Heinrich
I Heinrich
IHeinrich became duke of Saxony in 912 at the death of his father Otto ["Igitur patre patriae et magno duce Oddone defuncto, illustri et magnifico filio Heinrico totius Saxoniae [ipse] reliquit ducatum." Widukind, i, 21 (p. 25)]. On 23 December 918, the German king Konrad I died, and Heinrich I, who was not closely related to his predecessor, was elevated as king in the following year ["Heinricus dux consensu Francorum, Alamannorum, Bawariorum, Thuringorum et Saxonum rex eligitur." Regino, Chronicon (continuation), s.a. 920 (recté 919), 156]. Heinrich died in 936, and was succeeded by his son Otto I "the Great".
Date of Birth: ca. 876.
Widukind states that Heinrich was
about sixty years old at the time of his death ["Erant
autem dies quibus regnavit XVI anni, vitae autem fere LX."
Widukind, i, 41 (p. 52)].
Place of Birth: Unknown.
Date of Death: 2 July 936.
["Henricus rex, precipuus pacis sectator strenuusque
paganorum insecutor, post plures fortiter et viriliter actas
victorias dilatatis undique sui regni terminis VI Non. Iul. diem
clausit extremum, cui filius suus Otto consensu primorum regni
successor eligitur." Regino, Chronicon
(continuation), s.a. 936, 159]. The vast majority of necrologies
also give 2 July as his date of death [e.g.,
"VI. non. [Iulii] Heinricus rex pat. magni Oddon."
Calend. Merseb., 116-7; "vi. non. [Iul.]
Heinricus rex pater magni Ottonis." Kalendarium
necrologicum Weissenburgense, Fontes rerum Germ.,
4: 312; see Waitz (1885), 282 for a detailed list].
Place of Death: Memleben.
Place of
Burial: Qudelinburg.
["Eo in tempore rex
Heinricus, in castello quod est in Turingiorum et Saxonum
confinio et dicitur Himénleve, gravissima valetudine correptus,
migravit ad dominum. Cuius corpus in Saxoniam deportatum, in
nobilissimarum ac religiosarum monasterio puellarum, quod in
ipsius regis predio vocabulo Quitelingburg situm liquet, intra
eclesiam cum inmensa est veneratione repositum."
Liudprand, Antapodosis, iv, 15, Dümmler (1877), 86;
"Translatum est autem corpus eius a filiis suis in
civitatem quae dicitur Quidilingaburg et sepultum in basilica
sancti Petri ante altare cum planctu et lacrimis plurimarum
gentium." Widukind, i, 41 (p. 52)]
Father: Otto "der Erlauchten", d. 30 November 912, duke of Sachsen (Saxony).
["Natus est autem ei filius toto
mundo necessarius, regum maximus optimus, Heinricus, qui primus
libera potestate regnavit in Saxonia." Widukind, i, 17
(p. 23); ibid., i, 21 (p. 25, see above); "Heinricum
Saxonum ducem, filium Ottonis" Regino, Chronicon
(continuation), s.a. 919, 156]
Mother: Hedwig, d. 24
December, probably 903.
["Temporibus quondam regis
Francorum Conradi, dux in tota Germania princeps extiterat nomine
Otto, genere secundum seculi dignitatem nobilissimus, opibus
pullens, et cunctos honore praecellens, quia virtutibus erat
praeditus, cuius coniugium veneranda matrona Haduwich subierat
moribus non dissimilis. His filiae procreantur et tres filii, ...
horum unum nomine Heinricum maiori sustulit excellentia, ..."
Vita Mahthildis reginae antiquior, c. 1, MGH SS 10;
"... extitit in partibus Germaniae dux quidam Otto
nomine, ... Cui Hathuwic, matrona venerabilis, coniugali
copulabatur vinculo. Quibus duo gignebantur filii, ... Maior natu
vocabatur Thancmarus, et alter Heinricus." Vita
Mahthildis reginae, c. 1, MGH SS 4: 284; "Hic
nobilissimo Ottonis et Hathui stemmate editus, ..."
Thietmar, Chron., i, 2, MGH SS 3: 735; "VIIII.
k. [Ian.] ... Hathuuui mat. Heinrici reg." Calend.
