Adelaide of Italy
Adelaide of Italy (german: Adelheid; 931 – 16 December 999 AD), also called Adelaide of Burgundy, was Holy Roman Empress by marriage to Emperor Otto the Great; she was crowned with him by Pope John XII in Rome on 2 February 962. She was the ...
was an important medieval ruler and holy figure, having been called "the most important woman of her century", "the most powerful of Ottonian women" and one of the most powerful queens of the entire Middle Age. As princess of Burgundy (as daughter of
Rudolph II of Burgundy
Rudolph II (c. 11 July 880 – 11 July 937), a member of the Elder House of Welf, was King of Burgundy from 912 until his death. He initially succeeded in Upper Burgundy and also ruled as King of Italy from 922 to 926. In 933 Rudolph acquired t ...
), queen of Italy (consort of
Lothair II of Italy
Lothair II (926/8 – 22 November 950), often ''Lothair of Arles'', was the King of Italy from 947 to his death. He was of the noble Frankish lineage of the Bosonids, descended from Boso the Elder. His father and predecessor was Hugh of Prove ...
) and later Holy Roman empress (consort of
Otto the Great), she had deep connections to many European regions. Having supported the Church greatly during her lifetime, she was canonized soon after her death. Historically the subject of numerous religious, artistic and scholarly works, she is now explored by modern historiography primarily as a political figure.
Historiography
Adelaide was famous across Europe in her lifetime. It is even said that no other empress had been praised as much by contemporaries as Adelaide. Despite this, Simon MacLean notes that Adelaide's fame as a spiritual figure and her ''nachleben'' (afterlife) as a favourite subjects of artists, in sơme ways, have done her a disservice as a political figure. In the 1930s, through her work ''Adelheid – Mutter der Königreiche'', the scholar and politician
Gertrud Bäumer
Gertrud Bäumer (12 September 1873, Hagen-Hohenlimburg, Westphalia – 25 March 1954, Bethel) was a German politician who actively participated in the German civil rights feminist movement. She was also a writer, and contributed to Friedric ...
utilized her myth – which combined political power, motherhood and charity – to promote the bourgeois feminist movement.
According to MacLean, even though Adelaide was without doubt powerful and influential (she was the petitioner in one third of her husband Otto's extant acts between 951 and 973), it was still quite hard to separate Adelaide's and Otto's (and other family members' and advisors') individual inputs within the "black box" of rulership that they all belonged to. From the outside, the "king-plus-queen partnership" just acted together.
While Nash opines that Matilda operated in a form of rule different from the male rulers – she worked in tandem with Otto I, supported him and legitimized his rule in Italy; she actively joined the planning and policy forming processes but relied on male actors in direct military action, Jestice hesitates in describing Matilda's and other Ottonian female rulers' style of ruling as feminine and separate from the masculine style: during their regencies, excepting leading armies in person (which
Cunigunde of Luxembourg
Cunigunde of Luxembourg, OSB (german: Kunigunde) ( 975 – 3 March 1033), also called Cunegundes, Cunegunda, and Cunegonda and, in Latin, Cunegundis or Kinigundis, was Empress of the Holy Roman Empire by marriage to Holy Roman Emperor Henry II ...
did), the ruling practices of Adelaide and Theophanu were not different from those of the men: establishing and renewing personal alliances, negotiating peace treaties, granting favours, making use of their symbolic capital. Evidences also suggest that this was the very same fashion they operated during their husbands' reigns. Jestice also denounces the popularly accepted notion that Adelaide and Theophanu were primarily rivals – Knut Görich opines that that Jestice convincingly presents the case for this by showing that passages in Odilo of Clune's ''Epitaphium Adelaideae'' are of questionable reliability. Görich also supports Jestice in defending the position that contemporary sources reveal no misogyny and basically the Ottonian society recognized the roles and abilities (except physical strength) of women, thus the commonly deemed special status of empresses and queens actually did not stand out in this context. Buchinger points out that the Saxon tradition, that perceived the wife as having an equal role in the family, had influence too, and notes that Adelaide chose to stay at the court instead of returning to her lands as
Matilda
Matilda or Mathilda may refer to:
Animals
* Matilda (chicken) (1990–2006), World's Oldest Living Chicken record holder
* Matilda (horse) (1824–1846), British Thoroughbred racehorse
* Matilda, a dog of the professional wrestling tag-team The ...
had done. Görich opines, though, that the prominent roles and visibility the Ottonian empresses attained were partly product of circumstances created by Otto III's minority, as well as the fact he and Henry II died without issue. Görich also casts doubt on Jestice's idea of the reduced importance of female regents in the eleventh century.
