Adalbert von Ballenstedt , (name uncertain, but possibly Adalbert), was Count of

Ballenstedt Ballenstedt is a town in the Harz district, in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. Geography It is situated at the northern rim of the Harz mountain range, about 10 km (6 mi) southeast of Quedlinburg. The municipal area comprises the vil ...

Vogt During the Middle Ages, an (sometimes given as modern English: advocate; German: ; French: ) was an office-holder who was legally delegated to perform some of the secular responsibilities of a major feudal lord, or for an institution such as ...

of the

Nienburg Abbey Nienburg Abbey (german: Kloster Nienburg) was a Benedictine monastery in Nienburg in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. History Abbey Nienburg was for centuries on the extreme eastern edge of the settled territory of Germany. With the aim of converting ...

, and the provost of Hagenrode. He is the earliest known ancestor of the

House of Ascania The House of Ascania (german: Askanier) was a dynasty of German rulers. It is also known as the House of Anhalt, which refers to its longest-held possession, Anhalt. The Ascanians are named after Ascania (or Ascaria) Castle, known as ''Schloss ...

Life

The details of "Adalbert's" life are unclear. Even his name is not known; it is believed to be "Adalbert", his grandson's name. It is known that he was the father of Esico, the first to be called "Ascanian," from his marriage with Hidda, daughter of

Odo I, Margrave of the Saxon Ostmark Odo (or Hodo) I (also ''Huodo'' or ''Huoto'') (c. 930 – 13 March 993) was margrave in the Saxon Eastern March of the Holy Roman Empire from 965 until his death. Odo was, if the onomastics are correct, a son (or maybe a nephew) of Christian (d. 9 ...

. Hodo was related to

Margrave Margrave was originally the medieval title for the military commander assigned to maintain the defence of one of the border provinces of the Holy Roman Empire or of a kingdom. That position became hereditary in certain feudal families in the Emp ...

Christian of Thuringia Christian (died ) was count in the Saxon Nordthüringgau and Schwabengau from 937. He also ruled in the neighbouring '' Gau'' Serimunt of the ''Marca Geronis'' from 945. Like Margrave Gero the Great (c. 900 – 965), he was probably a relative of ...

from the Gau Serimunt, from whom, through the descendants of Esico, possessions in this area and the bailiwick of Nienburg and

Frose Frose is a village and a former municipality in the district of Salzlandkreis, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 15 July 2009, it is part of the town Seeland.Sachsenspiegel The (; gml, Sassen Speyghel; modern nds, Sassenspegel; all literally "Saxon Mirror") is one of the most important law books and custumals compiled during the Holy Roman Empire. Originating between 1220 and 1235 as a record of existing loc ...

'' reported that Adalbert's ancestors came with the immigration of Swabian tribes around 568 into the area on the Lower

Harz The Harz () is a highland area in northern Germany. It has the highest elevations for that region, and its rugged terrain extends across parts of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia. The name ''Harz'' derives from the Middle High German ...

known as the

Schwabengau The Schwabengau (modernized name; originally: Suavia, Suevon, Nordosquavi) was an early medieval shire (''Gau (country subdivision), Gau'') in the Eastphalia region of the medieval Duchy of Saxony. Ruled by the House of Ascania, it became the nu ...

, and have settled there.So they might have belonged to the warlike followers of King

Sigibert I Sigebert I (c. 535 – c. 575) was a Frankish king of Austrasia from the death of his father in 561 to his own death. He was the third surviving son out of four of Clotaire I and Ingund. His reign found him mostly occupied with a successful ci ...

of Austrasia, according to Wäschke, S. 68 Other children of Adalbert may have been: *

Uta von Ballenstedt Uta von Ballenstedt ( — 23 October before 1046), a member of the House of Ascania, was Margravine of Meissen from 1038 until 1046, the wife of Margrave Eckard II. She is also called Uta of Naumburg as the subject of a famous donor portrait by t ...

, known as "Uta von Naumburg", later married to

Eckard II, Margrave of Meissen Eckard II (german: Ekkehard; – 24 January 1046) was Margrave of Lusatia (as Eckard I) from 1034 and Margrave of Meissen from 1038 until his death. He was the last of his dynasty, with his death the line of Ekkeharding margraves descending from ...

* Dietrich, later provost of Ballenstedt * Ludolf, later monk at the

Imperial Abbey of Corvey Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imperial, Nebraska * Imperial, Pennsylvania * Imperial, Texas ...

* Hazecha, later abbess of

Gernrode Abbey Gernrode Abbey (german: Stift Gernrode) was a house of secular canonesses ''( Frauenstift)'' in Gernrode in what is now Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Gernrode was founded in 959 and was disestablished in the seventeenth century. In the Middle Ages the ...

Literature

* Helmut Assing: ''Die frühen Askanier und ihre Frauen''. Kulturstiftung Bernburg, Bernburg 2002, . S. 6 * Andreas Thiele: ''Erzählende genealogische Stammtafeln zur europäischen Geschichte''. Band 1: Deutsche Kaiser-, Königs-, Herzogs- und Grafenhäuser. Teilband 1. R. G. Fischer, Frankfurt am Main 1991, . Tafel 172 * Hermann Wäschke: ''Anhaltische Geschichte''. Band 1: ''Geschichte Anhalts von den Anfängen bis zum Ausgang des Mittelalters''. Otto Schulze, Cöthen 1912. S. 68

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Adalbert von Ballenstedt 10th-century German nobility House of Ascania People from Ballenstedt Counts in Germany 970 births Year of birth uncertain 11th-century deaths Year of death unknown