Thankmar (or Tammo) (c. 908 – 28 July 938) was the eldest (and only) son of Henry I of Germany by his first wife, Hatheburg of Merseburg. His mother had been previously married and widowed, after which she entered a convent. Because she left the convent to marry Henry, her second marriage was considered invalid and the couple split. Thankmar's legitimacy was, therefore, in question. In 929, Henry I arranged for his succession and had the arrangement ratified by an assembly at

Erfurt Erfurt () is the capital and largest city in the Central German state of Thuringia. It is located in the wide valley of the Gera river (progression: ), in the southern part of the Thuringian Basin, north of the Thuringian Forest. It sits in ...

, just before his death. After his death, his lands and wealth were divided between his four sons: Thankmar, Otto, Henry, and

Bruno Bruno may refer to: People and fictional characters *Bruno (name), including lists of people and fictional characters with either the given name or surname * Bruno, Duke of Saxony (died 880) * Bruno the Great (925–965), Archbishop of Cologne, ...

. Otto, however, was designated by his father to receive the crown. The only succession dispute was between Otto and his younger full brother Henry, who was kept under house arrest in

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total l ...

during Otto's coronation. After the death of his cousin, Siegfried, Count of Merseburg (they were related in the maternal line), in 937, Thankmar claimed Merseburg.Bernhardt, 18. Otto, however, appointed Gero, Siegfried's brother. During this dispute, Eberhard of Franconia and

Wichmann the Elder Wichmann I the Elder (also spelled ''Wigmann'' or ''Wichman'') (died 23 April 944) was a member of the Saxon House of Billung. He was a brother of Amelung, Bishop of Verden, and Herman, Duke of Saxony. Biography In 938, Wichmann rebelled be ...

revolted against Otto and Thankmar joined them. Later, Thankmar was besieged in

Eresburg The Eresburg is the largest, well-known (Old) Saxon refuge castle (''Volksburg'') and was located in the area of the present German village of Obermarsberg in the borough of Marsberg in the county of Hochsauerlandkreis. It was a hill castle b ...

. He was killed by a spear thrown through the window of the church of Saint Peter, while he was seeking refuge inside.Ernest F. Henderson, ''History of Germany in the Middle Ages'', G. Bell & Sons, London, 1894, p.125.

Notes

Sources

* Reuter, Timothy. ''Germany in the Early Middle Ages 800–1056''. New York: Longman, 1991. *Bernhardt, John W. ''Itinerant Kingship and Royal Monasteries in Early Medieval Germany, c. 936–1075''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1993. {{DEFAULTSORT:Thankmar German royalty 900s births 938 deaths Year of birth uncertain Deaths by blade weapons Sons of kings