Modern research also tends to put the empress's piety and her support of the Church and the Christian belief in light of political considerations. Jestice opines that, "Piety was the one instrument of successful rule where the women had a distinct advantage over the male members of their family." Buchinger sees her alliance with ecclesiastic groups as her way of building a sphere of influence independent from that of the emperor as well as preserving her memory and legacy. She actively supported
Cluny's reform and later, Cluny played a leading role in building her cult and supporting her canonization. Gertsman opines, though, that the devotion of Cluny towards Adelaide and the Ottonians was personal in nature, rather than ideological.
Adelaide and Theophanu are often compared and contrasted in historiography. Some modern commentators like Gunther Wolf (in his book ''Kaiserin Theophanu. Prinzessin aus der Fremde'') see Theophanu as the one who looked forward to the future, to modern forms of ruling, while Adelaide was the conservative who looked to the past. Stefan Weinfurter sees a more multifaceted and positive image of Adelaide. According to Weinfurter, it was true that Theophanu significantly contributed to the model of ruling inspired by Ancient Rome and Byzantine, that Otto II and especially Otto III took over and developed (although this model could not become the foundation for the future, because of Otto III's sudden death), while Adelaide represented the transmission of Italian-imperial tradition to the House of Saxony. She was also attached to her Italian-Burgundian connections and finally her Alsatian-Alemannish roots. But this helped her to mediate across realms while creating new power bases in the process and constantly providing a stabilizing effect to the Ottonian Dynasty, especially in its moments of great crisis (such as when she mobilized her relationships with her Burgundian and Bavarian relatives to protect Otto III at the beginning of his reign). She also played an initiating role in the development of Alsace as a hub between the Eastern Frankish kingdom, Burgundy, Italy and Upper Rhine – the latter received such a boost in traffic, politics and economy that 200 years later it would become, in the words of
Otto of Freising
Otto of Freising ( la, Otto Frisingensis; c. 1114 – 22 September 1158) was a German churchman of the Cistercian order and chronicled at least two texts which carries valuable information on the political history of his own time. He was Otto I ...
, "the primary force of the empire" (''maxima vis regni''). Through her daughter
Emma of Italy
Emma of Italy (c. 948 – after 987) was Queen of Western Francia as the wife of King Lothair, whom she married in 965. Their son, Louis V, was the last Carolingian king.
Life
Born around 948, Emma was the only child of Lothair II of Italy ...
, to whom she was an advisor, she influenced French politics. Weinfurter sees in her a European dimension, that should be characterized as "modern".
Legends
![Ottonen Adelheid](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4f/Ottonen_Adelheid.jpg)
*In her ''Gesta Ottonis'',
Hrotsvitha
Hrotsvitha (c. 935–973) was a secular canoness who wrote drama and Christian poetry under the Ottonian dynasty. She was born in Bad Gandersheim to Saxon nobles and entered Gandersheim Abbey as a canoness. She is considered the first female wri ...
of Gandersheim tells a dramatized version of Adelaide's story before becoming Otto's queen: "When imprisoned by Berengar, she had only a maid and a priest for company. After several months of suffering, she dug her way to freedom ("Shawshank-style", in the words of MacLean) through a tunnel. She had to hide herself in a field of grain and miraculously escaped the thrusting spears of a party sent to recapture her. She was almost discovered by Berengar himself. Finally she was rescued by Bishop Adalard of Reggio, who was her friend. Hrosvitha's version highlights Adelaide's plight, initiative and piety, which brought Otto to Italy and the Italian crown to him. MacLean comments that, "Hrotsvitha's account should not be taken at face value: her stylized narrative is designed to show the hand of God orchestrating the rise of Otto to imperial status in 962, and to that end borrows tropes from a variety of literary and biblical sources."
