Hedwig also Heilwig, ( – ) was a

Saxon The Saxons ( la, Saxones, german: Sachsen, ang, Seaxan, osx, Sahson, nds, Sassen, nl, Saksen) were a group of Germanic * * * * peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country (Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the Nor ...

noblewoman, abbess of Chelles,Pierre Riche, The

Carolingians The Carolingian dynasty (; known variously as the Carlovingians, Carolingus, Carolings, Karolinger or Karlings) was a Frankish noble family named after Charlemagne, grandson of mayor Charles Martel and a descendant of the Arnulfing and Pippin ...

, A family who Forged Europe (translated by Michael Idomir Allen;

University of Philadelphia Thomas Jefferson University is a private research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Established in its earliest form in 1824, the university officially combined with Philadelphia University in 2017. To signify its heritage, the univer ...

Press, 1993), pp. 52, 149. the wife of Count

Welf Welf is a Germanic first name that may refer to: *Welf (father of Judith), 9th century Frankish count, father-in-law of Louis the Pious *Welf I, d. bef. 876, count of Alpgau and Linzgau *Welf II, Count of Swabia, died 1030, supposed descendant of W ...

, and mother-in-law of Emperor

Louis the Pious Louis the Pious (german: Ludwig der Fromme; french: Louis le Pieux; 16 April 778 – 20 June 840), also called the Fair, and the Debonaire, was King of the Franks and co-emperor with his father, Charlemagne, from 813. He was also King of Aqui ...

through his marriage to Judith, her daughter.

Life

Hedwig was possibly born at Altdorf in the

Frankish Frankish may refer to: * Franks, a Germanic tribe and their culture ** Frankish language or its modern descendants, Franconian languages * Francia, a post-Roman state in France and Germany * East Francia, the successor state to Francia in Germany ...

lands of

Alamannia Alamannia, or Alemannia, was the kingdom established and inhabited by the Alemanni, a Germanic peoples, Germanic tribal confederation that had broken through the Roman ''Upper Germanic Limes, limes'' in 213. The Alemanni expanded from the Main ...

(present-day Germany). According to Bishop

Thegan of Trier Thegan of Trier (or Degan of Treves) (before 800 – ca. 850) was a Frankish Roman Catholic prelate and the author of ''Gesta Hludowici imperatoris'' which is a principal source for the life of the Holy Roman Emperor Louis the Pious, the son and su ...

, she was a member of the Ecbertiner family, a powerful Franco-Saxon Family. She was the daughter of Count

Isambart Isanbart (died after 806), Count in Thurgau, also known as Isambard the Saxon was an 8th-century count (''comes'') in the Frankish lands of Saxony and Master of the Palace at Altdorf in Alamannia. Life He was born about 750 AD in Narbonne, Fra ...

and Thiedrada. Upon her Daughter's Marriage to Louis the Pious, the family began benefiting from Royal Patronage, with the family possessing the previously royal estate of Schussengau in 819. In 827, Hedwig's other daughter

Hemma Emma of Altdorf, also known as Hemma ( – 31 January 876), a member of the Elder House of Welf, was Queen consort of East Francia by marriage to King Louis the German, from 843 until her death. Life Her father was Welf I (d. 825), Count of Al ...

married

Louis the German Louis the German (c. 806/810 – 28 August 876), also known as Louis II of Germany and Louis II of East Francia, was the first king of East Francia, and ruled from 843 to 876 AD. Grandson of emperor Charlemagne and the third son of Louis the P ...

, making Hedwig Mother-in-law to both Emperor Louis and his Son. Hedwig was ordained the

abbess An abbess (Latin: ''abbatissa''), also known as a mother superior, is the female superior of a community of Catholic nuns in an abbey. Description In the Catholic Church (both the Latin Church and Eastern Catholic), Eastern Orthodox, Coptic ...

of Chelles before 825, likely entering upon Welf's death. Under Hedwig, the abbey would become a significant abbey surrounding queenship, hosting the bones of Saint Balthild, a

Merovingian The Merovingian dynasty () was the ruling family of the Franks from the middle of the 5th century until 751. They first appear as "Kings of the Franks" in the Roman army of northern Gaul. By 509 they had united all the Franks and northern Gauli ...

Queen Consort. Hedwig would become an advocate for the Cult of Balthild, being responsible for transferring the relics of Saint Balthild to

Aachen Aachen ( ; ; Aachen dialect: ''Oche'' ; French and traditional English: Aix-la-Chapelle; or ''Aquisgranum''; nl, Aken ; Polish: Akwizgran) is, with around 249,000 inhabitants, the 13th-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia, and the 28th- ...

on behest of Louis the Pious. Dortoir

Hedwig died in and was buried in the Basilica of Saint Martin, in modern day Baden-Wurttemberg.

