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Matilda of Swabia

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Matilda of Swabia
Miniature of Matilda andMieszko II Lambert,King of Poland,on the dedicatory page of theLiber de divinis officiis,written at theAbbey of Saint Gallc. 1125(Düsseldorf,Universitäts- und Landesbibliothek,Ms.C 91, (lost), fol. 3r.)
Bornc. 990
Died29 July 1032
Noble familyConradine dynasty
Spouse(s)
IssueConrad II, Duke of Carinthia
Bruno, Bishop of Würzburg
Gisela
Frederick III, Duke of Upper Lorraine
Beatrice of Bar
Sophie, Countess of Bar
Adalbert II, Count of Ballenstedt(?)
Adelaide of Ballenstedt (?)
FatherHerman II, Duke of Swabia
MotherGerberga of Burgundy

Matilda of Swabia(German:Mathilde von Schwaben;c. 988/989– 29 July 1032), a member of theConradinedynasty, wasDuchess of Carinthiaby her first marriage with DukeConrad IandDuchess of Upper Lorraineby her second marriage to DukeFrederick II.She played an active role in promoting her son, DukeConrad the Younger,as a candidate for the German throne in 1024 and to this end corresponded with KingMieszko II Lambert of Poland.

Family

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Matilda was the daughter of DukeHerman II of Swabia(d. 1003) and his wifeGerberga(c.965/966–1019), a daughter of KingConrad I of Burgundy.[1]She had many illustrious relatives. Through her father, Matilda was descended from theOttoniankingHenry the Fowler;through her mother from KingLouis IV of FranceandCharlemagne.

After the death of EmperorOtto IIIin 1002, Matilda's father, Duke Herman, opposed the election of her cousin DukeHenry IV of Bavariaas German king, and promoted himself as a rival candidate for the throne. Herman and Henry both claimed descent from Henry the Fowler, progenitor of the Ottonian dynasty.[2]

Life

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About 1001/02 Matilda marriedConrad of Carinthia,son of DukeOtto I,a member of the Salian dynasty. Conrad supported her father's bid for the German throne in 1002.[3]Their marriage was possiblyconsanguineous[4]and therefore was condemned by Henry II (her father's rival who was now crowned German king) at the Synod ofThionvillein January 1003.[5]A heated debate broke out; nevertheless, the couple remained together until Conrad's death in 1011.

Duchy of Carinthia, about 1000

After Duke Conrad died, his minor son with Matilda,Conrad the Younger,was passed over in the succession for the Carinthian duchy. Instead King Henry II ceded the duchy to CountAdalbero of Eppenstein,who was married to Matilda's sister, Beatrice.[6]Matilda had Conrad the Younger placed in the care of one of his Salian relativeConrad the Elder(the future king Conrad II Germany). A few years later (c.1016/7), Matilda's sisterGisela of Swabiamarried Conrad the Elder. Matilda maintained good relations with the couple. In 1019, her brother-in-law supported her son, Conrad the Younger, when he tried to reclaim Carinthia from Duke Adalbero. However, the attempt was unsuccessful and possibly caused Conrad the Elder to go into exile.[7]

About 1012/13, Matilda herself had married her second husband, CountFrederick of Bar,the son of DukeTheodoric I of Upper Lorraine.[8][9]This marriage was alsoconsanguineous.Frederick succeeded his father in 1019; he is usually said to have died c. 1026, although it is possible that he lived until 1033.[10]

The Salian unity came to an end, when in 1024 Emperor Henry II died without heirs: both Matilda's brother-in-law Conrad the Elder and her son Conrad the Younger promoted themselves as candidates for the throne as descendants of Henry the Fowler. Conrad the Elder was electedKing of the Romans(as Conrad II) at an assembly at Kamba (nearOppenheim) inRhenish Franconiaon 4 September 1024. Conrad the Younger refused to accept the new king and his mother Matilda, with her second husband Frederick and hisLorraineentourage, left the site in protest. Duke Frederick continued to support Conrad the Younger, as did Conrad's cousin, DukeErnest II of Swabia.[11]

Matilda herself remained active on her son's behalf. Between 1025 and 1027 she opened negotiations with the newPolishkingMieszko II Lambert,who was also at odds with Conrad the Elder (King Conrad II), as he refused to recognise Mieszko as king and even demanded the Polishregaliafrom him. While Mieszko's rule was not only questioned by Conrad but also by his ownPiastrelatives, Matilda presented him with a valuable liturgical manuscript (theLiber de Officiis divinis). The dedicatory page of the book contained a letter from Matilda to Mieszko (Epistola ad Mathildis Suevae Misegonem II Poloniae Regem) in which she named him a distinguished king, praised him for his building of new churches, and knowledge of Latin, and wished him strength against his enemies.[12]The dedicatory page also contained a miniature depicting Matilda giving the book to Mieszko, who is shown wearing a crown and seated on a throne.[13]

Matilda's gift had the desired effect, and Mieszko promised to take military action. Several clashes of arms followed; by 1028, however, Emperor Conrad II had defeated all his opponents. By 1030 Matilda seems to have been on good terms with Conrad II again. She joined him and her sister, Empress Gisela, at the imperial court atIngelheimin Easter 1030.[14]In 1035, Emperor Conrad II finally deprived Adalbero of Carinthia, for rebelling against him, and restored Conrad the Younger to the duchy.