*There are stories about her rivalry with Theophanu (exaggerated and spread by Odilo of Cluny, who disliked the latter, into full-blown enmity). Theophanu supposedly once said "If I shall still reign one year, Adelheid shall not rule over more ground than one can encompass with one hand." But "before one month was over", Theophanu died (15 June, 991), while Adelheid lived a long life.
Depictions in arts
Contemporary arts
*''Otto Adelheid Pfennig'' is an Ottonian coin type. Numismatist opines that the coin was struck when Otto III was still a very young emperor. Adelaide was with him because she was "the Saxonian Dynasty incarnate".
*
Odilo of Cluny
Odilo of Cluny (c. 962 – 1 January 1049) was the fifth Benedictine Abbot of Cluny, holding the post for around 54 years. During his tenure Cluny became the most important monastery in western Europe. Odilo actively worked to reform the monastic ...
's ''Epitaphium Domine Adelheide Auguste'' and
Hrotsvitha
Hrotsvitha (c. 935–973) was a secular canoness who wrote drama and Christian poetry under the Ottonian dynasty. She was born in Bad Gandersheim to Saxon nobles and entered Gandersheim Abbey as a canoness. She is considered the first female wri ...
's ''Gesta Ottonis'' are the main medieval sources about her life. Both describe her as a powerful ruler, but Odilo is more concerned about her deeds as saint, while Hrosvitha (who was not as close to the characters she described and had to rely on oral sources) emphasizes her political side. Hrosvitha's Adelaide, while not the main character (the main character is Otto I), is more heroic and adventurous, with her main attribute being her enormous spiritual power.
Later depictions
Visual arts
*On the exterior of
Theatine Church, Munich
, image = MünchenTheatinerkirche a.jpg
, pushpin map = Bavaria#Germany
, pushpin label position = top
, coordinates =
, location = Salvatorplatz 2aMunich, Bavaria
, country ...
, there is a statue of Adelaide placed there for the birth of
Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria
Maximilian, Maximillian or Maximiliaan (Maximilien in French) is a male given name.
The name " Max" is considered a shortening of "Maximilian" as well as of several other names.
List of people
Monarchs
*Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor (1459†...
by his parents.
*''
Adelaide di Borgogna liberata dal diacono Martino'' (between 1830 and 1890), depicting Adelaide being liberated by
Deacon
A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Chur ...
Martino from the prison of the Garda castle, was painted by
Felice de Maurizio.
*In his 1858 work ''Riconciliazione di Ottone II con Adelaide di Borgogna sua madre'',
Francesco Hayez
Francesco Hayez (; 10 February 1791 – 12 February 1882) was an Italian painter. He is considered one of the leading artists of Romanticism in mid-19th-century Milan, and is renowned for his grand historical paintings, political allegories, and ...
portrays the reconciliation of Adelaide with her son Otto II.
*In 1839,
Abel Terral painted ''
Sainte Adélaïde de France, reine d'Italie, impératrice d'Allemagne'' ("St.Adelaide of France, queen of Italy, empress of Germany")
*In 1840,
Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres
Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres ( , ; 29 August 1780 – 14 January 1867) was a French Neoclassical painter. Ingres was profoundly influenced by past artistic traditions and aspired to become the guardian of academic orthodoxy against the ...
created a
portrait of Adelaide as Saint for the Saint-Ferdinand Chapel.
*The ''
Palazzo Chiablese
The Palazzo Chiablese is a wing of the Royal Palace of Turin, in Northwest Italy.
It was the residence of the Duke of Chablais first and then of Carlo Felice, King of Sardinia, and Ferdinando, Duke of Genoa. Today it is home to a cultural collec ...
'' has a reliquiary (made between 1842 and 1855) that depicts Saint Adelaide, possibly donated to
Adelaide of Austria, Queen of Sardinia.
*In 1890,
Lodovico Pogliaghi
Lodovico Pogliaghi (Milan, 1857 – S. Maria del Monte, Varese, 1950) was an Italian painter, sculptor and decorator.