Merseb., 127]
Spouses:
(1) Hatheburg, (d. 21 June?), daughter of Erwin, count of Merseburg.
["Interim cuiusdam matronae famam, quae Hatheburch
dicebatur, Heinricus comperiens, qualiter eam sibi sociaret,
iuvenali exarsit amore. Haec erat filia Ervini senioris, qui in
urbe predicta, quam antiquam civitatem nominamus, maximam tenuit
partem; ..." Thietmar, Chron., i, 4, MGH SS 3:
735; see also Waitz (1885), 15] She was related to a Siegfried,
count of Merseburg, who died about 938 ["Illo quoque
tempore defunctus est Sigifridus comes, cuius legationem cum sibi
vendicasset Thancmarus, eo quod propinquus ei esset - nam mater
eius filia erat materterae Sigifridi, de qua genuit rex Heinricus
Thancmarum - ...", Widukind ii, 9 (pp. 61-2); Waitz
(1885), 208]. She may have been the abbess of that name who
appears under 21 June in the necrology of Merseburg ["XI.
K. [Iul.] ... Hadeburc abb. ob." Calend. Merseb., 116;
Althoff (1984), 350 (A 40)].
(2) ca. 909, Mathilde, d. 14 March 968, daughter of
count Dietrich.
["Genuit quoque ei et alios filios clara et
nobilissima ac singularis prudentiae regina nomine Mahthilda, ..."
Widukind, i, 31 (p. 37); "Ubi et venerabilis eius coniux
regnique consors ex eadem gente, nomine Machtild, ..."
Liudprand, Antapodosis, iv, 15, Dümmler (1877), 86; Vita Mahthildis Reginae Antiquior, c. 3, MGH SS
10: 576; Vita Mahthildis Reginae, c. 2, MGH SS 4: 285-6;
see also below under Mathilde's children] The date of ca.
909 for the marriage is based on the statement of Vita
Mahthildis Reginae Antiquior that Heinrich's father Otto
died three years later ["Praefatus vero dux Otto, pater
Heinrici, tres post haec vivens annos, mortem subiit." Vita
Mahthildis Reginae Antiquior, c. 4, MGH SS 10: 576].
Children:
(by Hatheburg)
Thankmar (Tammo), d. 28 July 938.
["Thancmarus autem,
filius Heinrici regis, natus erat ex matre nobili, ..."
Widukind, ii, 11 (p. 64)] Thietmar calls Thankmar by the
hypochoristic form of Tammo ["Interea Tammo natus est;
et mens regis ab amore uxoris decescens, ob pulcritudinem et rem
cuiusdam virginis, nomine Mathildis, secreto flagravit."
Thietmar, Chron., i, 6, MGH SS 3: 737; "...
Tammonem, regis et Liudgerdae concitavit filium, ..."
one manuscript has Hateburgae (correctly) in place of Liudgerdae,
Thietmar ii, 1, MGH SS 3: 744]. Thankmar was killed in 938 while
rebelling against his brother Otto I ["Nam Tancmar
miserabiliter occisus, ..." Ann. Quedlinb.,
s.a. 937, MGH SS 3: 56; "Thancmarus occisus est;
..." Ann. Corbeienses, s.a. 938, MGH SS 3: 4;
"In hac eadem tempestate Dancmar, frater regis ex
concubina, rebellans in Eresburgo castello occiditur, ..."
Regino, Chronicon (continuation), s.a. 939, 161; "V.
k. [Aug.] Thancmar ob. fr. magni Oddonis." Calend.
Merseb., 118; Dümmler (1876), 75, n. 1, states that 938 is
correct].
