The ancestral home of the Billung family was around Lüneburg. Otto I King of Germany appointed Hermann Billung as Markgraf in the northern part of the new "east March" which was created to protect northern Germany from Slav attacks from the east. Less aggressive than Gero, his counterpart in the southern part of the March..., Hermann directed his attacks mainly against the Vagrians and Obotrites. The family's power increased as a result of Hermann's appointment to represent the king in Saxony on many occasions. Hermann's descendants accumulated extensive territories in north-eastern Saxony on the middle Weser and acquired numerous church advocacies. The residence of the Billung dukes remained at Lüneburg. They had less influence in western Saxony, and even after bearing the title "dux" it is hardly appropriate to describe the title-holders as dukes "of Saxony", the title being more a reflection of the personal power of the title-holder than of his territorial possessions. The Billung dukes had no right to summon vassals to appear at court or on the battlefield, in contrast to the power exercised for example by the dukes of Bavaria. Neither do they appear to have exercised any special ducal rights of jurisdiction over the more powerful local counts, for example the counts of Stade who created extensive domains for themselves between the lower Elbe and the Weser. The three eastern border provinces of Nordmark, Lausitz and Meissen, which came into existence towards the end of the 12th century, were imperial fiefs with no vassal status towards the Billung dukes. On the extinction of the male line of the Billung family in 1106, the ducal title was awarded to Lothar von Süpplingenburg, although the Billung family territories were inherited by the sons-in-law of the last duke, the Welf Duke Heinrich "der Schwarze" and Otto von Ballenstedt.
The Chronica Principum Saxoniæ names "vir…nomine Bilingus" as father of "Hermannum". 1
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