Rudolf of Rheinfelden ( – 15 October 1080) was
Duke 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 ...
from 1057 to 1079. Initially a follower of his brother-in-law, the
Salian
The Salian dynasty or Salic dynasty (german: Salier) was a dynasty in the High Middle Ages. The dynasty provided four kings of Germany (1024–1125), all of whom went on to be crowned Holy Roman emperors (1027–1125).
After the death of the l ...
emperor
Henry IV, his election as German
anti-king in 1077 marked the outbreak of the
Great Saxon Revolt and the first phase of open conflict in the
Investiture Controversy
The Investiture Controversy, also called Investiture Contest (German: ''Investiturstreit''; ), was a conflict between the Church and the state in medieval Europe over the ability to choose and install bishops (investiture) and abbots of monast ...
between
Emperor
An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...
and
Papacy
The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...
. After a series of armed conflicts, Rudolf succumbed to his injuries after his forces defeated Henry's in the
Battle on the Elster.
Life
Rudolf was the son of the
Swabian count (''
Graf
(feminine: ) is a historical title of the German nobility, usually translated as "count". Considered to be intermediate among noble ranks, the title is often treated as equivalent to the British title of "earl" (whose female version is "coun ...
'') Kuno of
Rheinfelden Rheinfelden may refer to:
Places
* Rheinfelden (Baden), a town in the county of Lörrach in Baden-Württemberg, Germany
* Rheinfelden (Aargau), a town in the canton of Aargau, Switzerland
* Rheinfelden District, a district in the Swiss canton of Aa ...
. He was first mentioned in a 1048 deed issued by the
Salian
The Salian dynasty or Salic dynasty (german: Salier) was a dynasty in the High Middle Ages. The dynasty provided four kings of Germany (1024–1125), all of whom went on to be crowned Holy Roman emperors (1027–1125).
After the death of the l ...
emperor
Henry III as a count in the Swabian Sisgau on the
High Rhine (in present-day
Northwestern Switzerland
Northwestern Switzerland (german: Nordwestschweiz, french: Suisse du Nord-Ouest, it, Svizzera nordoccidentale) is the common name of the region of Switzerland encompassing the cantons of Basel-Stadt, Basel-Landschaft
Basel-Landschaft or Ba ...
), an estate then held by the
Prince-Bishopric of Basel. Rudolf's family had large possessions up to
Sankt Blasien Abbey in the Black Forest and down to the
Aargau
Aargau, more formally the Canton of Aargau (german: Kanton Aargau; rm, Chantun Argovia; french: Canton d'Argovie; it, Canton Argovia), is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of eleven districts and its capita ...
beyond the border with the
Kingdom of Burgundy. He probably was related to King
Rudolph II of Burgundy
Rudolph II (c. 11 July 880 – 11 July 937), a member of the Elder House of Welf, was King of Burgundy from 912 until his death. He initially succeeded in Upper Burgundy and also ruled as King of Italy from 922 to 926. In 933 Rudolph acquired the ...
(d. 937), the
Dukes of Lorraine and the
Ottonian dynasty
The Ottonian dynasty (german: Ottonen) was a Saxon dynasty of German monarchs (919–1024), named after three of its kings and Holy Roman Emperors named Otto, especially its first Emperor Otto I. It is also known as the Saxon dynasty after the ...
.
Duke of Swabia
When Duke
Otto III of Swabia
Otto III (died 28 September 1057), called the White and known as Otto of Schweinfurt, was the margrave of the Nordgau (1024–1031) and duke of Swabia (1048–1057). He was the son of Henry of Schweinfurt, margrave of the Nordgau, and Gerberga ...
died without male heirs in 1057, Empress
Agnes, consort of late Henry III, appointed Rudolf Swabian duke and administrator of Burgundy. Rivalling with the
Zähringen count
Berthold
Berthold or Berchtold is a Germanic given name and surname. It is derived from two elements, ''berht'' meaning "bright" and ''wald'' meaning "(to) rule". It may refer to:
*Bertholdt Hoover, a fictional List_of_Attack_on_Titan_characters, character ...
, Rudolf, according to
Frutolf of Michelsberg Frutolf of Michelsberg (died 17 January 1103) was a monk in Michelsberg Abbey in Bamberg, Germany, of which he became prior. He was probably a native of Bavaria.
Frutolf was possibly a teacher of the quadrivium in the monastery, but principally ...