(by Mathilde)
The older life of Mathilde names
the three sons and Gerberge ["Quorum Otto maximus natu,
nomen ab avo trahens, ... Heinricus autem ortu secundus, Bawariis
dux praeponitur praeclarus. Brunonem vero minimum, virum
sapientem, dignum, sacerdotalem, Coloniae archiepiscopum
constituere. Nam soror eorum nomine Gerburch, Gisilberto principi
Belgicorum tradita fuerat." Vita Mahthildis reginae
antiquior, c. 6, MGH SS 10: 577]. The younger life, which
mentions only the sons, states that Otto was born before Heinrich
became king, and that Heinrich (and thus Bruno) were born after
he became king ["Otto praeclarus, ante regalem
dignitatem procreatus, natu fuerat maximus, forma insignis et
moribus illustris. Heinricus autem, in regali solio natus, iunior
fuit annis, sed haud inferior excellentia probitatis. ... Bruno
vero, aetate minimus ..." Vita Mahthildis reginae,
c. 6, MGH SS 4: 287]. Liudprand also states that Otto was born
before Heinrich became king, and that Heinrich and Bruno were
born afterwards ["Haec ante regni susceptionem viro suo
filium peperit, quem vocavit Ottonem, ... Post regiam autem
dignitatem duos peperit, unum quem patris nomine vocavit
Heinricum, ... Tercium deinde Bruno nomine ..."
Liudprand, Antapodosis, iv, 15, Dümmler (1877), 86].
All five children of Heinrich and Mathilde appear in Widukind's
history ["Erat autem Isilberhtus nobili genere ac
familia antiqua natus. ... ac postremo desponsata sibi filia
nomine Gerberga affinitate pariter cum amicitia iunxit eum sibi,
... XXXI. Genuit quoque ei et alios filios clara et nobilissima
ac singularis prudentiae regina nomine Mahthilda, primogenitum
mundi amorem nomine Oddonem, secundum patris nomine insignitum,
virum fortem et industrium Heinricum, tertium quoque nomine
Brunonem, quem pontificis summi ac ducis magni vidimus officium
gerentem. ... Aliam quoque filiam genuit, quae nupserat Hugoni
duci." Widukind, i, 30-1 (pp. 37-8)]. All five children
also appear in a letter from Siegfried, abbot of Görze, to
Poppo, abbot of Stablo, written in 1043 ["... Heinricus
rex ex Mathilde genuit tres filios: Ottonem imperatorem, Brunonem
archiepiscopum, Heinricum ducem; duas quoque filias, Gerbergam et
Hadwidem. Quarum altera, id est Hadewidis, Hugoni; altera, id est
Gerberga, nupsit Gisleberto duci eique filiam Alberadam nomine
peperit. Post obitum vero Gisleberti iuncta est in matrimonium
Ludovico Francorum regi, ..." Giesebrecht (1881-95), 2:
714-5 (document #10)]. Although the order of the sons is clear,
and Gerberga was apparently older than Hedwig, the exact order of
the children is not certain. However, Otto was evidently the
oldest, and Gerberga could not have been much younger than him.
It is not clear whether Hadwig was older or younger than
Heinrich.
Otto I "the Great", b. 23 November 912, d. 7 May 973, king of Germany,
936-973; king of Italy, 961-973; emperor, 962-973;
m. (1) 930, Eadgyth, d. 26 January 946, daughter of Eadweard
"the Elder", king of
England;
m. (2) 951, Adélaïde, d.
17 December 999, daughter of Rudolf
II, king of Burgundy, widow of Lothair,
king of Italy.
Gerberga, b.
say 913×4, d. 5 May, 969 or later;
m. (1) 929, Giselbert, d. 2 October 939, duke of Lorraine;
m. (2) 939, Louis IV, d. 10 September 954, king
of France.
["Gisalbertus dux Gerburgam filiam Heinrici regis
duxit uxorem" Continuatio Reginonis, s.a. 929,
Regino, Chronicon, 158; "Gisalbertus dux
Gerbirgam, Heinrichi regis filiam, duxit uxorem." Annales
Heremi, s.a. 929, MGH SS 3: 141; "Ludowicus
rex, in regnum Lothariense regressus, relictam Gisleberti
Gerbergam duxit uxorem, Othonis scilicet regis sororem."
Flodoard, Annales, s.a. 939, 74]
Hadwig, b.
say 917×922, living 958:
m. 937, Hugues
"le Grand", d. 956,
duke of France.
["Hugo princeps, filius Rotberti, sororem Othonis
regis Transhenensis, filiam Heinrici, ducit uxorem."
Flodoard, Annales, s.a. 938, 69; "Quorum
scilicet primus Otto, Henrici, Saxonum regis, filius, cujus etiam
sororem, nomine Haduidem, duxit uxorem Hugo dux Francorum
cognomento magnus." Rodulfus Glaber, i, 8 (p. 10)]
Heinrich I, b. 919×922, d. 1 November
955, duke of Bavaria 947-956;
m. Judith, daughter of Arnulf,
duke of Bavaria.
