Hathui (also Hadwig and Hedwig) (born c. 939; died 4 July 1014) was a member of the Saxon

House of Billung The House of Billung was a dynasty of Saxon noblemen in the 9th through 12th centuries. The first known member of the house was Count Wichmann, mentioned as a Billung in 811. