Kunigunde of Altdorf (also known as ''Cunegonde'' or ''Chuniza''; – 31 August 1054) was a member of the Swabian line of the

Elder House of Welf An elder is someone with a degree of seniority or authority. Elder or elders may refer to: Positions Administrative * Elder (administrative title), a position of authority Cultural * North American Indigenous elder, a person who has and tr ...

. She was also the ancestress of the younger

House of Guelph The House of Welf (also Guelf or Guelph) is a European dynasty that has included many German and British monarchs from the 11th to 20th century and Emperor Ivan VI of Russia in the 18th century. The originally Franconian family from the Meus ...

, a cadet branch of the

House of Este The House of Este ( , , ) is a European dynasty of North Italian origin whose members ruled parts of Italy and Germany for many centuries. The original House of Este's elder branch, which is known as the House of Welf, included dukes of Bavaria ...

Life

Kunigunde was the only daughter of Welf II, Count of Altdorf, and

Imiza of Luxembourg Imiza of Luxembourg (also Irmentrude and Ermentrude) (-died after ), was a German noblewoman. She was the daughter of Frederick of Luxembourg, and the wife of Welf II of Swabia. Life Imiza was the daughter of Frederick of Luxembourg and Ermentrud ...

. She was named after her mother’s aunt Cunigunde, who was married to

Emperor Henry II Henry II (german: Heinrich II; it, Enrico II; 6 May 973 – 13 July 1024), also known as Saint Henry the Exuberant, Obl. S. B., was Holy Roman Emperor ("Romanorum Imperator") from 1014. He died without an heir in 1024, and was the last ruler ...

. Her brother was Welf III (died 1055), the last member of the

. Kunigunde married to

Albert Azzo II, Margrave of Milan Alberto Azzo II (997 or July 10, 1009, in Modena – August 20, 1097, in Modena), Margrave of Milan, and Liguria, Count of Gavello, Padua, Rovigo, Lunigiana, Monselice, and Montagnana, was a powerful nobleman in the Holy Roman Empire. He is con ...

, Luni, and

Tortona Tortona (; pms, Torton-a , ; lat, Dhertona) is a ''comune'' of Piemonte, in the Province of Alessandria, Italy. Tortona is sited on the right bank of the Scrivia between the plain of Marengo and the foothills of the Ligurian Apennines. History ...

. He was the only son of Albert Azzo I and his wife Adelaide. Kunigunde's dowry included the estate of ''Elisina'' (modern Solesino) which had formed part of her mother, Imiza’s dowry.Baaken, ‘Welfischer Besitz in der Markgrafschaft Verona,‘ esp. pp. 73f. Kunigunde and Albert Azzo had one son: *

Welf IV Welf I (c. 1035/10406 November 1101) was Duke of Bavaria from 1070 to 1077 and from 1096 to his death. He was the first member of the Welf branch of the House of Este. In the genealogy of the Elder House of Welf, he is counted as Welf IV. Bio ...

(between 1030 and 1040 – 9 November 1101 in

Paphos Paphos ( el, Πάφος ; tr, Baf) is a coastal city in southwest Cyprus and the capital of Paphos District. In classical antiquity, two locations were called Paphos: Old Paphos, today known as Kouklia, and New Paphos. The current city of Pap ...

). He was named after his uncle, Welf III, whose property he later inherited. In 1070, Welf IV also succeeded to the duchy of Bavaria, which had once been ruled by his great-great-uncle

Henry V, Duke of Bavaria Henry (died 1024), of the House of Ardenne–Luxembourg, was the count of Luxembourg (as Henry I) from 998 and the duke of Bavaria (as Henry V) from 1004. He was the son of Siegfried I of Luxembourg and Hedwige of Nordgau. He was the advocate o ...

References

*B. Schneidmüller: ''Die Welfen. Herrschaft und Erinnerung (819–1252).'' (Stuttgart, 2000) *K. Baaken, ‘Elisina curtis nobilissima. Welfischer Besitz in der Markgrafschaft Verona und die Datierung der Historia Welforum,’ ''Deutsches Archiv'' 55 (1999), 63-94 * ''Heinrich der Löwe'', Insel-Verlag,

Notes

Margravines of Germany House of Welf 11th-century births 1054 deaths 11th-century German women Year of birth unknown 11th-century German nobility Swabian nobility {{Germany-noble-stub