along the upper Amper in Upper Bavaria, bounded in the south by the Ammergau Alps; sub-gau of Sundergau : along the Ager in Upper Austria, around the Attersee (lake) Chiemgau: between the middle Inn and the Traun in Upper Bavaria, around the Chiemsee Donaugau: along the upper Danube in Lower Bavaria and Upper Palatinate, around Straubing; modern Gäuboden and eastern Hallertau Huosigau: between the upper Isar and the Amper in Upper Bavaria, around Lake Starnberg; lands of the Huosi family; sub-gau of Sundergau Inntal: the middle Inn valley in Tyrol, divided into the and Lower Inn Valley : between the lower Isar and the lower Inn in Lower Bavaria, around Vilsbiburg Künziggau: along the lower Vils in Lower Bavaria, east of Vilshofen Lungau: the upper Mur river valley in Salzburg, around Tamsweg Mattiggau: along the in Upper Austria, around Mattighofen; the eastern two thirds of the Innviertel : the Eisack river valley and the upper half of the Etschtal in South Tyrol, around Bolzano and Brixen Pinzgau: the upper Salzach and upper Saalach river valleys in Salzburg, around Zell am See Pongau: a portion of the upper Salzach and the upper Enns river valleys in Salzburg, around St. Johann im Pongau : the Rienz and upper Drava river valleys in South Tyrol, bounded by the Dolomites in the south, the Zillertal Alps in the north, and the Villgraten Mountains in the east Rotagau: along the lower Inn and the lower Rott in Lower Bavaria and Upper Austria, south of Passau : along the middle Salzach in Salzburg, around Salzburg (city) Schweinachgau: between the upper Danube and the Bohemian Forest in Lower Bavaria, the eastern portion of the Bavarian Forest : along the upper Isar in Upper Bavaria, around Munich; some sources show Sundergau extending to the south and east of the Inn to include the Inntal and Chiemgau : along the Traun in Upper Austria, between the hills and the Enns Viehbachgau: between the lower Isar and the Vils in Lower Bavaria, around Dingolfing Vinschgau: the upper Adige river valley in South Tyrol, west of Merano Walchengau: along the upper Isar in Upper Bavaria, around the Walchensee (Bavarian) Westergau: along the Paar and the middle Isar in Upper Bavaria, around Freising and Neuburg
Margraviate of the Nordgau
Egerland: along the Ohře in far northwestern Bohemia, around the city of Cheb() : along the upper Danube at the confluence with the Paar and the south bank of the Altmühl in Upper Bavaria, around Ingolstadt Knetzgau: along the south bank of the upper Main in Upper Franconia, northeast of Bamberg, located farther east of the modern municipality of Knetzgau Mainwenden: territory of the Slavic tribes or Wends along the upper Main in Upper Franconia, around Bayreuth (Bavarian) Nordgau proper: along the Naab and the eastern Franconian Jura, roughly coterminous with the Upper Palatinate : along the lower Regnitz in Upper Franconia and northern Middle Franconia, between the Steigerwald and the northern Franconian Jura Gau : between the Altmühl and the lower Franconian Rezat in Middle Franconia Sulzgau: along the Sulz (now the southern portion of the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal) in Middle Franconia, around Berching : along the south bank of the middle Main in Lower Franconia, east of the and west of Bamberg
Margraviate of Austria
Gau Grunzwiti: between the lower Enns and the Traisen in Lower Austria; named for the village of Wachau: the Danube river valley between Melk and Krems in Lower Austria
Duchy of Carinthia
