Rudolf Von Rheinfeld
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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