, had taken advantage of the minority of Agnes' son Henry IV, elected
King of the Romans
King of the Romans ( la, Rex Romanorum; german: König der Römer) was the title used by the king of Germany following his election by the princes from the reign of Henry II (1002–1024) onward.
The title originally referred to any German k ...
, by kidnapping his sister
Matilda of Swabia
Matilda of Swabia (german: Mathilde von Schwaben; – 29 July 1032), a member of the Conradines, Conradine dynasty, was Duchy of Carinthia, Duchess of Carinthia by her first marriage with Duke Conrad I, Duke of Carinthia, Conrad I and List of c ...
. Rudolf demanded, and received, Matilda's hand in marriage (1059). In 1061 Berthold received the
Duchy of Carinthia
The Duchy of Carinthia (german: Herzogtum Kärnten; sl, Vojvodina Koroška) was a duchy located in southern Austria and parts of northern Slovenia. It was separated from the Duchy of Bavaria in 976, and was the first newly created Imperial Sta ...
instead. When Matilda died in 1060, Rudolf subsequently, in 1066, married
Adelaide of Savoy (d. 1079), a daughter of Count
Otto of Savoy
Otto (french: Odon, Oddon, Othon; it, Oddone; /1060) was count of Savoy from around 1051 until his death. Through marriage to Adelaide, the heiress of Ulric Manfred II, he also administered the march of Susa from around 1046 until his deat ...
and
Adelaide of Susa. When Adelaide's sister
Bertha of Savoy married Henry IV in 1066, Rudolf became brother-in-law to the king twice over.
During Agnes' regency, the
Princes of the Holy Roman Empire could further strengthen their position against the Imperial authority. In the 1062
Coup of Kaiserswerth
The Coup of Kaiserswerth (german: Staatsstreich von Kaiserswerth) in 1062 was a hitherto unprecedented action of several secular and ecclesiastical Princes of the Holy Roman Empire under the leadership of Archbishop Anno II, Anno II of Cologne agai ...
, several princes led by Archbishop
Anno II of Cologne even abducted the minor king to enforce the surrender of the
Imperial Regalia
The Imperial Regalia, also called Imperial Insignia (in German ''Reichskleinodien'', ''Reichsinsignien'' or ''Reichsschatz''), are regalia of the Holy Roman Emperor. The most important parts are the Crown, the Imperial orb, the Imperial sce ...
. When Henry came of age in 1065, he continued the policies of his father against the reluctant Saxon nobility, sparking the
Saxon Rebellion in 1073. While other princes like the Carinthian duke Berthold of Zähringen or Duke
Welf of Bavaria distanced themselves, Rudolf supported Henry's campaigns in
Thuringia
Thuringia (; german: Thüringen ), officially the Free State of Thuringia ( ), is a state of central Germany, covering , the sixth smallest of the sixteen German states. It has a population of about 2.1 million.
Erfurt is the capital and larg ...
, when he was a primary force in the 1075
Battle of Langensalza against the insurgents. However, after the joint victory, Rudolf became estranged to the king and rumours occurred that he was involved in adversarial conspiracies. Empress Agnes repeatedly had to arbitrate between the parties.
Finally when the Investiture Controversy broke out and King Henry was
excommunicated
Excommunication is an institutional act of religious censure used to end or at least regulate the communion of a member of a congregation with other members of the religious institution who are in normal communion with each other. The purpose ...
by
Pope Gregory VII
Pope Gregory VII ( la, Gregorius VII; 1015 – 25 May 1085), born Hildebrand of Sovana ( it, Ildebrando di Soana), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 22 April 1073 to his death in 1085. He is venerated as a saint ...
in February 1076, Duke Rudolf met with Berthold, Welf and several other princes in
Trebur
Trebur is a municipality in Groß-Gerau district in Hessen, Germany. It is 13 km southeast of Mainz, and 8 km south of Rüsselsheim.
Geography Location
Trebur is located in the Frankfurt Rhein-Main Region. The cities of Mainz, Wiesbade ...
in order to decide on a course of action and to arrange a new election. Henry, observing the proceedings from his camp in
Oppenheim
Oppenheim () is a town in the Mainz-Bingen district of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The town is a well-known wine center, being the home of the German Winegrowing Museum, and is particularly known for the wines from the Oppenheimer Krötenbru ...
on the other side of the
Rhine
), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source1_coordinates=
, source1_elevation =
, source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein
, source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source2_coordinates=
, so ...
