Megingoz/Megingaud
Megingoz/MegingaudMegingoz is called nobilis vir in act of Otto III at Andernach on 18 January 987, which granted the same rights to the abbey of Vilich (founded by Megingoz and his wife Gerberge) which were already possessed by the abbeys of Quedlinburg, Gandersheim, and Essen ["In nomine sanctae et individuae trinitatis. Otto divinae largitatis munere rex. Omnis fidelium nostrorum cuiuscumque conditionis cetus | quocumque locorum situs pro maioris auctoritatis causa cognoscat, qualiter quidam nobilis vir nomine Mergingoz cum reliosa coniuge sua Gerbirga nostrasm presentiam adierunt et quoddam monasterium quod de proprio patrimonio suo pro aeterne vite premio et memoria sui in isto seculo iam prius pii patris nostri Ottonis imperatoris augustii auctoritatis consensu in loco qui Uilike dicitur construxerunt, in nostras manus tradiderunt, rogantes pro illius loci stabilitate et defensione de omni seculari servitio illud nostra regali potentia liberari ac muniri. ..." MGH DD O III 431-2 (#32); see also MGH DD H II 47 (#40), for a renewal of those rights on 26 February 1003, which also mentions abbess Adelheid ("venerabilis eiusdem abbatissa nomine Adelheyda"); Vita Adelheidis Abbatissae Vilicensis, c. 3, MGH SS 15, 758]. A bull of pope Gregory V shows that count Megingoz was still living on 24 May 996, and appears to be the only contemporary source calling Megingoz a count [see below under date of death; he is called comes illustris Megengoz by Vita Adelheidis abbatissae Vilicensis, c. 4, MGH SS 15 (pt. 2): 757]. The sources state only that he died at Gueldre (see below), not that he was count there [Vanderkindere (1902), 2: 252; see also ibid, 170, 251, for the claim that he was count of Avalgau].
Vanderkindere would make him the same Megingoz who in 939 joined the rebellion of Heinrich, brother of Otto I, and was deprived of his fiefs [Vanderkindere (1902), 2: 251]. These fiefs were restored to Megingoz by Otto in an act dated 18 July 944 ["... per interventum dilectissimi germani fratris nostri Heinrici cuidam vassalo illius Megingoz nominato, ..." MGH DD O I 141 (#59); see also ibid., 310-1 (#226), dated 29 May 961, which mentions lands previously seized from a Megingoz]. While Vanderkindere's identification is possible (just barely), it is not likely, and the evidence for it is unclear.
Date of Birth: Unknown.
Place of Birth: Unknown.
Date of Death: living 24 May 996, d. ca. 998.
Place of
Death: Gueldre.
The life of Adelheid states that Megingoz
died in Gueldre three years after his wife ["Domnus
itaque Megengoz post obitum coniugis supervixit trium annorum
spatia, ..., in loco qui dicitur Gellere migravit ex hac luce ..."
Vita Adelheidis abbatissae Vilicensis, c. 4, MGH SS 15
(pt. 2): 759]. A bull of pope Gregory V, dated 24 May 996, in
which Megingoz was still alive, but his wife recently deceased,
allows their dates of death to be estimated with reasonable
accuracy ["monasterium ... a comite Megingozo divæque
memoriæ conjuge ejus Gerberga noviter constructum"
Vanderkindere (1902), 2: 252].
Father: Unknown.
Mother: Unknown.
Spouse: Gerberge, daughter of "duke" Godefroid [Vita Adelheidis Abbatissae Vilicensis, c. 3, MGH SS 15, 757]
Children:
The children of Megingoz are given by the life of abbess Adelheid
of Vilich ["Pater eius [i.e., abbess Adelheid]
comes illustris Megengoz cognominatus sapientia, nobilitate,
divitiis, exceptoque regimine et prenomine regni, ut rex suo
tempore magnus inter principes habebatur et nominatus. Mater vero
Gerbirg nuncupata, eque illi nobilissimo germine propagata, filii
exstitit ducis cuiusdam nomine Godefridi, tunc temporis magni et
incomparabilis viri. ... [brief account of Gerberge's
siblings, for which see Godefroid's page] ... Duo
vero prenominati [i.e., Megingoz and Gerberge] tantis
mundanae gloriae nitentes splendoribus, studebant etiam ante
Dominum fulgere variis virtutum floribus, et ideo ad augmentum
tanti honoris donati sunt adoptione unius masculae prolis, cui
humanitus impositio aviti nominis et divinitus collata est
dignitas eiusdem virtutis et ominis. Quatuor enim filias
genuerunt; quarum binas spe posteritatis nuptum tradiderunt; quae
ambae et maritali potentia et omnium bonorum et divitiarum
illustres exstiterunt affluentia. Ex quibus una nomine
Irminthrudis avia erat Henrici magnifici ducis et Adhelberonis
Metensis episcopi, Friderici ducis fratrumque suorum, magnorum
scilicet huius temporis virorum. Altera vero Alverad nominata
similiter suae posteritatis preclaris incrementis erat donata.