Family

Hedwig's parents were

, Count of

Thurgau Thurgau (; french: Thurgovie; it, Turgovia), anglicized as Thurgovia, more formally the Canton of Thurgau, is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of five districts and its capital is Frauenfeld. Thurgau is part ...

, and his second wife Thiedrada. Hedwig had a sister, Adalung des Franken; half-brother, Hunfrid I, Margrave of Istria; and a brother, Guelph, Count of

Andechs Andechs is a municipality in the district of Starnberg in Bavaria in Germany. It is renowned in Germany and beyond for Andechs Abbey, a Benedictine monastery that has brewed beer since 1455. The monastery brewery offers tours to visitors. The 2 ...

Marriage and issue

Hedwig was married to Count

Welf I Welf I or Welfo (died before 876) was a Swabian nobleman. He was a member of the Elder House of Welf. Welf was probably a son of Conrad I of Auxerre, and seems to have taken over his father's offices in Swabia, namely: count of Alpgau, count of ...

and together they had the following children: * Judith of Bavaria (–843); married

, who was King of the Franks and co-emperor of the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a Polity, political entity in Western Europe, Western, Central Europe, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, dissolution i ...

with his father,

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first Holy ...

Conrad I, Count of Auxerre Conrad I the Elder (died about 864) was the count of several counties, most notably the Aargau and Auxerre, around Lake Constance, as well as Paris from 859 to 862/864. He was also the lay abbot of Saint-Germaine in Auxerre. Conrad's father was ...

–864; ancestor of the Welf kings of

Burgundy Burgundy (; french: link=no, Bourgogne ) is a historical territory and former administrative region and province of east-central France. The province was once home to the Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th until the late 15th century. The c ...

* Rudolph, Count of Ponthieu (–866)by Cesare Rivera, I Conti de' Marsi e la loro discendenze fino alla fondazione dell'Aquila, (Teramo, 1915). *

(–876); married

King of East Francia This is a list of monarchs who ruled over East Francia, and the Kingdom of Germany (''Regnum Teutonicum''), from Treaty of Verdun, the division of the Francia, Frankish Empire in 843 and the collapse of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806 until German ...

and son of

* Mathilda d'Andech von Altdorf Through her marriage to Welf, she is the

matriarch Matriarchy is a social system in which women hold the primary power positions in roles of authority. In a broader sense it can also extend to moral authority, social privilege and control of property. While those definitions apply in general E ...

of the dynastic

Welf family Welf is a Germanic first name that may refer to: *Welf (father of Judith), 9th century Frankish count, father-in-law of Louis the Pious *Welf I, d. bef. 876, count of Alpgau and Linzgau *Welf II, Count of Swabia, died 1030, supposed descendant of W ...

and is an ancestor of the

Carolingian dynasty The Carolingian dynasty (; known variously as the Carlovingians, Carolingus, Carolings, Karolinger or Karlings) was a Frankish noble family named after Charlemagne, grandson of mayor Charles Martel and a descendant of the Arnulfing and Pippin ...

, the

Kings of Italy Kings or King's may refer to: *Monarchs: The sovereign heads of states and/or nations, with the male being kings *One of several works known as the "Book of Kings": **The Books of Kings part of the Bible, divided into two parts **The ''Shahnameh'' ...

, Russia,

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

and the Bavarian

Welfs The House of Welf (also Guelf or Guelph) is a European dynasty that has included many German and British monarchs from the 11th to 20th century and Emperor Ivan VI of Russia in the 18th century. The originally Franconian family from the Meuse ...

Gallery

File:Welf I..jpg, Husband

File:Hemma.jpg, Tomb effigy of daughter Queen

File:Judith of Bavaria.jpg, Daughter, Judith of Bavaria File:Louis le Pieu denier Sens 818 823.jpg, Son-in-law Louis on a ''

denarius The denarius (, dēnāriī ) was the standard Roman silver coin from its introduction in the Second Punic War to the reign of Gordian III (AD 238–244), when it was gradually replaced by the antoninianus. It continued to be minted in very ...

'' from

Sens Sens () is a Communes of France, commune in the Yonne Departments of France, department in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in north-central France, 120 km from Paris. Sens is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture and the second city of the d ...

, c.818

References

{{RC-bio-stub Elder House of Welf 770s births 843 deaths Year of birth uncertain 8th-century Saxon people Women from the Carolingian Empire 9th-century Saxon people Saxon women

Life

Family

Marriage and issue

Gallery

See also

References