Biography
Lodovico Pogliaghi was born to an upper middle class Milanese family. He was enrolled at the Brera Academy at a very y ...
drew the ''
Incoronazione di Ottone il Grande e Adelaide'', depicting the scene of coronation of Otto I and Adelaide.
Theater
*''L'Adelaide'' (1672) is an opera by
Antonio Sartario
Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language-speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top 400 most popular mal ...
with text by
Pietro Dolphin.
*''Alerano et Adelaide'' is a (anonymous) 1694 Italian opera written to celebrate the ascension of
Augustus II the Strong
Augustus II; german: August der Starke; lt, Augustas II; in Saxony also known as Frederick Augustus I – Friedrich August I (12 May 16701 February 1733), most commonly known as Augustus the Strong, was Elector of Saxony from 1694 as well as K ...
.
* ''L'Adalberto overo La forza dell'astuzia femminile'' (1697) by
Antonio Draghi
Antonio Draghi (17 January 1634 – 16 January 1700) was a Baroque composer. He possibly was the brother of Giovanni Battista Draghi.
Draghi was born at Rimini in Italy, and was one of the most prolific composers of his time. His contribution t ...
is also about Adelaide.
*''Adelaide'' (1719) by
Pietro Torri
Pietro Torri (c. 1665 or earlier, in Peschiera del Garda_Pietro_Torri,_Neue_Hofkapelle_München,_Christoph_Hammer_(2)_–_Le_Triomphe_de_la_Paixat_Christoph_Hammer">_Pietro_Torri,_Neue_Hofkapelle_München,_Christoph_Hammer_(2)_–_Le_Triomphe_de_l ...
with text by
Antonio Salvi
Antonio Salvi (17 January 1664 – 21 May 1724) was an Italian physician, court poet and librettist, active mainly in Florence, Italy. He was in the service of the grand-ducal court of Tuscany and the favourite librettist of Prince Ferdinando de ...
was written for the wedding of
Charles Albrecht of Wittelsbach, later Holy Roman Emperor (the only non-Habsburg emperor of the late Empire and
Maria Amalia of Habsburg
*''Adelheid, oder Die ungezwungene Liebe'' (1725) is an opera with music by
Georg Philipp Telemann
Georg Philipp Telemann (; – 25 June 1767) was a German Baroque composer and multi-instrumentalist. Almost completely self-taught in music, he became a composer against his family's wishes. After studying in Magdeburg, Zellerfeld, and Hild ...
and libretto by , based on the text of Pietro Dolfin.
*''Lotario'' (1729) by
Georg Friedrich Händel
George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel (; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concertos. Handel received his training i ...
with text by
Giacomo Rossi
Giacomo Rossi was an Italian poet, translator and librettist who settled in London early in the 18th century and wrote librettos for George Frideric Handel, between 1710 and 1729.
According to Rossi '' Rinaldo'' was written by Handel in a fort ...
is about Adelaide and Lothar and also features Otto.
*''Adelaide'' (1729) is an opera by
Giuseppe Maria Orlandini with text by
Antonio Salvi
Antonio Salvi (17 January 1664 – 21 May 1724) was an Italian physician, court poet and librettist, active mainly in Florence, Italy. He was in the service of the grand-ducal court of Tuscany and the favourite librettist of Prince Ferdinando de ...
.
*''L'Adelaide'' is an opera (1735) by
Antonio Vivaldi.
*''
Adelaide di Borgogna
''Adelaide di Borgogna, ossia Ottone, re d'Italia'' (''Adelaide of Burgundy, or Otto, King of Italy'') is a two-act opera composed by Gioachino Rossini (with contributions by Michele Carafa) to a libretto by Giovanni Schmidt. It was premièred ...
'' (1817) is an opera, authored by
Gioachino Rossini
Gioachino Antonio Rossini (29 February 1792 – 13 November 1868) was an Italian composer who gained fame for his 39 operas, although he also wrote many songs, some chamber music and piano pieces, and some sacred music. He set new standards ...
with libretto by
Giovanni Schmidt
Giovanni Schmidt ( in Livorno – in Naples) was an Italian librettist.