He is probably the child mentioned in an act of Heinrich I dated
22 April 922 ["... quod rogatu coniugis nostrae domnae
reginae Mahthildis una cum prole et equivoco nostro ..."
MGH DD H I, 41 (#3)]. He married Judith, daughter of Arnulf, duke
of Bavaria ["At dux Henricus, frater regis venerandus, /
Princeps in regno fuerat tunc nempe quieto / Post regem, plebi
merito venerabilis omni; / Qui sibi condigne legali iunxit amore
/ Arnulfi natam, ducis egregii, generosam, / Nomine Iudittam, ..."
Hrosvitha, Gesta Oddonis, 153-8, MGH SS 4: 322; "Erat
autem ipse dominus Heinricus copulatus matrimonio filiae ducis
Arnulfi, feminae egregiae formae mirabilisque prudentiae."
Widukind, ii, 36 (p. 80); Dümmler (1876), 80]. When Judith's
uncle duke Berthold of Bavaria died on 23 November 947, Heinrich
succeeded as duke of Bavaria ["Bertaldus dux Bawariensis
obiit, cui Heinricus frater regis in ducatu successit."
Regino, Chronicon (continuation), s.a. 945, 163; for the
death date of Berthold, see Dümmler (1876), 160]. Heinrich died
on 1 November 955, and was succeeded by his son duke Heinrich II,
who was the father of emperor Heinrich II ["Heinricus
frater regis desperatis rebus recuperatis receptoque Bawariae
ducatu obiit. Cuius filio Heinrico pius rex ducatum et marcam
dedit." Regino, Chronicon (continuation), s.a.
955, 168; "Kl. Nov. ... Heinric' dux auus impr. Heinrici
o." Calend. Merseb., 124; "[kal.
Nov.] Heinricus dux." Kalendarium necrologicum
Weissenburgense, Fontes rerum Germ., 4: 313;
for more details, see Dümmler (1876), 267, n. 5].
Bruno, b. ca. 925, d. 10×11 October
965, archbishop of Cologne (Köln), 953-965, de facto
duke of Lorraine.
Ruotger's life of Bruno states that Bruno
was aged barely forty in the year of his death ["Igitur
cum in hoc sanctissimo studio imperator tricesimum regni sui,
germanus eius duodecimum pontificatus sui ageret annum, nondum
nisi vix praelapsus aetatis quadragesimum, ..."
Ruotger, Vita Brunonis, c. 42, MGH SS 4: 271]. He
succeeded as archbishop of Cologne on the death of his
predecessor Wigfrid on 9 July 953, and he also ruled as the de
facto duke of Lorraine ["Eodem anno Wigfridus
Coloniensis ecclesiae archiepiscopus obiit; cui Brun frater regis
succedens totius Lothariensis regni ducatum et regimen cum
episcopatu suscepit." Regino, Chronicon
(continuation), s.a. 953, 167]. He died the night of 10×11
October 965 ["Brun quoque archiepiscopus, germanus
imperatoris, vir ducatu pariter et episcopatu dignissimus, V.
Idus Octobris obiit." Regino, Chronicon
(continuation), s.a. 965, 176; Ruotger, Vita Brunonis,
c. 45, MGH SS 4: 272-3; "V. id. [Oct.] Agrippine
ciuitatis archiepiscop. Brun. obt." Calend.
Merseb., 112; the Lüneburg necrology gives 10 October,
Althoff (1984), 327 (B 142); see Dümmler (1876), 396, n. 2 for a
more detailed list of sources for Bruno's death].
Falsely attributed
mother (mythical):
Liutgard, daughter of Arnulf,
emperor.
This claim, repeated often in some of the older secondary
sources, appears in one version of the universal chronicle of
Ekkehard ["Cuonradus rex moriens coram principibus regni
regem designat Heinricum, filium Ottonis Saxonum ducis ex
Luitgarda filia Arnulfi imperatoris." Ekkehard, Chronicon
universale, MGH SS 6: 175; Annales Magdeburgenses
(following Ekkehard), s.a. 919, MGH SS 16: 142]. The claim is
chronologically impossible (Arnulf was born ca. 850), and the
mother of Heinrich is known to have been named Hedwig (see
above). It is a transparent attempt to give the Saxon dynasty a
Carolingian ancestry. A variant of this error would make Arnulf
the father of Heinrich's mother Hedwig [e.g., RFC2 131 (line
172)].
