Oda of Haldensleben (c. 955/60 – 1023) was Duchess of the Polans by marriage to

Mieszko I of Poland Mieszko I (; – 25 May 992) was the first ruler of Poland and the founder of the first independent Polish state, the Duchy of Poland. His reign stretched from 960 to his death and he was a member of the Piast dynasty, a son of Siemomysł and ...

Life

Oda was the eldest child 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 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 ...

of the

North March 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 ...

. She grew up in the monastery of Kalbe, near to Milde river in the north of

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 Magdebur ...

. Eventually she became a

nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 599. The term is o ...

there, and later was married to Duke

. They had: #

Mieszko Mieszko is a Slavic given name of uncertain origin. Onomastics There are three major theories concerning the origin and meaning of the name of Duke Mieszko I of Poland. The most popular theory, proposed by Jan Długosz, explains that Mieszko is ...

(born c. 979 – died after 992/95). # Świętopełk (born c. 980 – died before 991?). # Lambert (born c. 981 – died after 992/95). Some 80 years later a reference in an obscure church book mentions "Ote and Dago(me)". There is no actual document and the church book mentioning from c. 1080 is known as '' Dagome iudex'' and thus assumed to be one of the earliest Polish legal documents. It's a principal source for this portion of the history of Poland under the

Piast Dynasty The House of Piast was the first historical ruling dynasty of Poland. The first documented Polish monarch was Duke Mieszko I (c. 930–992). The Piasts' royal rule in Poland ended in 1370 with the death of king Casimir III the Great. Branch ...

. The undated mentioning from 1080 states that (shortly before his death?) "Dago(me)" (assumed to be Mieszko I) gifted his territory to

Pope John XV Pope John XV ( la, Ioannes XV; died on 1 April 996) was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from August 985 until his death. A Roman by birth, he was the first pope who canonized a saint. The origins of the investiture controversy ...

and received his domains from him as a fief in this '' Dagome iudex'', not date, apparently issued shortly before his death, c. 991/92. This document indexes the lands of (Mieszko), referred to as "Dagome" in the document, and his wife "Ote" and her sons by him (Mieszko and Lambert are only named; probably Świętopełk was already dead by that time or was in Pomerania as a ruler, according to modern historians). Oda returned to

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

and entered in the Abbey of

Quedlinburg Quedlinburg () is a town situated just north of the Harz mountains, in the district of Harz in the west of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. As an influential and prosperous trading centre during the early Middle Ages, Quedlinburg became a center of in ...

as a nun, where she died almost thirty years after her husband, in 1023. Nothing is known about the fate of her sons, but in 1032 her grandson Dietrich or

Dytryk Dytryk (''Theoderick'') (born after 992 - died after 1032) – factual or titular district Duke of Poland. Grandson of Mieszko I and his second wife Oda of Haldensleben Oda of Haldensleben (c. 955/60 – 1023) was Duchess of the Polans by marriage ...

(son of either Mieszko or Lambert) returned to Poland and obtain parts of the country after the fall of

Mieszko II Lambert Mieszko II Lambert (; c. 990 – 10/11 May 1034) was King of Poland from 1025 to 1031, and Duke from 1032 until his death. He was the second son of Bolesław I the Brave, but the eldest born from his third wife Emnilda of Lusatia. He was pro ...

; however, one year later he was expelled by Mieszko II, who could again reunite Poland in his hands.

Notes

Sources

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Haldensleben, Oda Von 10th-century births 1023 deaths German duchesses Polish royal consorts 10th-century Saxon people 10th-century German women 10th-century Polish women 10th-century Polish people