March of Carniola: along the upper Sava and the Krka in Slovenia; some sources show the March of Carniola extending south to the Kupa to include the northwestern portion of the March of Istria March of Istria: the Istrian peninsula in Croatia and Italy (Trieste) and along the northern bank of the Kupa in southern Slovenia; some sources show its territory as limited to the peninsula Gurktal: the upper Gurk river valley through the Gurktal Alps in Carinthia or Jaun: between the upper Drava and the Karawanks in Carinthia, east of Klagenfurt or Gau Chrowati (literally 'Gau of the Croats'): along the upper Drava and the lower Gurk in Carinthia, around Klagenfurt and Villach Lavanttal: the Lavant river valley through the Lavanttal Alps in Carinthia : along the upper Drava and its tributaries the Möll and the Gail in Carinthia, around Spittal an der Drau Sanntalgau or Souna: along the Savinja() in Slovenia (Lower Styria); together with Zistanfeld into Mark an der Sann, later split along the Sava into the Windic March/Lower Carniola and the County of Cilli Zistanfeld (Mark an der Drau): along the middle Drava() in Slovenia (Lower Styria), around Maribor
March of Styria
Ennstalgau: along the middle Enns in Styria, around Liezen Hengistgau: along the middle Mur in Styria, south of Graz Undrimagau or Ingeringgau: the upper Mur river valley in Styria, around Judenburg Leobengau: along the upper Mur and the Liesing in Styria, around Leoben Mürztalgau: along the Mürz in Styria, around Mürzzuschlag
March of Verona and Aquileia
Trentino or Tridentinus: along the middle Adige, roughly coterminous with Trentino March of Friuli or Forojuliensis: roughly coterminous with Friuli plus the Slovene Littoral (County of Gorizia) March of Verona proper: roughly coterminous with Veneto minus the Venetian Lagoon (Republic of Venice)
Duchy of Franconia
East Franconia
Aschfeld: between the middle Main and the Franconian Saale in Lower Franconia, south of Hammelburg; sub-gau of Saalgau Badanachgau: along the Grünbach in northern Baden-Württemberg (Tauber Franconia), between the Tauber around the , around Giebelstadt; roughly coterminous with Baringau: along the Streu in Lower Franconia, in the central Rhön Mountains, around Fladungen : along the Brettach in northern Baden-Württemberg (Stuttgart region), between Neuenstadt and Mainhardt Buchonia or Buchengau: along the upper Fulda in eastern Hesse and Lower Franconia, bounded by the Rhön Mountains in the east, the Vogelsberg in the west, and the Franconian Saale in the south : along the Elsenz and the south and west banks of the lower Neckar in northern Baden-Württemberg (Karlsruhe region and Stuttgart region), around Sinsheim : along the Lein (formerly called the Gartach) in northern Baden-Württemberg (Karlsruhe region); sub-gau of Elsenzgau : along the upper Tauber and upper Gollach in Middle Franconia and northern Baden-Württemberg (Tauber Franconia), around Rothenburg : along the northern bank of the middle Main (the ) in Lower Franconia, between Würzburg and Schweinfurt Grabfeld: along the upper Franconian Saale and upper Werra in Lower Franconia and southwestern Thuringia (Henneberg Franconia), bounded by the Thuringian Forest in the northeast, the Main in the south, and the Rhön Mountains in the west; some sources divide the gau into East Grabfeld in the southeast and West Grabfeld in the northwest Hassgau: along the northern bank of the middle Main in Lower Franconia, around Haßfurt and the Haßberge hills Iffgau: between the middle Main (the ) and the Aisch in Lower Franconia and Middle Franconia, around Scheinfeld and the western Steigerwald hills : along the lower Jagst in northern Baden-Württemberg (Stuttgart region), between Bad Rappenau (lower end) and Mulfingen (upper end) : along the middle Kocher in northern Baden-Württemberg (Stuttgart region), between Forchtenberg (lower end) and Gaildorf (upper end), around Schwäbisch Hall : along the upper Jagst and Bühler in northern Baden-Württemberg (Stuttgart region), around Crailsheim; named after the Maulach Murrgau: along the Murr in northern Baden-Württemberg (Stuttgart region), around Backnang : between the Franconian Rezat and the