Life
He moved to Naples while he was still young and stayed there for the rest of his life. Between 1800 and 1839 he wrote libretti for 45 operas, especially for the Teatro ...
.
*''Adelaide di Borgogna al castello di Canossa'' (1819) is an opera with text by
Cesare Malmusi and music by
Alessandro Gandini.
*' (1823) is an opera by
Pietro Generali
Pietro Generali (born Mercandetti Generali; 23 October 1773 – 3 November 1832) was an Italian composer primarily of operas and vocal music.
Generali was born in Masserano. He studied counterpoint with Giovanni Masi in Rome and spent a few ...
with text by
Luigi Romanelli.
*
Ernst Raupach
Ernst Benjamin Salomo Raupach (21 May 178418 March 1852) was a German dramatist.
Biography
He was born at Straupitz ( pl, Strupice), near Liegnitz in Silesia, a son of the village pastor. He attended the gymnasium at Liegnitz, and studied theol ...
wrote the five-act ''trauerspiel'' ''Adelheid von Burgund'' in 1838.
*In 1851, Heinrich Lucius wrote the five-act dramatic poem (''dramatisches Gedicht'') ''Abelheid von Burgund''.
*In 1861, Emil Hopffer wrote the dramatic poem ''Adelheid von Burgund''.
*''Adelheid, Gemahlin Ottos des Großen'' is an opera by with text by the composer's brother (1866, Breslau)
*''Königin Adelheid. Historisches Schauspiel in 5 Akten'' is a 1867 five-act opera by
Moritz Blanckarts.
*''Adelheid von Burgund oder Otto des Großen Brautfahrt'' is a 1886 five-act opera with music by
Georg Wilhelm Rauchenecker
Georg Wilhelm Rauchenecker (8 March 1844, in Munich – 17 July 1906, in Elberfeld, today part of Wuppertal) was a German composer, conductor and violinist.
Life
Childhood and youth (1844–1860)
Rauchenecker was born in Munich on 8 March 1844; ...
and text by
Otto Schönebeck.
Poems
*In a poem about Otto the Great, praises their marriage.
Prose
*''Königin Adelheid'' (1818) is a
Grimm
Grimm may refer to:
People
* Grimm (surname)
* Brothers Grimm, German linguists
** Jacob Grimm (1785–1863), German philologist, jurist and mythologist
** Wilhelm Grimm (1786–1859), German author, the younger of the Brothers Grimm
* Christia ...
story. In the story, she was besieged by Berengar in the Castle of
Canusium
Canosa di Puglia, generally known simply as Canosa ( nap, label= Canosino, Canaus), is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Barletta-Andria-Trani, Apulia, southern Italy. It is located between Bari and Foggia, on the northwestern edge of the ...
.
Arduin of Ivrea, who was with her, used a boar in a clever way to deceive the attackers. The siege was then lifted.
*''Adelaide di Borgogna. Una donna medievale'' is a 2009 fictional work by Giancarlo Patrucco.
*''Adelaide, imperatrice del lago: romanzo storico'' is a 2011 novel about the empress, written by Ketty Magni.
*''Das Lächeln der Kaiserin Adelheid: weitgehend authentischer historischer Roman über Leben, Lieben und Leiden der Kaiserin Adelheid, zweiter Gemahlin Ottos des Großen'' is a 2014 novel about her life.
*''Adelheid Von Burgund: Kaiserin des Mittelalters'' is a 2020 historical novel by Silvia Kornberger. The story is about the period Adelheid (Adelaide) was imprisoned by Berengar together with her daughter Emma and her maid Sophia. Adelheid dreams about her childhood, her mother, her love for Lothar and her childhood heartthrob Otto.
*She is a character in the 2022 novel ''Die Herrin der Päpste: Historischer Roman'' written by Eric Berg and Eric Walz. (The main character,
Marozia
Marozia, born Maria and also known as Mariuccia or Mariozza ( 890 – 937), was a Roman noblewoman who was the alleged mistress of Pope Sergius III and was given the unprecedented titles ''senatrix'' ("senatoress") and ''patricia'' of Rome by ...
