Berthold of Schweinfurt (died 15 January 980) was a German nobleman.

Life

He was first mentioned as a

Count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

in 941. In 960, he was mentioned as Count in the Radenzgau. In 961, he appears as count on the lower

Raab Raab is a market town (''Marktgemeinde'') in the district of Schärding in Upper Austria in Austria. History The village historically belonged to the Duchy of Bavaria until the Treaty of Teschen transferred the area to Austria in 1780. During ...

and in 973 as count in the Volkfeld shire. After successful battles in

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...

and

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...

, he was named as

Margrave Margrave was originally the medieval title for the military commander assigned to maintain the defence of one of the border provinces of the Holy Roman Empire or of a kingdom. That position became hereditary in certain feudal families in the Emp ...

in 976. In 980, he appears as count in eastern

Franconia Franconia (german: Franken, ; Franconian dialect: ''Franggn'' ; bar, Frankn) is a region of Germany, characterised by its culture and Franconian dialect (German: ''Fränkisch''). The three administrative regions of Lower, Middle and Upper Fr ...

. His background is disputed. The most likely theory is that he was a son (or grandson) of

Arnulf, Duke of Bavaria Arnulf II (birth unknown; died 14 July 937), also known as the Bad (german: der Schlimme), the Evil (''der Böse'') or the Wicked, a member of the Luitpolding dynasty, held the title of Duke of Bavaria from about 907 until his death in 937. He ...

. That would make him a member of the

Luitpolding The Luitpoldings were a medieval dynasty which ruled the German stem duchy of Bavaria from some time in the late ninth century off and on until 985. Origins The descent of the East Frankish Luitpoldings has not been conclusively established. The ...

dynasty. Another theory sees him as the son of Arnulf's brother

Berthold, Duke of Bavaria Berthold (c. 900 – 23 November 947), of the Luitpolding dynasty, was the younger son of Margrave Luitpold of Bavaria and Cunigunda, sister of Duke Erchanger of Swabia. He followed his nephew Eberhard as Duke of Bavaria in 938. It is known th ...

, which would still make him out to be a Luitpolding. This linkage with the Luitpoldings would explain the Schweinfurts' connection with Bavaria. Yet another theory puts him into the Popponids family. It is certain that his brother, or nephew,

Leopold I, Margrave of Austria Leopold I (also ''Luitpold''; 940 – 10 July 994), known as the Illustrious (german: der Erlauchte), a member of the House of Babenberg, was Margrave of Austria from 976 until his death.Lingelbach 1913, p. 89. He was the first margrave of the Bab ...

was the founder of the Austrian

House of Babenberg The House of Babenberg was a noble dynasty of Austrian Dukes and Margraves. Originally from Bamberg in the Duchy of Franconia (present-day Bavaria), the Babenbergs ruled the imperial Margraviate of Austria from its creation in 976 AD until its e ...

. The name 'Leopold' is a modernization of 'Luitpold', and would strengthen the argument for ties with the Luitpoldingers. The '' Bertholdus'' who was mentioned in 941, was tasked by Emperor

Otto I Otto I (23 November 912 – 7 May 973), traditionally known as Otto the Great (german: Otto der Große, it, Ottone il Grande), was East Francia, East Frankish king from 936 and Holy Roman Emperor from 962 until his death in 973. He was the olde ...

with guarding Lothar II, Count of Walbeck, who had been taken prisoner. Lothar was pardoned the following year, and Berthold married his daughter Eilika (d. 19 August 1015). She later initiated the construction of the minster in

Schweinfurt Schweinfurt ( , ; ) is a city in the district of Lower Franconia in Bavaria, Germany. It is the administrative centre of the surrounding district (''Landkreis'') of Schweinfurt and a major industrial, cultural and educational hub. The urban agg ...

, where she was buried. In 964, Berthold was tasked by Otto with guarding another prisoner, King

Berengar II of Italy Berengar II ( 900 – 4 August 966) was the King of Italy from 950 until his deposition in 961. He was a scion of the Anscarid and Unruoching dynasties, and was named after his maternal grandfather, Berengar I. He succeeded his father as Marg ...

, who was kept prisoner in

Bamberg Bamberg (, , ; East Franconian: ''Bambärch'') is a town in Upper Franconia, Germany, on the river Regnitz close to its confluence with the river Main. The town dates back to the 9th century, when its name was derived from the nearby ' castle. C ...

. In 973, Berthold participated in the ousting of the rebellious

Henry II, Duke of Bavaria Henry II (951 – 28 August 995), called the Wrangler or the Quarrelsome (german: Heinrich der Zänker), a member of the German royal Ottonian dynasty, was Duke of Bavaria from 955 to 976 and again from 985 to 995, as well as Duke of Carinthia ...

Marriage and issue

Berthold was married to Eilika of Walbeck, daughter of Lothar II, Count of Walbeck. They had at least two children: *

Henry of Schweinfurt Henry of Schweinfurt (''de Suinvorde''; – 18 September 1017) was the Margrave of the Nordgau from 994 until 1004. He was called the "glory of eastern Franconia" by his own cousin, the chronicler Thietmar of Merseburg. Henry was the son of ...

(d. 18 September 1017), who was Berthold's heir * Bucco, who was mentioned in 1003 * Possibly a Daughter named Hedwig, Mother of Cunigunde of Luxembourg In 1010, a lady named Eilika was

abbess An abbess (Latin: ''abbatissa''), also known as a mother superior, is the female superior of a community of Catholic nuns in an abbey. Description In the Catholic Church (both the Latin Church and Eastern Catholic), Eastern Orthodox, Coptic ...

of Niedernburg Abbey in

Passau Passau (; bar, label=Central Bavarian, Båssa) is a city in Lower Bavaria, Germany, also known as the Dreiflüssestadt ("City of Three Rivers") as the river Danube is joined by the Inn from the south and the Ilz from the north. Passau's popu ...

. It is thought this Eilika may have been a daughter of Berthold and his wife.

References

Counts of Germany Year of birth unknown 980 deaths 10th-century German nobility {{Germany-noble-stub