, had to face a massive loss of support among the German nobles and realized that he had to achieve the lifting of his ban. Pope Gregory agreed to meet with the princes at
Augsburg
Augsburg (; bar , Augschburg , links=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swabian_German , label=Swabian German, , ) is a city in Swabia, Bavaria, Germany, around west of Bavarian capital Munich. It is a university town and regional seat of the ' ...
in February 1077.
Anti-king
Already in January, Henry hastened to see the pope on his way to the Empire from
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
. Duke Rudolf attempted to have the
Alpine
Alpine may refer to any mountainous region. It may also refer to:
Places Europe
* Alps, a European mountain range
** Alpine states, which overlap with the European range
Australia
* Alpine, New South Wales, a Northern Village
* Alpine National Pa ...
passes closed, nevertheless the king through wintry weather made his
Walk to Canossa
The Humiliation of Canossa ( it, L'umiliazione di Canossa), sometimes called the Walk to Canossa (german: Gang nach Canossa/''Kanossa'') or the Road to Canossa, was the ritual submission of the Holy Roman Emperor, Henry IV to Pope Gregory VII a ...
, where Gregory, fearing an armed attack by Henry's forces, had found refuge with
Matilda of Tuscany
Matilda of Tuscany ( it, Matilde di Canossa , la, Matilda, ; 1046 – 24 July 1115 or Matilda of Canossa after her ancestral castle of Canossa), also referred to as ("the Great Countess"), was a member of the House of Canossa (also known as th ...
. By doing penance, Henry managed to achieve absolution, buying time at the price of his reputation and secular authority. The rebels continued with their plans. Rudolf was elected
anti-king on 15 March 1077 at the ''
Kaiserpfalz'' in
Forchheim, where already
Louis the Child
Louis the Child (893 – 20/24 September 911), sometimes called Louis III or Louis IV, was the king of East Francia from 899 until his death and was also recognized as king of Lotharingia after 900. He was the last East Frankish ruler of the Car ...
and
Conrad I of Germany had been crowned. The first anti-king in the history of the Empire, he promised to respect the
investiture
Investiture (from the Latin preposition ''in'' and verb ''vestire'', "dress" from ''vestis'' "robe") is a formal installation or ceremony that a person undergoes, often related to membership in Christian religious institutes as well as Christian k ...
solely according to
canon law
Canon law (from grc, κανών, , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its members. It is th ...
, as well as the concept of the
elective monarchy
An elective monarchy is a monarchy ruled by an elected monarch, in contrast to a hereditary monarchy in which the office is automatically passed down as a family inheritance. The manner of election, the nature of candidate qualifications, and the ...
. Further claims raised by the princes were rejected as
simony
Simony () is the act of selling church offices and roles or sacred things. It is named after Simon Magus, who is described in the Acts of the Apostles as having offered two disciples of Jesus payment in exchange for their empowering him to imp ...
by the attendant
papal legate
300px, A woodcut showing Henry II of England greeting the pope's legate.
A papal legate or apostolic legate (from the ancient Roman title ''legatus'') is a personal representative of the pope to foreign nations, or to some part of the Catholic ...
s.
The men who elected Rudolf were Archbishops
Siegfried I of Mainz
Siegfried I (died 16 February 1084) was the Abbot of Fulda from 25 December 1058 until 6 January 1060, and from January 1060 until his death in February 1084, he was Archbishop of Mainz.
Family
Siegfried was a member of the Frankish Reginbodone ...
,
Werner of Magdeburg Werner of Steusslingen (died 7 August 1078) was the archbishop of Magdeburg from 1063 until his death. His episcopate was dominated by the Investiture Contest. He was an ally of King Henry IV of Germany until 1073, when he joined the first Saxon r ...
and
Gebhard of Salzburg; Bishops
Burchard II of Halberstadt,
Altmann of Passau, and
Adalbero of Würzburg
Adalbero of Würzburg (or Saint Adalbero; 1010 – 6 October 1090) was Bishop of Würzburg and Count of Lambach-Wels.
Life
Born around 1010 in Lambach an der Traun, Adalbero was the youngest son of Count Arnold II of Lambach in Upper Austria ( ...
; Dukes
Berthold II of Carinthia
Berthold II, Duke of Carinthia (c. 1000 – 6 November 1078), also known as Berthold I of Zähringen, was a progenitor of the Swabian House of Zähringen. From 1061 until 1077, he was the Duchy of Carinthia, Duke of Carinthia and March of Verona, ...
