William IV, Count of Weimar (died 1062) was

Margrave of Meissen This article lists the margraves of Margraviate of Meissen, Meissen, a March (territorial entity), march and territorial state on the eastern border of the Holy Roman Empire. History King Henry the Fowler, on his 928–29 campaign against the S ...

from 1046 until his death.

Life

He was the eldest son of Count William III of Weimar from his second marriage with Oda, a daughter of Margrave Thietmar of the Saxon Eastern March. He became

count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

Weimar Weimar is a city in the state (Germany), German state of Thuringia, in Central Germany (cultural area), Central Germany between Erfurt to the west and Jena to the east, southwest of Leipzig, north of Nuremberg and west of Dresden. Together w ...

and Orlamünde in

Thuringia Thuringia (; officially the Free State of Thuringia, ) is one of Germany, Germany's 16 States of Germany, states. With 2.1 million people, it is 12th-largest by population, and with 16,171 square kilometers, it is 11th-largest in area. Er ...

upon the death of his father in 1039. William was appointed

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 or ...

Saxony Saxony, officially the Free State of Saxony, is a landlocked state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, and Bavaria, as well as the countries of Poland and the Czech Republic. Its capital is Dresden, and ...

in 1042. When in 1046 Margrave Eckard II of Meissen died and willed his margraviate to Emperor Henry III, the emperor promptly granted it to William, who, through the second marriage of his mother Oda, also received the Thuringian estates of his stepfather Margrave Dedi II of Lusatia. Thereby, he united the territory held by late Margrave Eckard II of Meissen under his rule. William remained a loyal supporter of the ruling

Salian dynasty The Salian dynasty or Salic dynasty () 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 last Ottonia ...

and, upon the death of the emperor in 1056, backed the

regency In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...

of his widow Empress

Agnes of Poitou Agnes of Poitou ( – 14 December 1077) was the queen of Germany from 1043 and empress of the Holy Roman Empire from 1046 until 1056 as the wife of Emperor Henry III. From 1056 to 1061, she ruled the Holy Roman Empire as regent during the ...

. He was highly in favour with the empress, who gave him command alongside Bishop Eberhard of

Naumburg Naumburg () is a town in (and the administrative capital of) the district Burgenlandkreis, in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, Central Germany (cultural area), Central Germany. It has a population of around 33,000. The Naumburg Cathedral became a UNES ...

, of the army in the 1060 campaign in support of King Andrew I of Hungary against his brother Béla I. According to the chronicler Lambert of Hersfeld, instead of waiting for an assisting Bohemian contingent under Duke Spytihněv II, they immediately attacked Béla's forces and the German army was soon in retreat. While King Andrew was deadly wounded, William and Bishop Eberhard were captured at the Battle of the Theben Pass near Moson (Wieselburg). However, Béla's son Géza, impressed by William's courage, induced his father to not only release him, but give him his daughter Sophia in marriage. Meanwhile, William had returned to Germany. When in 1062 he again proceeded to Hungary to marry Sophia, however, he fell ill and died on his journey. Sophia married his nephew Margrave Ulric I of Carniola instead. The Meissen margraviate passed to William's younger brother Otto I.

Sources

ADB:Wilhelm (Graf von Weimar-Orlamünde)
at German

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. {{Authority control Margraves of Meissen Landgraves of Thuringia 1062 deaths 11th-century counts in Europe 11th-century German nobility Year of birth unknown House of Weimar