Richelida or Richilda (died between 1034 and 1037) was a member of the dynasty known to historians as the Giselbertiners (or Giselbertini). Her second husband was

Boniface III of Tuscany Boniface, OSB ( la, Bonifatius; 675 – 5 June 754) was an English Benedictines, Benedictine monk and leading figure in the Anglo-Saxon mission to the Germanic parts of the Frankish Empire during the eighth century. He organised significant ...

Life

Richilda was the daughter of

Giselbert II of Bergamo Giselbert II (died between 993 and 1010) was the count of Bergamo. He was a member of the dynasty known to historians as the Giselbertiners (or Giselbertini). Life Giselbert was the son of Lanfranc I of Bergamo. He is first documented as count of ...

and Anselda (daughter of

Arduin Glaber Arduin Glaber ( it, Arduino Glabrio,'' Glabrione'', or'' il Glabro'', meaning "the Bald"; died c. 977) was count of Auriate from c. 935, count of Turin from c. 941/942, and Margrave of Turin from c. 950/964. He placed his dynasty, the Arduinici, on ...

). Her father was a

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 ord ...

Bergamo Bergamo (; lmo, Bèrghem ; from the proto- Germanic elements *''berg +*heim'', the "mountain home") is a city in the alpine Lombardy region of northern Italy, approximately northeast of Milan, and about from Switzerland, the alpine lakes Como ...

and

imperial vicar An imperial vicar (german: Reichsvikar) was a prince charged with administering all or part of the Holy Roman Empire on behalf of the emperor. Later, an imperial vicar was invariably one of two princes charged by the Golden Bull with administering ...

first in

Reggio nell'Emilia Reggio nell'Emilia ( egl, Rèz; la, Regium Lepidi), usually referred to as Reggio Emilia, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, and known until Unification of Italy, 1861 as Reggio di Lombardia, is a city in northern Italy, in the Emilia-Romag ...

(1021) and then

Verona Verona ( , ; vec, Verona or ) is a city on the Adige River in Veneto, Northern Italy, Italy, with 258,031 inhabitants. It is one of the seven provincial capitals of the region. It is the largest city Comune, municipality in the region and the ...

First marriage

The name of her first husband is not known, but he was probably one of the sons or grandsons of Gandulf I, count of Verona. This unknown husband had died by 1010.

Second marriage

Between 1010 and 1015 Richilda married her second husband, Boniface of Tuscany. According to

Donizo Donizo (also Domnizo, Donizone) of Canossa, was an Italian monk and author in the late eleventh and early twelfth centuries. His work is an important source on Matilda of Tuscany and her dynasty, and also on Gregorian Reform and the Investiture Co ...

, who was the biographer of

Matilda of Canossa Matilda of Tuscany ( it, Matilde di Canossa , la, Matilda, ; 1046 – 24 July 1115 or Matilda of Canossa after her Count of Canossa, ancestral castle of Canossa), also referred to as ("the Great Countess"), was a member of the House of Canossa ...

(Boniface's daughter by his second wife,

Beatrice of Bar Beatrice of Bar (also ''Beatrix''; c. 1020 – 18 April 1076) was the marchioness of Tuscany by marriage to Boniface III of Tuscany, and Regent of Tuscany from 1052 until her death, during the minority of and in co-regency with, her daughter Mat ...

), Richilda died without children. By contrast, the anonymous author of the ''Vita di S. Simeoni eremita'' (written after 1016 and before 1024) states that Richilda had a daughter who predeceased her. It is not clear if this daughter was Richilda's child by Boniface, or by her first husband.

Patronage

Richilda was an incredibly wealthy woman. She possessed goods extensive

dower Dower is a provision accorded traditionally by a husband or his family, to a wife for her support should she become widowed. It was settled on the bride (being gifted into trust) by agreement at the time of the wedding, or as provided by law. ...

goods from her first marriage and received a large grant of land in the county of

Ferrara Ferrara (, ; egl, Fràra ) is a city and ''comune'' in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, capital of the Province of Ferrara. it had 132,009 inhabitants. It is situated northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main stream ...

from

Emperor Henry II Henry II (german: Heinrich II; it, Enrico II; 6 May 973 – 13 July 1024), also known as Saint Henry the Exuberant, Obl. S. B., was Holy Roman Emperor ("Romanorum Imperator") from 1014. He died without an heir in 1024, and was the last ruler o ...

in 1016. According to Donizo, Richilda was a great benefactor of the poor. She also made several donations of property in her own name to religious institutions. In 1017, she made grants of land to the abbey of Nonantula with her husband, Boniface. Though he at that time was styling himself ''marchio'' (margrave), in these documents she bore only the title ''comitissa'' (countess). The first document bears a ''signum manus pro Richilde Comitissa''.

Death

Richilda died sometime after 1034, but before Boniface married his second wife Beatrice (c.1037). Richilda was buried in

Nogara Nogara is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Verona in the Italian region Veneto, located about southwest of Venice and about south of Verona. Nogara borders the following municipalities: Erbè, Gazzo Veronese, Isola della Scala, S ...

, in a church she had endowed well.Donizo, ''Vita Mathildis'', I.6, v. 522

References

*Donizo of Canossa, ''Vita Mathildis'' in ''Donizonis Vita Mathildis'', ed. L. Bethmann, MGH SS 12 (Hannover, 1856), pp. 348–409, accessible online at
Monumenta Germaniae Historica
(in Latin) *Anonymous, ''Vita di S. Simeoni eremita'' in P. Golinelli, ed., ‘La Vita di S. Simeoni eremita,’ ''Studi medievali'' 3rd ser. XX/2 (1979), 745-788. (in Latin and Italian) *N. Duff, ''Matilda of Tuscany: La Gran Donna d'Italia'' (London, 1909) *F. Menant, ‘Les Giselbertins, comtes du comté de Bergame et comtes palatins,’ in ''Formazione e strutture dei ceti dominanti nel medioevo'' (1988), pp. 115–186. *J. Jarnut, ''Bergamo 568-1098. Verfassungs-, Sozial- und Wirtschaftsgeschichte einer lombardischen Stadt im Mittelalter'' (Wiesbaden, 1977). *P. Golinelli, ''Matilde e i Canossa'' (Milan, 2004).

External links

*[http://www.manfred-hiebl.de/genealogie-mittelalter/canossa_haus/richilde_von_bergamo_markgraefin_um_1036/richilde_von_bergamo_markgraefin_von_canossa_um%201036.html Richilde von Bergamo Markgräfin von Canossa] (in German)

Notes

{{Reflist 1030s deaths Italian countesses People from Verona 11th-century Italian nobility 11th-century Italian women Year of birth unknown