,
Welf I of Bavaria and Rudolf himself; and
Otto of Northeim
Otto of Nordheim (c. 1020 – 11 January 1083) was Duke of Bavaria from 1061 until 1070. He was one of the leaders of the Saxon Rebellion in 1073-75 and the Great Saxon Revolt of 1077-88 against King Henry IV of Germany.
Life
Family
Otto was born ...
, former duke of Bavaria. Duke
Magnus of Saxony
Magnus ( – 23 August 1106) was the duke of Saxony from 1072 to 1106. Eldest son and successor of Ordulf and Wulfhild of Norway, he was the last member of the House of Billung.
Rebellion
In 1070, before he was duke, he joined Otto of Nordheim, ...
and Margrave
Udo II of Stade
Lothair Udo II (c. 1025 – 1082) was Margrave of the Nordmark from 1057 until his death and also Count of Stade (as Lothair Udo III). He was the only son of Lothair Udo I of the Udonids and Adelaide of Rheinfelden.
The power base of his f ...
may also have taken part. Rudolf proceeded to
Mainz
Mainz () is the capital and largest city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.
Mainz is on the left bank of the Rhine, opposite to the place that the Main (river), Main joins the Rhine. Downstream of the confluence, the Rhine flows to the north-we ...
, where on 25 May he was crowned by Archbishop
Siegfried I, but soon after was forced to flee to Saxony, when the Mainz citizens revolted. This presented a problem, since the Saxon duchy was cut off from his Swabian homelands by the king's Salian territory. Moreover, the pope avoided taking sides and adopted a waiting attitude. Rudolf was accused of greed, treason and usurpation by Henry's liensmen, while his own support crumbled.
''Vita Heinrici IV. imperatoris'', ch. 4, p. 17
/ref>
Later life
Rudolf gave Swabia to his son Berthold
Berthold or Berchtold is a Germanic given name and surname. It is derived from two elements, ''berht'' meaning "bright" and ''wald'' meaning "(to) rule". It may refer to:
*Bertholdt Hoover, a fictional List_of_Attack_on_Titan_characters, character ...
and attempted to rectify his situation by stalking Henry's forces near Würzburg
Würzburg (; Main-Franconian: ) is a city in the region of Franconia in the north of the German state of Bavaria. Würzburg is the administrative seat of the ''Regierungsbezirk'' Lower Franconia. It spans the banks of the Main River.
Würzburg is ...
, but to little effect. Meanwhile, he was deprived of Swabia by the '' Hoftag'' diet at Ulm in May, and the king gave the duchy to Frederick of Stauf, the first Hohenstaufen
The Hohenstaufen dynasty (, , ), also known as the Staufer, was a noble family of unclear origin that rose to rule the Duchy of Swabia from 1079, and to royal rule in the Holy Roman Empire during the Middle Ages from 1138 until 1254. The dynasty ...
ruler.
The next year Henry waged a successful campaign to Bavaria, while Pope Gregory rejected to excommunicate Rudolf. The Battle of Mellrichstadt
Battle of Mellrichstadt was fought between Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV and the German anti-king Rudolf of Swabia on 7 August 1078 near Mellrichstadt.
Henry's army met the army of Rudolf's Saxon allies before they could meet up with the Swabians ...
on 7 August 1078 proved indecisive: though the opposition forces under Otto of Nordheim were victorious, the troops of Berthold and Welf were stuck in a peasants' revolt. Rudolf found it difficult to convince the Saxons to fight beyond their borders; they viewed him as a southerner and distrusted him. He was also frustrated by the apparent reluctance of the pope to recognize his cause. In order to gain and maintain supporters, he was forced to grant large parts of the crown lands, as well as those of the church, to his followers. Nevertheless, things seemed to be improving in 1080. The battle of Flarchheim (27 January 1080) went well in his favor. On 7 March, the pope excommunicated Henry again and recognized Rudolf as king.
Emboldened, Rudolf's forces met Henry's at the White Elster river in the Battle of Elster
Battle on the Elster (german: Schlacht bei Hohenmölsen) was the third and last battle between the Salian king Henry IV of Germany and anti-king Rudolf of Rheinfelden, fought on October 14, 1080 near Hohenmölsen on the White Elster river. Rudol ...
. The battle, which took place on 14 October 1080, would have been a huge victory for the anti-royalists. However, Rudolf lost his right hand in the battle and was mortally wounded in the abdomen. He withdrew to nearby Merseburg
Merseburg () is a town in central Germany in southern Saxony-Anhalt, situated on the river Saale, and approximately 14 km south of Halle (Saale) and 30 km west of Leipzig. It is the capital of the Saalekreis district. It had a diocese ...
