Bernard II (c. 995 – 29 June 1059) was the
Duke of Saxony between 1011 and 1059, the third of the
Billung dynasty as a son of
Bernard I and Hildegard. Besides his position in Saxony, he had the rights of a count in
Frisia
Frisia () is a Cross-border region, cross-border Cultural area, cultural region in Northwestern Europe. Stretching along the Wadden Sea, it encompasses the north of the Netherlands and parts of northwestern Germany. Wider definitions of "Frisia" ...
.
Bernard expanded the powers of the duke in Saxony and is regarded as the greatest of the Billungers. He was originally a supporter of
Holy Roman Emperor Henry II, and he accompanied him into
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
to negotiate the
Peace of Bautzen of 1018. In 1019–1020, however, he revolted against Henry and gained the recognition of the tribal laws of Saxony, something his father had failed to do. He then returned to war with the
Obodrites and
Lutici (two
Slavic tribes) and drew them into his sphere of influence through their leader
Gottschalk.
He supported
Holy Roman Emperor Conrad II in 1024 and Conrad's son
Henry III, though he began to fear the latter for his closeness to the Archbishop
Adalbert of Bremen, whom he considered a spy and inveterate enemy of the dukes of Saxony. Although he was a critical ally of the Danes, who provided fundamental support for Henry's wars in the
Low Countries
The Low Countries (; ), historically also known as the Netherlands (), is a coastal lowland region in Northwestern Europe forming the lower Drainage basin, basin of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta and consisting today of the three modern "Bene ...
, Bernard was on the brink of rebellion until the death of Adalbert. The remainder of his reign, however, was quiet.
In 1045, he erected the Alsterburg in
Hamburg
Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...
. He died in 1059 and was succeeded without incident by his son
Ordulf. He is buried in the Church of
Saint Michael in
Lüneburg
Lüneburg, officially the Hanseatic City of Lüneburg and also known in English as Lunenburg, is a town in the German Bundesland (Germany), state of Lower Saxony. It is located about southeast of another Hanseatic League, Hanseatic city, Hambur ...
.
Marriage and issue
Bernard II, Duke of Saxony married to
Eilika of Schweinfurt, daughter of
Henry of Schweinfurt. They had these children together:
*
Gertrude of Saxony (c. 1030 – August 4, 1113), married firstly to
Floris I, Count of Holland, secondly to
Robert I, Count of Flanders
*
Ordulf, Duke of Saxony (c. 1020 – March 28, 1072), who married Ulfhilde or Wulfhilde of Norway (c. 1023 – May 24, 1070), daughter of King
Olaf II (St.Olaf) of Norway and his wife Queen
Astrid of Sweden
*Hermann
*Ida of Saxony, who married
Albert III, Count of Namur
References
Sources
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*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bernard 02, Duke of Saxony
990s births
1059 deaths
Bernhard 02
House of Billung
Burials at the Church of Saint Michael, Lüneburg
11th-century Saxon people
Year of birth uncertain