Matilda (Summer 979 – November 1025), Countess Palatine of Lotharingia, was a member of the Ottonian dynasty.

Early life

Matilda was the third daughter of 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 Ita ...

and Empress

Theophanu Theophanu (; also ''Theophania'', ''Theophana'', or ''Theophano''; Medieval Greek ; AD 955 15 June 991) was empress of the Holy Roman Empire by marriage to Emperor Otto II, and regent of the Empire during the minority of their son, Emperor O ...

. Shortly after her birth, Matilda was sent to

Essen Abbey Essen Abbey (''Stift Essen'') was a community of secular canonesses for women of high nobility that formed the nucleus of modern-day Essen, Germany. It was founded about 845 by the Saxon Altfrid (died 874), later Bishop of Hildesheim and saint ...

, where her older cousin Matilda was abbess, Matilda was educated here. It was presumed that Matilda would stay in the abbey and become an abbess like her older sisters

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

and Sophia.

Marriage

Matilda lived a different life from her two sisters; she was to marry

Ezzo, Count Palatine of Lotharingia Ezzo ( – 21 March 1034), sometimes called Ehrenfried, a member of the Ezzonid dynasty, was Count Palatine of Lotharingia from 1015 until his death. As brother-in-law of Emperor Otto III, father of Queen Richeza of Poland and several other ill ...

. According to the historian Thietmar of Merseburg, Matilda's brother, Emperor Otto III, did not like the idea of Matilda marrying at first. The family gave the couple large gifts to secure an adequate standard of living. Empress Theophanu consented to the marriage. Ezzo then took Matilda out of the abbey where she had lived. However, Abbess Matilda vainly refused to surrender the girl. Later romantic embellishments even claimed Ezzo had previously been secretly in love with the young Matilda. It is likely that this marriage was meant to ensure the power of Otto III. The family had extensive estates in the Lower Rhine and Mosel. Ezzo's mother came from the house of the

dukes of Swabia The Dukes of Swabia were the rulers of the Duchy of Swabia during the Middle Ages. Swabia was one of the five stem duchies of the medieval German kingdom, and its dukes were thus among the most powerful magnates of Germany. The most notable family ...

and so Ezzo laid claims to these lands. Matilda received them out of Ottonian possessions and gave them to her husband. Ezzo and Matilda had ten children: * Liudolf (c. 1000 – 10 April 1031), Count of

Zutphen Zutphen () is a city and municipality located in the province of Gelderland, Netherlands. It lies some 30 km northeast of Arnhem, on the eastern bank of the river Ijssel at the point where it is joined by the Berkel. First mentioned in th ...

Otto I Otto I (23 November 912 – 7 May 973), traditionally known as Otto the Great (german: Otto der Große, it, Ottone il Grande), was East Frankish king from 936 and Holy Roman Emperor from 962 until his death in 973. He was the oldest son of He ...

(died 1047),

Count Palatine A count palatine (Latin ''comes palatinus''), also count of the palace or palsgrave (from German ''Pfalzgraf''), was originally an official attached to a royal or imperial palace or household and later a nobleman of a rank above that of an or ...

Lotharingia Lotharingia ( la, regnum Lotharii regnum Lothariense Lotharingia; french: Lotharingie; german: Reich des Lothar Lotharingien Mittelreich; nl, Lotharingen) was a short-lived medieval successor kingdom of the Carolingian Empire. As a more durable ...

and later Duke of Swabia as Otto II * Hermann II (995–1056), Archbishop of Cologne *

(died 1056), Abbess of Essen and

Gerresheim Gerresheim is one of the City of Düsseldorf, Germany's fifty quarters. Part of Borough 7, it is located in the eastern part of the municipality. Gerresheim is much older than Düsseldorf itself, having been an independent city with a rich histor ...

* Richeza (died 21 March 1063), Queen of Poland, married Mieszko II of Poland *Adelheid (died c. 1030), Abbess of

Nijvel Nivelles (; nl, Nijvel, ; wa, Nivele; vls, Neyvel) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the Belgian province of Walloon Brabant. The Nivelles municipality includes the former municipalities of Baulers, Bornival, Thines, and Monstre ...

(Nivelles) *Heylwig, Abbess of

Neuss Neuss (; spelled ''Neuß'' until 1968; li, Nüss ; la, Novaesium) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located on the west bank of the Rhine opposite Düsseldorf. Neuss is the largest city within the Rhein-Kreis Neuss district. It ...

*Mathilde, Abbess of Dietkirchen and Vilich *Sophie, Abbess of St. Maria, Mainz *Ida (died 1060), Abbess of

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 millio ...

and Gandersheim Abbey (founded in 852 by her ancestor Liudolf, Duke of Saxony).

Death

Matilda apparently died unexpectedly during a visit to Ezzo's brother Hermann in Echtz, while Ezzo was held in Aachen, at a meeting of the nobility of

Lorraine Lorraine , also , , ; Lorrain: ''Louréne''; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lottringe''; german: Lothringen ; lb, Loutrengen; nl, Lotharingen is a cultural and historical region in Northeastern France, now located in the administrative region of Gra ...

. Matilda was buried at Brauweiler Abbey.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Matilda of Germany, Countess Palatine of Lotharingia Matilda 979 births 1025 deaths 10th-century German nobility 11th-century German nobility 10th-century German women 11th-century German women People of Byzantine descent Burials at Brauweiler Abbey Daughters of emperors Daughters of kings