- 880-903: Duchess of Saxony
- AKA: Hedwig of Babenberg
Hadwig de la Marche was born on an unknown date to Henri de la Marche (830-886) and Ingeltrude di Friuli (c836-867) and died 24 December 903 of unspecified causes.
Biography
Hedwig (also known as Hadewig or Hathui; died 24 December 903),[1] was Duchess of Saxony from about 880 until her death by her marriage with the Liudolfing duke Otto the Illustrious. She is the mother of King Henry the Fowler.
Her parentage is not clearly stated in contemporary sources, but she was probably the daughter of Henry of Franconia (d. 886), documented as a princeps militiae of the East Frankish king Louis the Younger and dux of Austrasia under emperor Charles the Fat. Dux Henry died fighting against the Vikings during the Siege of Paris in West Francia.[2]
Hedwig married Otto (d. 912), a younger son of late Saxon count Liudolf. Her husband's family had already achieved a dominating position in the stem duchy of Saxony; Otto's sister Liutgard was married to King Louis the Younger about the same time. With the support of his brother-in-law King Louis the Younger, Otto succeeded as head of the Liudolfing dynasty and heir of the Saxon estates, when his elder brother Bruno was killed fighting against the Vikings in the 880 Battle of Lüneburg Heath. Hedwig's husband remained a loyal supporter of the Carolingian dynasty, while he rose to the position of a Saxon duke (Herzog).
Hedwig and Otto had three sons: Henry the Fowler (who succeeded his father in 912) and his elder brothers Thankmar and Liudolf, who both died young; as well as a daughter, Oda who married King Zwentibold of Lotharingia, an illegitimate son of Emperor Arnulf, in 897.[1]
Children
Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
Thankmar von Sachsen (?-bef912) | |||
Liudolf von Sachsen (?-bef912) | |||
Heinrich von Sachsen (876-936) | 876 Memleben, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany | 2 July 936 Memleben, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany | Witwe Hatheburg (?-?) Matilda von Ringelheim (c895-968) |
Oda von Sachsen (?-952) | Zwentibold (870-900) Gérard I de Metz (-910) | ||
Luitgard von Sachsen (?-923) | 923 | ||
Irminburg von Sachsen (?-bef936) |
Siblings
Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
Hedwige de la Marche (?-903) | 24 December 903 | Otto I von Sachsen (836-912) | |
Adalbert de la Marche (?-906) | 854 | 9 September 906 | Brunhilde von Schwaben (c864-?) |
Adalhard de la Marche (?-902) | 902 Forchheim, Bavaria, Germany | ||
Henri de la Marche (?-c902) | 902 |
See Also
- Hedwig Marche
- Frederick Barbarossa Family Ancestry
- House of Hohenstaufen
- Holy Roman Emporer
- Charlemagne Family Ancestry
- Salian dynasty
- Ottonian dynasty
Bibliography
- Bachrach, David S. (2012). Warfare in Tenth-Century Germany. The Boydell Press.
- Bachrach. David S. "Restructuring the Eastern Frontier: Henry I of Germany, 924–936," Journal of Military History (Jan 2014) 78#1 pp 9–36
- Barraclough, Geoffrey, ed (1961). Studies in Mediaeval History:Mediaeval Germany. II. Essays. Basil Blackwell.
External Links
- wikipedia:en:Hedwig of Babenberg
- Hedwig of Babenberg, Geni.com, https://www.geni.com/people/Hedwig-of-Babenberg/6000000005913940193, retrieved 22 June 2023
- Ancestry of Kings of Germany, fmg.ac, https://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/GERMANY,%20Kings.htm, retrieved 22 June 2023
- Hedwig of Babenberg at thePeerage
Royal Succession Chart
Hedwige de la Marche (?-903) Elder House of Babenberg Born: c. 850/55 Died: 24 December 903
| ||
Preceded by Oda of Billung |
Duchess consort of Saxony 880–903 |
Succeeded by Matilda of Ringelheim |
References
- ^ a b Commire, Anne, ed (2002). "Hedwig (d. 903)". Women in World History: A Biographical Encyclopedia. Waterford, Connecticut: Yorkin Publications. ISBN 0-7876-4074-3. https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G2-2591303957.html.
- ^ Donald C. Jackman (2010), Ius Hereditarium Encountered III: Ezzo's Chess Match. Editions Enlaplage. pp. 9–12.