upper Aisch in Middle Franconia, bounded by the Franconian Heights and Steigerwald in the west and the Rednitz/Regnitz in the east, north of Ansbach : along the Sinn in Lower Franconia, bounded by the Rhön Mountains in the northeast and the middle Main (the ) in the south, around Hammelburg Schefflenzgau: along the Schefflenz and the Elz in northern Baden-Württemberg (Karlsruhe region), east of Mosbach in western Bauland; sub-gau of Wingarteiba : along the Schozach on the east bank of the lower Neckar in northern Baden-Württemberg (Stuttgart region), around Ilsfeld : along the upper Altmühl in Middle Franconia, bounded by the southern Franconian Jura in the southeast and the Franconian Heights in the northwest, around Gunzenhausen or Sulmanachgau: along the Sulm in northern Baden-Württemberg (Stuttgart region), at the confluence of the Kocher and the lower Neckar, northeast of Heilbronn : along the middle Tauber in northern Baden-Württemberg (Tauber Franconia), around Bad Mergentheim, roughly coterminous with Main-Tauber-Kreis excluding Wertheim : along the upper Felda and Ulster in southwestern Thuringia (Henneberg Franconia), around Kaltennordheim; sub-gau of Grabfeld : along the middle Main (between the and the ) and the eastern Spessart mountains in Lower Franconia, around Lohr am Main Werngau: along the Wern in Lower Franconia, bounded by the middle Main in the east and west (the northern portion of the ), east of Karlstadt am Main or Wingartau: between the Neckar/Jagst and the Tauber in northern Baden-Württemberg (Rhine-Neckar), bounded by the Bauland in the south and the Odenwald mountains in the northwest, roughly coterminous with the Neckar-Odenwald-Kreis : along the Zaber on the west bank of the lower Neckar in northern Baden-Württemberg (Stuttgart region), around Brackenheim; sub-gau of Elsenzgau
West Franconia
: along the lower Pfinz and Kraichbach on the right bank of the Upper Rhine in northern Baden-Württemberg (Karlsruhe region), around Bruchsal; sub-gau and northwestern half of Kraichgau : along the upper Eder in southern Northrhine-Westphalia (Arnsberg region), around Bad Berleburg in the central Rothaar Mountains; sub-gau of Hessengau or Lahngau : along the west bank of the lower Main in southern Hesse (Darmstadt region) and Lower Franconia, between the lower Gersprenz and the lower Mümling, around Großostheim; sub-gau of Maingau or Einrichgau: along the Aar on the right bank of the Middle Rhine in northeastern Rhineland-Palatinate and southwestern Hesse, bounded by the western Taunus mountains in the south and the lower Lahn in the north, around Heidenrod; some sources list Einrich as a sub-gau of Lahngau and show its territory extending east to the Weil : along the Wied on the right bank of the Middle Rhine in northeastern Rhineland-Palatinate, around Montabaur in the western Westerwald; some sources list Engersgau as a sub-gau of Lahngau : along the lower Enz and the upper Kraichbach in northern Baden-Württemberg (Karlsruhe region), around Mühlacker; sub-gau and southeastern half of Kraichgau Erdagau: along the Aar in Hesse (Giessen region), between the Dill and the Salzböde; sub-gau of Lahngau (split between Niederlahngau and Oberlahngau) : along the Glems in northern Baden-Württemberg (Stuttgart region), around Schwieberdingen Haigergau: between the Nister in northeastern Rhineland-Palatinate and the Dietzhölze in Hesse (Giessen region), bounded by the upper Sieg in the north and the Westerwald in the south, around Haiger; sub-gau of Niederlahngau (Frankish) Hessengau or Hassia: along the lower Eder and lower Fulda in Hesse (Kassel region), around Fritzlar and Kassel; some sources show Hessengau extending further west along the Eder to include much of Oberlahngau : along the lower Kinzig in Hesse (Darmstadt region), around Gelnhausen; sub-gau of Maingau