Following an entry in theAnnalista Saxo,Matilda is sometimes said to have married a third time, c.1026, to CountEsico of Ballenstedt.[15]She thereby would be the progenitor of the SaxonHouse of Ascania;nevertheless, this is not possible if her first husband Frederick lived until 1033.

Death

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Matilda died sometime after Easter 1030 (when she was at the imperial court) and before January 1034, when Emperor Conrad II issued a diploma at the intervention of his wife Gisela, commemorating her death.[16]She is often said to have died on 29 July 1032. She was buried inWorms Cathedral.After Matilda's death, her young daughters (Beatrice and Sophie) from her second marriage to Frederick were adopted by her sister, Empress Gisela.[17]

Issue

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With her first husband,Conrad,Matilda had:

With her second husband,Frederick,Matilda had:[19]

If she was married toEsico of Ballenstedt,Matilda had:

References

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  1. ^Goez,Beatrix,p. 11.
  2. ^Keller, ‘Schwäbische Herzöge als Thronbewerber,’ esp. pp. 135ff.
  3. ^Boshoff,Die Salier,pp. 23f.
  4. ^There is some debate about how closely Matilda and Conrad were related to one another. For contrasting views, see Wolfram,Konrad II,pp. 42, 54; and Wolf, 'Königskandidatur,' pp. 83-86
  5. ^Corbet,Autour de Burchard de Worms,pp. 120ff.
  6. ^Boshoff,Die Salier,pp. 25f.
  7. ^Boshoff,Die Salier,p. 29
  8. ^Stefan Weinfurter,The Salian Century: Main Currents in an Age of Transition,transl. Barbara M. Bowlus, (University of Pennsylvania Press, 1999), 46.
  9. ^Goez,Beatrix,p. 11
  10. ^Mohr,Geschichte,pp. 77-80.
  11. ^Erkens,Konrad II,p. 37.
  12. ^An English translation of this letter is accessible at:Epistolae: Medieval Women's Latin LettersArchived2 October 2015 at theWayback Machine
  13. ^The manuscript is now in Düsseldorf University Library, but the miniature has been lost and only copies remain. See Kürbis, "Die Epistola Mathildis Suevae an Mieszko II"
  14. ^Goez,Beatrix,p. 11.
  15. ^Annalista Saxo,a.1026, p. 363.
  16. ^Die Urkunden Konrads II,no. 204, p. 277
  17. ^Goez,Beatrix,p. 12
  18. ^Stefan Weinfurter,The Salian Century: Main Currents in an Age of Transition,transl. Barbara M. Bowlus, (University of Pennsylvania Press, 1999), 46.
  19. ^Goez,Beatrix,p. 11
  20. ^"The Geography of Power: Matilda of Tuscany and the Strategy of Active Defense", Valerie Eads,Crusaders, Condottieri, and Cannon,ed. Villalon Kagay, (Brill, 2003), 358.

Sources

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  • E. Freise,Mathilde von SchwabeninNeue Deutsche Biographie16 (1990), pp. 375f. (in German)
  • H. Wolfram,Kaiser Konrad II, 990-1039. Kaiser dreier Reiche(Munich, 2000).
  • F-R. Erkens,Konrad II. (um 990-1039). Herrschaft und Reich des ersten Salierkaisers(1998).
  • H. Keller, ‘Schwäbische Herzöge als Thronbewerber: Hermann II. (1002), Rudolf von Rheinfelden (1077), Friedrich von Staufen (1125), Zur Entwicklung von Reichsidee und Fürstenverantwortung, Wahlverständnis und Wahlverfahren im 11. und 12. Jahrhundert,’Zeitschrift für die Geschichte des Oberrheins131 (1983), 123–162
  • P. Corbet,Autour de Burchard de Worms. L'église allemande et les interdits de parenté (IXème-XIIème siècle)(Frankfurt am Main, 2001).
  • E. Boshoff,Die Salier(Stuttgart, 2008).
  • Annalista Saxo,inDie Reichschronik des Annalista Saxo,ed. K. Nass, MGH SS 37 (Munich, 2006), accessible online at:Monumenta Germaniae Historica.
  • Die Urkunden Konrads II, ed. H. Bresslau, MGH Diplomata 4 (Hannover and Leipzig, 1909), accessible online at:Monumenta Germaniae Historica
  • B. Kürbis, "Die Epistola Mathildis Suevae an Mieszko II, in neuer Sicht, Ein Forschungsbericht,"Frühmittelalterliche Studien,23 (1989), 318-343.
  • E. Goez,Beatrix von Canossa und Tuszien. Eine Untersuchung zur Geschichte des 11. Jahrhunderts(Sigmaringen, 1995).
  • W. Mohr,Geschichte des Herzogtums Lothringen,vol. 1 (1974).
  • A. Wolf, 'Königskandidatur und Königsverwandtschaft. Hermann von Schwaben als Prüfstein für das "Prinzip der freien Wahl",Deutsches Archiv47 (1991), 45-118.
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