Bertha of Lorraine (or Bertha of Swabia) (b.c. 1123/30 – d. 1194/5) was duchess of Lorraine (c.1138-1176) by marriage to Matthias I

duke of Lorraine The kings and dukes of Lorraine have held different posts under different governments over different regions, since its creation as the kingdom of Lotharingia by the Treaty of Prüm, in 855. The first rulers of the newly established region were ...

. She had a contested regency in the beginning of her son's rule, but was deposed from her position because her son was an adult.

Life

Bertha (sometimes called Judith) was the daughter of

Frederick II, Duke of Swabia Frederick II (, 1090 – 6 April 1147), called the One-Eyed (), was Duke of Swabia from 1105 until his death, the second from the Hohenstaufen dynasty. His younger brother Conrad was elected King of the Romans in 1138. Life Early career Fr ...

and Judith of Bavaria (1103- 22 February 1131), daughter of

Henry IX, Duke of Bavaria Henry IX (107513 December 1126), was a member of the House of Welf, a powerful dynasty in medieval Germany. He was born around 1075 and died in 1126. Henry IX is often referred to as “Henry the Black” (Heinrich der Schwarze) and ruled as Duk ...

. Through her father, Bertha was a member of the

Hohenstaufen The Hohenstaufen dynasty (, , ), also known as the Staufer, was a noble family of unclear origin that rose to rule the Duchy of Swabia from 1079, and to royal rule in the Holy Roman Empire during the Middle Ages from 1138 until 1254. The dynast ...

dynasty: her paternal uncle was king

Conrad III Conrad III (; ; 1093 or 1094 – 15 February 1152) of the Hohenstaufen dynasty was from 1116 to 1120 Duke of Franconia, from 1127 to 1135 anti-king of his predecessor Lothair III, and from 1138 until his death in 1152 King of the Romans in the ...

and her brother was the future emperor

Frederick Barbarossa Frederick Barbarossa (December 1122 – 10 June 1190), also known as Frederick I (; ), was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1155 until his death in 1190. He was elected King of Germany in Frankfurt on 4 March 1152 and crowned in Aachen on 9 March 115 ...

. Bertha married Matthias of Lorraine c.1138. Bertha frequently issued charters alongside her husband. She used at least two different types of seal to authenticate her documents, on which she was riding astride on horseback, which was a highly unusual image for a medieval noblewoman to use. After the death of Matthias in 1176, he was succeeded by his son with Bertha,

Simon Simon may refer to: People * Simon (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name Simon * Simon (surname), including a list of people with the surname Simon * Eugène Simon, French naturalist and the genus ...

, as duke of Lorraine. Due to the weak health of her son, Bertha took power as regent and issued documents which she co-signed with her son. Because her son was an adult, her regency was considered illegal and widely opposed by the nobility, and resulted in her excommunication. She was forced to resign from her political position and perform penitence before the Bishop of Metz.

Marriage and issue

With Matthias I, Bertha had several children, including:Poull, ''La maison ducale de Lorraine'', pp. 37-39. *

(died 1205), his successor in Lorraine *

Frederick Frederick may refer to: People * Frederick (given name), the name Given name Nobility = Anhalt-Harzgerode = * Frederick, Prince of Anhalt-Harzgerode (1613–1670) = Austria = * Frederick I, Duke of Austria (Babenberg), Duke of Austria fro ...

(died 1206), count of

Bitche Bitche (English pronunciation: , ; German and Lorraine Franconian: ) is a commune in Moselle department, in the region of Grand Est in northeastern France. It is the Pays de Bitche's capital city, and the seat of the Canton of Bitche and the ...

and his nephew's successor *Judith (died 1173), married Stephen II of Auxonne (1170) *Alice (died 1200), married

Hugh III, Duke of Burgundy Hugh III (1142 – 25 August 1192) was Duke of Burgundy between 1162 and 1192. As duke, Burgundy was invaded by King Philip II and Hugh was forced to sue for peace. Hugh then joined the Third Crusade, distinguishing himself at Arsuf and Acre, w ...

*Theoderic (died 1181),

bishop of Metz This is a list of bishops of the Roman Catholic diocese of Metz, which now lies in eastern France. To 500 * Clement of Metz (c. 280–300) * Celestius * Felix I * Patient * Victor I 344–346 * Victor II * Simeon * Sambace * Rufus of Metz * Ad ...

(1174–1179) *Matthias (died 1208), count of Toul *Unnamed daughter who died young

References

Sources

*C. Brooke, ''Europe in the Central Middle Ages'' (Routledge, 2014). *J. Jasperse, ‘To Have and to Hold: Coins and Seals as Evidence for Motherly Authority,' In C. Fleiner and E. Woodacre, (eds): ''Royal Mothers and Their Ruling Children. Wielding Political Authority from Antiquity to the Early Modern Era'' (Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan, 2015), pp. 83–104.
J. Jasperse, ‘Manly Minds in Female Bodies: Three Women and their Power through Coins and Seals’
''Arenal: Revista de historia de las mujeres'' 25:2 (2018), 295-321. * G. Poull, ''La maison ducale de Lorraine devenue la maison impériale et royale d’Autriche, de Hongrie et de Bohême'' (Nancy, Presses universitaires de Nancy, 1991). * Jacqueline Carolus-Curien Pauvres duchesses, l'envers du décor à la cour de Lorraine. Éditions Serpenoise, Metz, 2007. (ISBN 978-2-87692-715-5). {{Authority control Hohenstaufen family Duchesses of Lorraine 12th-century women regents Daughters of dukes 12th-century regents Mothers of French monarchs Regents in the Holy Roman Empire