Matilda of Germany, Countess Palatine of Lotharingia
| Matilda | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Countess Palatine of Lotharingia | |
| Born | Summer 979 |
| Died | November 1025 |
| Burial | |
| Spouse | Ezzo, Count Palatine of Lotharingia |
| Issue More... | Liudolf of Lotharingia Otto II, Duke of Swabia Hermann II, Archbishop of Cologne Richeza, Queen of Poland |
| Dynasty | Ottonian |
| Father | Otto II, Holy Roman Emperor |
| Mother | Theophanu |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Matilda (Summer 979 – November 1025), Countess Palatine of Lotharingia, was a member of the Ottonian dynasty, the third daughter of Emperor Otto II and Empress Theophanu.
Early life[]
Shortly after her birth, Matilda was sent to Essen Abbey, where her older cousin Matilda was abbess, Matilda was educated here. It was presumed that Matilda would stay in the abbey and become an abbess like her older sisters Adelaide and Sophia.
Marriage[]
Matilda lived a different life from her two sisters; she was to marry Ezzo, Count Palatine of Lotharingia. According to the historian Thietmar of Merseburg, Matilda's brother, Emperor Otto III, did not like the idea of Matilda marrying at first. The family gave the couple large gifts to secure an adequate standard of living. Empress Theophanu consented to the marriage. Ezzo then took Matilda out of the abbey where she had lived. However, Abbess Matilda vainly refused to surrender the girl. Later romantic embellishments even claimed Ezzo had previously been secretly in love with the young Matilda.
It is likely that this marriage was meant to ensure the power of Otto III. The family had extensive estates in the Lower Rhine and Mosel. Ezzo's mother came from the house of the dukes of Swabia and so Ezzo laid claims to these lands. Matilda received them out of Ottonian possessions and gave them to her husband.
Ezzo and Matilda had ten children:
- Liudolf (c. 1000 – 10 April 1031), Count of Zutphen
- Otto I (died 1047), Count Palatine of Lotharingia and later Duke of Swabia as Otto II
- Hermann II (995–1056), Archbishop of Cologne
- Theophanu (died 1056), Abbess of Essen and Gerresheim
- Richeza (died 21 March 1063), Queen of Poland
- Adelheid (died c. 1030), Abbess of Nijvel (Nivelles)
- Heylwig, Abbess of Neuss
- Mathilde, Abbess of Dietkirchen and Vilich
- Sophie, Abbess of St. Maria, Mainz
- Ida (died 1060), Abbess of Cologne and Gandersheim Abbey (founded in 852 by her ancestor Liudolf, Duke of Saxony).
Death[]
Matilda apparently died unexpectedly during a visit to Ezzo's brother Hermann in Echtz,[1] while Ezzo was held in Aachen, at a meeting of the nobility of Lorraine. Matilda was buried at Brauweiler Abbey.[2]
References[]
- ^ After Schwennicke, European pedigrees Volume I.1 (2005) Plate 10, and Volume I.2 (1999), Plate 201 The identification of Aeccheze with Esch-SauerAs in genealogy-medieval transfer is made, must be false: Matilda died on 4 of the month and was on 7 (Trillmich) buried—the distance between Esch-Sauer and Brauweiler is approximately 180 km, which was not the time to establish, within three days, the exclusion of Düren-Echtz to Brauweiler is 40 km. Echtz also fits better than Esch Sauer to Mathilde's brother Hermann, the count in Zülpichgau. That Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages, Edward Hlawitschka, Werner Trillmich and Emil Kimpen keep open the point by equating it solely with Aeccheze Esch, but not tell what they think Esch.
- ^ GERMANY KINGS, Medieval Lands
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| General | |
| National libraries | |
- Ottonian dynasty
- 979 births
- 1025 deaths
- 10th-century German people
- 11th-century German people
- 10th-century German women
- 11th-century German women
- People of Byzantine descent
- Burials at Brauweiler Abbey