Reliquae vero binae Coloniae mancipatae sunt servituti et legi
divinae; una in monasterio sanctae Dei genitricis Mariae, quae
tanta promovebatur industria morum, observantia regularis
imperii, ut digne constitueretur domna et mater illius
monasterii. ... Interim cum Godefridus, frater eius, processisset
in robur virile essetque elegantiae ac strennuitatis mirae,
imperatorem Boemios cum exercitu adeuntem est comitatus,
honorifica suorum milicia omnique bellico apparatu heriliter
stipatus; ubi factus belligerator insignis et fortis, meruit
excipere victoriam gloriosae mortis; cuius cadaver a suis, licet
multo laboris sudore, tamen ad patriam, Deo gratias! reductum est
cum honore. ... Tunc in loco qui dicitur Vilika templum
honorabile Domino erexerunt a fundamentis, illud decenter
ditantes predorium vel mancipiorum sublementis." Vita
Adelheidis Abbatissae Vilicensis, c. 3, MGH SS 15, 757-8].
Godefroid, killed in Bohemia while in
the emperor's army.
Although the date of Godefroid's death is
not explicitly given, it has been suggested that his death took
place during the campaign of emperor Otto II in Bohemia in 977
[see MGH SS 15: 757, n. 15]. However, as Peter Stewart has
pointed out, Godefroid's body was brought back and buried at
Vilich, which was not founded by his parents until 986, and a
nine year gap between the two events is unlikely.
Ermentrude, m. Heribert, d. 992, count in
Kinziggau.
The life of abbess Adelheid quoted above
identifies her sister Ermentrude as the grandmother of bishop
Adalbero of Metz, duke Frédéric, and duke Henri/Heinrich, who
are known by other sources to be sons of count Frédéric (d.
1019), brother of the empress Cunégonde. For the identity of
Ermentrude's husband, and her daughter (name unknown) who married
count Frédéric, see Ermentrude's page.
Alberada, m. NN.
Said to have had distinguished offspring,
her husband is not named (see above).
Bertrada, abbess of St. Mary's,
Cologne, d. 999×1021.
The name of the fourth sister, not given in the passage above, is
given later, where it is indicated that she died during the
tenure of archbishop Heribert of Cologne (999-1021) ["Interim
predicta sorore eius Berthrada in Christo feliciter obeunte,
archipresul sanctus Heribertus, sciens hanc matrem nostri septam
omnium virtutum munimine, voluit, ut defunctae sorori succederet
in regimine." Vita Adelheidis Abbatissae Vilicensis,
c. 6, MGH SS 15 (pt. 2): 760].
Adelheid, abbess of Vilich and St.
Mary's, Cologne.
She was the subject of a short biography written about 1056-7 by
Bertha, sister of abbot Wolfhelm of Braunweiler [see Vita
Wolfhelmi abb. Brunwilarensis, c. 25, MGH SS 12: 190], which is a primary source for much of the information
on this family [Vita Adelheidis Abbatissae Vilicensis,
MGH SS 15, 754-63]. The Vita names her parents as
Megingoz and Gerberge, daughter of "duke" Godefroid [ibid., c. 4, MGH SS 15 (pt. 2): 757]. Her name
appears in the form "Azela" in a bull of pope
Gregory V [see MGH SS 15: 758, n. 2].
MGH DD = Monumenta Germaniae Historica, Diplomata series. [O I = Otto I, H II = Heinrich II, etc.]
MGH SS = Monumenta Germaniae Historica, Scriptores series.
Vanderkindere (1902) = Léon Vanderkindere, La Formation Territoriale des Principautes Belge au Moyen Age (2 vols., 2nd ed., Brussels, 1902, reprinted 1981).
Compiled by Stewart Baldwin
First uploaded 5 April 2007.
Minor revision 15 April 2007 (thanks to Peter Stewart for comments).
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