, where he died the next day and was buried. The majority of the support for the rebellion against Henry IV soon evaporated, but the struggle continued on in effect into 1085, with a final flare up in 1088 under Rudolph's successor, the second anti-king, Herman of Luxembourg
Herman(n) of Salm ( – 28 September 1088), also known as Herman(n) of Luxembourg, the progenitor of the House of Salm, was Count of Salm and elected German anti-king from 1081 until his death.
Life
Hermann was a son of Count Giselbert of L ...
.
Issue
With his second wife, Adelaide, Rudolf had at least four (and perhaps five) children:
* Agnes of Rheinfelden
Agnes of Rheinfelden (*; † 19 December 1111) was the daughter of Rudolf of Rheinfelden, and the wife of Berthold II of Zähringen, Duke of Swabia.
Life
Agnes was the daughter of Rudolf von Rheinfelden, duke of Swabia, and anti-king of German ...
, married Berthold II of Zähringen
Berthold II ( – 12 April 1111), also known as Berchtold II, was the Duke of Swabia from 1092 to 1098.
After he conceded the Duchy of Swabia to the Staufer in 1098, the title of "Duke of Zähringen" was created for him, in use from c. 1100 and c ...
* Adelaide of Rheinfelden
Adelaide of Rheinfelden (or Adelaide of Swabia) (german: Adelheid) (1060s – May 1090), was Queen Consort of Hungary by marriage to King Ladislaus I of Hungary.
Life
Adelaide was born circa 1065 to Rudolf of Rheinfelden, duke of Swabia and Germ ...
, married King Ladislaus I of Hungary
* Bertha of Rheinfelden
Bertha of Rheinfelden (also Bertha of Bregenz) (born c. 1065; d. after 1128), countess of Kellmünz, was the daughter of Rudolf of Rheinfelden and wife of Ulrich X, Count of Bregenz, Ulrich X of Bregenz.
Life
Bertha was the daughter of Rudolf of ...
, Countess of Kellmünz, married Ulrich X, Count of Bregenz
Ulrich X (also called Ulric or Udalrich) ( –1097) was Count of Bregenz from 1079 to his death in 1097.
Life
Ulrich X was the son of Ulrich IX of Bregenz (d. 1079).
In late 1080 or early 1081 Ulrich married Bertha of Rheinfelden, daughter ...
* Otto (died young)
* Berthold of Rheinfelden (the identity of Berthold's mother is disputed)
Notes
References
*M. Black-Veldtrupp, ''Kaiserin Agnes (1043-1077). Quellenkritische Studien'' (Cologne, 1995).
*D. Schwennicke, ''Europäische Stammtafeln. Stammtafeln zur Geschichte der Europäischen Staaten. Neue Folge Band XII, Schwaben''
*E. Hlawitschka, 'Zur Herkunft und zu den Seitenverwandten des Gegenkönigs Rudolf,’ in ''Die Salier und das Reich, vol. 1: Salier, Adel und Reichsverfassung'', ed. S. Weinfurter with H. Kluger (Sigmaringen, 1991), pp. 175-220.
*T. Struve, 'Das Bild des Gegenkönigs Rudolf von Schwaben in der zeitgenössischen Historiographie,’ in ''Ex ipsis rerum documentis. Festschrift für Harald Zimmermann zum 65. Geburtstag'', ed. K. Herbers, H. H. Kortüm, C. Servatius (Sigmaringen, 1991), pp. 459–475.
Sources
*
*H. Bresslau and P. Kehr, eds., ''Die Urkunden Heinrichs III'', MGH Diplomata 5 (Berlin, 1931).
*''Vita Heinrici IV. imperatoris'', ed., W. Eberhard, MGH Script. rer. Germ. 58 (Hannover and Leipzig, 1899).
*''Liber de unitate ecclesiae conservanda'' in W. Schwenenbecher, ed., MGH Libelli, 2 (Hannover, 1892), pp. 184–284.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rudolf 01 of Rheinfelden
1020s births
1080 deaths
11th-century Kings of the Romans
Anti-kings
Dukes of Swabia
House of Welf
Investiture Controversy
11th-century rulers in Europe
Burials in Saxony-Anhalt
11th-century people of the Holy Roman Empire
Great Saxon Revolt