, was her step-mother-in-law, as wife of
Hugh of Italy
Hugh (c. 880–947), known as Hugh of Arles or Hugh of Provence, was the king of Italy from 926 until his death. He belonged to the Bosonid family. During his reign, he empowered his relatives at the expense of the aristocracy and tried to estab ...
, whose son
Lothair became Adelaide's first husband.)
Films
*She is portrayed by in the 2010
MDR documentary ''Kaiserin Adelheid – Die mächtigste Frau der Ottonen'' ("Empress Adelaide, the most powerful lady of the Ottonians").
*''Adelheid und Theophanu – Zwei Kaiserinnen'' is a 2021 short animation film by Ute Helmbold made for the exhibition ''Die Kaiser und die Säulen ihrer Macht" als Online-Ausstellung''.
Commemoration
As a holy figure, she is venerated in the Catholic Church. Her feast day is December 16.
She is the co-patron of ' in
Adelebsen,
Göttingen (district), and the ''
Theatine Church, Munich
, image = MünchenTheatinerkirche a.jpg
, pushpin map = Bavaria#Germany
, pushpin label position = top
, coordinates =
, location = Salvatorplatz 2aMunich, Bavaria
, country ...
''.
In 2015, there was the exhibition ''Adelheid? Werden, Wirken, Wunder?'' in
Bonn
The federal city of Bonn ( lat, Bonna) is a city on the banks of the Rhine in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, with a population of over 300,000. About south-southeast of Cologne, Bonn is in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ru ...
.
In 2007, a ''FrauenOrt'' in
Magdeburg
Magdeburg (; nds, label=Low Saxon, Meideborg ) is the capital and second-largest city of the German state Saxony-Anhalt. The city is situated at the Elbe river.
Otto I, the first Holy Roman Emperor and founder of the Archdiocese of Magdebu ...
was created and dedicated to Adelaide together with Editha and Theophanu.
Notes
External links
''Adelheid und Theophanu'' by Ute Helmbold (Youtube)
See also
*
Cultural depictions of Otto the Great
Otto I, also called Otto the Great, is by many being seen as one of the greatest medieval rulers. His name is usually associated with the foundation (or consolidation of the Holy Roman Empire, depending on the sources, although the modern vỉew g ...
*
Cultural depictions of Theophanu
Theophanu (955–991) was a Byzantince princess who became Holy Roman Empress through marriage to Emperor Otto II. As the trusted political partner of her husband and later the regent of her young son Otto III, she left a remarkable legacy as one ...
*
Cultural depictions of Otto III, Holy Roman Emperor
Otto III, Holy Roman Emperor, also called ''miribilia mundi'', despite his short life (he died in 1002, at age 22), is a historical figure who attracts considerable scholarly attention as well as inspires numerous artistic and popular depictions. ...
*
Cultural depictions of Gisela of Swabia
Gisela of Swabia ( 990 – 15 February 1043), was queen of Germany from 1024 to 1039 and empress of the Holy Roman Empire from 1027 to 1039 by her third marriage with Emperor Conrad II. She was the mother of Emperor Henry III. She was regent of ...
*
Cultural depictions of Empress Matilda
The 12th-century ruler Empress Matilda has been depicted in various cultural media.
Theatre, film and television
Matilda is a character in ''Henry I of England'', a play by Beth Flintoff, which was first performed in November 2016 at St James's C ...
*
Cultural depictions of Barbara of Cilli
Barbara of Cilli or Barbara of Celje ( Hungarian: ''Cillei Borbála'', German: ''Barbara von Cilli,'' Slovenian and Croatian'': Barbara Celjska,'' 1392 – 11 July 1451), was the Holy Roman Empress and Queen of Hungary and Bohemia by marriage t ...
References
Bibliography and further reading
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*: ''Kaiserin Adelheid und das ottonische Kaisertum.'' In: ''{{ill, Frühmittelalterliche Studien, de''. Bd. 33, 1999, S. 1–19,
Digitalisat.
Ottonian dynasty
Cultural depictions of Holy Roman Empresses