Adalbert II of Ballenstedt ( – 1076/1083), an early member of the

House of Ascania The House of Ascania () was a dynasty of German rulers. It is also known as the House of Anhalt, which refers to its longest-held possession, Principality of Anhalt, Anhalt. The Ascanians are named after Ascania (or Ascaria) Castle, known as ' ...

, was ''

Graf (; feminine: ) is a historical title of the German nobility and later also of the Russian nobility, usually translated as "count". Considered to be intermediate among noble ranks, the title is often treated as equivalent to the British title ...

'' (count) in

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 ...

and ''

Vogt An , sometimes simply advocate, (German, ), or (French, ), was a type of medieval office holder, particularly important in the Holy Roman Empire, who was delegated some of the powers and functions of a major feudal lord, or for an institutio ...

'' of Nienburg Abbey.

Life

Adelbert, first mentioned in a 1033 deed, was born at

Ballenstedt Ballenstedt is a town in the Harz district, in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. Geography It is situated at the northern rim of the Harz mountain range, about 10 km (6 mi) southeast of Quedlinburg. The municipal area comprises the vi ...

Castle in the Saxon Schwabengau, the son of Count Esico of Ballenstedt (d. about 1060) and his wife Matilda, probably a daughter of Duke Herman II of Swabia. About 1068 he married Adelaide of Weimar-Orlamünde, a daughter of Margrave Otto I of Meissen and his wife, Adela of Louvain. Their two sons were: * Otto the Rich ( – 1123), Count of Ballenstedt *

Siegfried Siegfried is a German-language male given name, composed from the Germanic elements ''sig'' "victory" and ''frithu'' "protection, peace". The German name has the Old Norse cognate ''Sigfriðr, Sigfrøðr'', which gives rise to Swedish ''Sigfrid' ...

( – 1113), Count of Weimar-Orlamünde, Count Palatine of the Rhine from 1095/97. Adalbert was the heir to extended possessions and rose to one of the leading Saxon nobles. In 1069 he was appointed count in Nordthüringgau, later also in the Saxon Eastern March. According to the chronicler Lambert of Hersfeld, Adalbert supported Margrave Dedi I in his 1069 conflict with King Henry IV. Dedi, a member of the

House of Wettin The House of Wettin () was a dynasty which included Saxon monarch, kings, Prince Elector, prince-electors, dukes, and counts, who once ruled territories in the present-day German federated states of Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia. The dynas ...

, had married Adalbert's mother-in-law Adela of Louvain, widow since 1067, and claimed the Thuringian possessions of her deceased husband Margrave Otto of Meissen. Their revolt found little support; both had to surrender in short order and were pardoned in 1070. Adalbert, however, remained a fierce opponent of the king. From 1072 on he participated in the Saxon Rebellion led by Count Otto of Nordheim and Bishop Burchard II of Halberstadt, for which he was arrested after King Henry's victory in the 1075 Battle of Langensalza. Even after his release about two years later, he backed the German anti-king Rudolf of Rheinfelden until he was finally killed, possibly in a feud, at Westdorf near Aschersleben by the Saxon noble Egeno II of Konradsburg. Adalbert's widow Adelaide married Count Palatine Hermann II of Lotharingia from the Ezzonid dynasty and—in her third marriage—Count Palatine

Henry of Laach Henry of Laach (in German: ''Heinrich von Laach'') was the first count palatine of the Rhine (1085/1087–1095), then within the area of Lower Lotharingia. Henry was the son of Herman I, count of Gleiberg. Henry was a follower of Henry IV, Hol ...

from the

House of Luxembourg The House of Luxembourg (; ; ) or Luxembourg dynasty was a royal family of the Holy Roman Empire in the Late Middle Ages, whose members between 1308 and 1437 ruled as kings of Germany and Holy Roman emperors as well as kings of Bohemia, List of r ...

, father of her son Siegfried.

References

Sources

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Adalbert 02, Count of Ballenstedt 1030s births 11th-century deaths Year of birth uncertain Year of death uncertain People from Ballenstedt House of Ascania Counts of the Holy Roman Empire