Dedo I, Count of Wettin (c. 950 – 13 November 1009), also known as Dedo I of Wettin, was a son of

Theodoric I of Wettin Theodoric I (10th century; German: Dietrich, also known as Thierry) was a nobleman in the Duchy of Saxony, and the oldest traceable member of the House of Wettin. Biography Theodoric was born in the early 10th century to unknown parents. He mar ...

and Jutta of Merseburg. As a young man, Dedo spent his childhood with his relative

Rikdag Rikdag, also called Ricdag, Riddag, or Rihdag (died 985), was Margrave of Meissen from 979 until his death. In 982, he also acquired the marches of Merseburg and Zeitz. After the Great Slav Rising in 983, he temporarily reunited all of the souther ...

, Margrave of

Meissen Meissen (in German orthography: ''Meißen'', ) is a town of approximately 30,000 about northwest of Dresden on both banks of the Elbe river in the Free State of Saxony, in eastern Germany. Meissen is the home of Meissen porcelain, the Albrecht ...

Zeitz Zeitz ( hsb, Žič) is a town in the Burgenlandkreis district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated on the river White Elster, in the triangle of the federal states Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia and Saxony. History Zeitz was first recorded u ...

and Merseburg, and was thus closely related to one of the most influential men of East Saxony. Dedo married, before 985, Thietburga, the daughter of

Dietrich of Haldensleben , father = Wichmann the Elder , mother = Frederuna of Ringelheim Dietrich (Theoderich, Theodoric) of Haldensleben (died 25 August 985) was a count in the Schwabengau, later also in the Nordthüringgau and the Derlingau, who was the first Margra ...

, Margrave of the Nordmark. In the years 974 to 985 Dedo I was involved in the rebellion of Duke Henry II of Bavaria against the Holy Roman Emperor

Otto II Otto II (955 – 7 December 983), called the Red (''der Rote''), was Holy Roman Emperor from 973 until his death in 983. A member of the Ottonian dynasty, Otto II was the youngest and sole surviving son of Otto the Great and Adelaide of Italy. ...

and later against his son

Otto III Otto III (June/July 980 – 23 January 1002) was Holy Roman Emperor from 996 until his death in 1002. A member of the Ottonian dynasty, Otto III was the only son of the Emperor Otto II and his wife Theophanu. Otto III was crowned as King of ...

, until June 985, when the Bavarian Duke was finally subjugated in Frankfurt. In 976 Dedo commanded a Bohemian army, conquered the

March of Zeitz The March of Zeitz (german: Mark Zeitz) was a march of the Holy Roman Empire. It was created by Emperor Otto I in the division of the ''marca Geronis'' in 965, following the death of Gero the Great. Its capital was Zeitz. Its first and only margra ...

and robbed the Bishop's Church. It is alleged that he even took his own mother prisoner. Dedo apparently had a good relationship with Archbishop Giselher of Magdeburg, who helped him gain comital rights in the northern Hassegau. Moreover, Dedo successfully claimed the Castle of Zörbig for himself and his brother Friedrich. The years before Dedo's death were overshadowed by a feud with the

Counts of Walbeck The Counts of Walbeck ruled a medieval territory with its capital Walbeck northeast of Helmstedt in the present town Oebisfelde-Weferlingen in Saxony-Anhalt. The foundation of the Archbishopric of Magdeburg established the region as firmly in the ...

. When his father-in-law was deposed as the

Margrave of the Nordmark The Northern March or North March (german: Nordmark) was created out of the division of the vast ''Marca Geronis'' in 965. It initially comprised the northern third of the ''Marca'' (roughly corresponding to the modern state of Brandenburg) and ...

, Dedo claimed the office of margrave for himself. The office was granted instead to Lothair, Count of Derlingau and Nordthüringgau. Lothair ruled the Nordmark from 983 to 1003. Bishop

Thietmar of Merseburg Thietmar (also Dietmar or Dithmar; 25 July 9751 December 1018), Prince-Bishop of Merseburg from 1009 until his death, was an important chronicler recording the reigns of German kings and Holy Roman Emperors of the Ottonian (Saxon) dynasty. Two ...

, Lothair's nephew, tells in his chronicle that Dedo I was involved in the devastation of the castle of Wolmirstedt which was in the possession of the Counts of Walbeck. Dedo's dispute with the House of Walbeck continued with Lothair's son and successor Werner von Walbeck (1003–1009; died 1014). Dedo was killed by Werner on 13 November 1009 along with his vassals near Mose at the confluence of the Tange and Elbe rivers. Dedo and Thietburga of Haldensleben had the following children: * Theodoric II Count of Wettin, and from 1031 Margrave of Lusatia (c. 990–1034).

References

950s births 1009 deaths Year of birth uncertain House of Wettin {{Germany-count-stub