Hedwig (also known as Hadewig or Hathui; died 24 December 903),
was List of Saxon consorts, Duchess of Saxony from about 880 until her death by her marriage with the Ottonian dynasty, Liudolfing duke Otto I, Duke of Saxony, Otto the Illustrious. She is the mother of King Henry the Fowler.
Her parentage is not clearly stated in contemporary sources, but she was probably the daughter of Henry of Franconia (d. 886), documented as a ''princeps militiae'' of the East Francia, East Frankish king Louis the Younger and ''dux'' of Austrasia under emperor Charles the Fat. ''Dux'' Henry died fighting against the Viking expansion, Vikings during the Siege of Paris (885–86), Siege of Paris in West Francia.
[Donald C. Jackman (2010), ]
Ius Hereditarium Encountered III: Ezzo's Chess Match
'. Editions Enlaplage. pp. 9–12.
Hedwig married Otto (d. 912), a younger son of late Duchy of Saxony, Saxon count Liudolf, Duke of Saxony, Liudolf. Her husband's family had already achieved a dominating position in the stem duchy of Saxony; Otto's sister Liutgard of Saxony (died 885), Liutgard was married to King Louis the Younger about the same time. With the support of his brother-in-law King Louis the Younger, Otto succeeded as head of the Liudolfing dynasty and heir of the Saxon estates, when his elder brother Bruno, Duke of Saxony, Bruno was killed fighting against the Vikings in the 880 Battle of Luneberg Heath, Battle of Lüneburg Heath. Hedwig's husband remained a loyal supporter of the Carolingian dynasty, while he rose to the position of a List of rulers of Saxony, Saxon duke (''Herzog'').
Hedwig and Otto had three sons: Henry the Fowler (who succeeded his father in 912) and his elder brothers Thankmar and Liudolf, who both died young; as well as a daughter, Oda of Saxony, Oda who married King Zwentibold, Zwentibold of Lotharingia, an illegitimate son of Emperor Arnulf of Carinthia, Arnulf, in 897.
References
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hedwig of Babenberg
850s births
903 deaths
Year of birth uncertain
Duchesses of Saxony