Relative: Wendilgard;
m. Udalrich, count.
Ekkehard states that Wendilgard was a neptis
through a daughter (de filia) of king Heinrich ["Oudalrich
quidam comes de Karoli prosapia, Wendilgartam, Henrici regis de
filia neptim uxorem accipiens, ..." Ekkehard IV, Casus
S. Galli, c. 10, MGH SS 2: 119]. The usual interpretation of
this would be that Wendilgard was a maternal granddaughter of
Heinrich. She was the mother of Burchard (evidently not her
eldest child), who became abbot of St. Gallen in 958. Thus, it is
not chronologically possible for either of Heinrich's known
daughters to be the mother of Wendilgard through some otherwise
unknown marriage to Udalrich. Even if we assumed that
Wendilgard's mother was a daughter of Heinrich and Hatheburg, the
chronology would still only be barely possible. If the literal
description of de filia neptis is kept, the alternative
would seem to be the possibility that Wendilgard's mother was an
illegitimate daughter of Heinrich born in the 890's. On the other
hand, Hlawitschka suggests that the words de filia were
inserted later, and that Wendilgard was perhaps a daughter of one
of the brothers of Heinrich [Hlawitschka (1987), 69ff.].
Althoff (1976) = Gerd Althoff, "Unerkannte Zeugnisse vom Totengedenken der Liudolfinger", Deutsches Archiv für Erforschung des Mittelalters 32 (1976): 370-404.
Althoff (1984) = Gerd Althoff, Adels- und Königsfamilien im Spiegel ihrer Memorialüberlieferung (Munich, 1984).
Calend. Merseb. = Ludwig Hesse, "Calendrium Merseburgense", Zeitschrift für Archivkunde, Diplomatik und Geschichte 1 (1834): 101-150.
Dümmler (1876) = Rudolf Köpke & Ernst Dümmler, Kaiser Otto der Große (Leipzig, 1876).
Dümmler (1877) = Ernst Dümmler, ed., Liudprandi episcopi Cremonensis opera omnia (MGH SRG, Hannover, 1877).
Flodoard, Annales = Ph. Lauer, ed., Les Annales de Flodoard (Paris, 1905).
Fontes rerum Germ. = Johann Friedrich Boehmer, Fontes rerum Germanicarum, 4 vols. (Stuttgart & Tübingen, 1843-68).
Giesebrecht (1881-95) = Wilhelm von Giesebrecht, Geschichte der deutschen Kaiserzeit, 5th ed., 6 vols. (Leipzig, 1881-95).
Hlawitschka (1987) = Eduard Hlawitschka, Untersuchungen zu den Thronwechseln der ersten Hälfte des 11. Jahrhunderts und zur Adelsgeschichte Süddeutschlands (Sigmaringen, 1987).
MGH DD = Monumenta Germaniae Historica, Diplomata series.
MGH SRG = Monumenta Germaniae Historica, Scriptores rerum Germanicarum (separate editions).
MGH SS = Monumenta Germaniae Historica, Scriptores series.
Regino, Chronicon = Friedrich Kurze, ed., Reginonis abbatis Prumiensis Chronicon cum continuatione Treverensi (MGH SRG, Hannover, 1890).
RFC2 = Roderick Stuart, Royalty for Commoners (2nd ed., Baltimore, 1992).
Rodulfus Glaber = Maurice Prou, ed., Raoul Glaber - les cinq livres de ses histoires (900-1044) (Paris, 1886).
Waitz (1885) = Georg Waitz, Jahrbücher des Deutschen Reichs under König Heinrich I. (3rd, ed., Leipzig, 1885).
Widukind = Georg Waitz & Karl Andreas Kehr, eds., Widukindi monachi Corbeiensis Rerum Gestarum Saxonicarum libri tres (4th ed., MGH SRG 55, Hannover & Leipzig, 1904).
Compiled by Stewart Baldwin
First uploaded 3 April 2011.