Rudolf I (died 7 December 1124),

Margrave of the Nordmark 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 ...

and Count of Stade, son of

Lothair Udo II, Margrave of the Nordmark 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 hi ...

, and Oda of Werl, daughter of Herman III, Count of Werl, and

Richenza of Swabia Richenza (also spelled as ''Richeza'' or ''Richza'') ( – before 1083) was a German noblewoman. By her first marriage, she was Countess of Werl. By her second marriage, she was Countess of Northeim, and from 1061 to 1070, Duchess of Bavaria ...

. Rudolf was the brother of his predecessors Henry I the Long and Lothair Udo III. In 1106 Rudolf became Margrave of Nordmark and Count of Stade after the death of his brother Lothair Udo III, as regent and guardian for Lothair's son Henry II. The Count of Stade was effectively administered by

Friedrich Friedrich may refer to: Names * Friedrich (surname), people with the surname ''Friedrich'' * Friedrich (given name), people with the given name ''Friedrich'' Other * Friedrich (board game), a board game about Frederick the Great and the Seven Year ...

while Henry II was still underage. In 1112, Rudolf allied himself with

Lothair of Supplinburg Lothair III, sometimes numbered Lothair II and also known as Lothair of Supplinburg (1075 – 4 December 1137), was Holy Roman Emperor from 1133 until his death. He was appointed Duke of Saxony in 1106 and elected King of Germany in 1125 before ...

, then Duke of Saxony (and later Holy Roman Emperor) in opposing

Emperor Henry V Henry V (german: Heinrich V.; probably 11 August 1081 or 1086 – 23 May 1125, in Utrecht) was King of Germany (from 1099 to 1125) and Holy Roman Emperor (from 1111 to 1125), as the fourth and last ruler of the Salian dynasty. He was made co-ru ...

, and as a result was deposed from his position. He was replaced as margrave by Helperich von Plötzkau until 1114 when his nephew Henry became of age. Rudolf was married to Richardis (Richgard), daughter of Hermann von Sponheim, Burgrave of Magdeburg, and granddaughter of

Siegfried I, Count of Sponheim Siegfried I (c. 1010 – 7 February 1065) is considered the progenitor of the Duchy of Carinthia, Carinthian ducal House of Sponheim (''Spanheimer'') and all of its lateral branches, including the Counts of Laufen, Germany, Lebenau and the Counts ...

. Rudolf and Richardis had five children: *

Udo IV, Margrave of the Nordmark Udo IV (died 15 February 1130), Margrave of the Nordmark 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'' (roug ...

and Count of Stade (as Udo V) *

Rudolf II, Margrave of the Nordmark Rudolf II (died 14 March 1144), Margrave of the Nordmark, and Count of Stade, Dithmarschen and Freckleben, son of Rudolf I, Margrave of the Nordmark, and Richardis, daughter of Hermann von Sponheim, Burgrave of Magdeburg. Rudolf, the traditional ...

and Count of Stade *

Hartwig, Count of Stade Hartwig (1118-October 1168), Count of Stade and Archbishop of Bremen, son of Rudolf I, Margrave of the Nordmark, and Richardis, daughter of Hermann von Sponheim, Burgrave of Magdeburg. Hartwig became the last Count of Stade belonging to the Hous ...

and Archbishop of Bremen *

Lutgard of Salzwedel Lutgard of Salzwedel or ''Liutgard/Luitgard of Stade'', (b. , murdered 1152) was Queen of Denmark as the wife of King Eric III. Life Lutgard was born to Richardis, Countess of Sponheim-Lavanttal, and Count Rudolf I of Stade and Ditmarsh (d. 112 ...

, married to

Frederick II, Count of Sommerschenburg Frederick may refer to: People * Frederick (given name), the name Nobility Anhalt-Harzgerode *Frederick, Prince of Anhalt-Harzgerode (1613–1670) Austria * Frederick I, Duke of Austria (Babenberg), Duke of Austria from 1195 to 1198 * Frederick ...

Herman II, Count of Winzenburg Herman II, Count of Winzenburg (died 29 January 1152) was a son of Herman I, Count of Winzenburg and his second wife, Hedwig. She was either Hedwig of Assel-Woltingerode or Hedwig of Carniola-Istria. Herman II succeeded his father as Count of ...

, and Eric III, King of Denmark * Richardis von Stade, Abbess at Bassum and close confidant of Saint Hildegard von Bingen. Rudolf was deposed as margrave in 1112 and replaced by Helperich until his nephew Henry reached the age of maturity. Rudolf was succeeded as Count of Stade by

, not part of the House of Udonids, although it is unclear as to the precise dates of transition.

Sources

Krause, Karl Ernst Hermann, ''Lothar Udo II. und das Stader Grafenhaus''. In Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Band 19, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig, 1884 Hausmann, Friedrich, ''Die Grafen zu Ortenburg und ihre Vorfahren im Mannesstamm, die Spanheimer in Kärnten, Sachsen und Bayern, sowie deren Nebenlinien''. In Ostbairische Grenzmarken. Passauer Jahrbuch für Geschichte Kunst und Volkskunde. Nr. 36, Passau, 1994 Hucke, Richard G., ''Die Grafen von Stade. 900–1144''. Genealogie, politische Stellung, Comitat und Allodial- besitz der sächsischen Udonen, Selbstverlag des Stader Geschichts und Heimatvereins, Stade, 1956 Raffensperger, Christian, ''Reimagining Europe'', Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA, 2012
Medieval Lands Project, Grafen von Stade (family of Lothar)
{{Authority control 1124 deaths Counts of Stade Margraves of the Nordmark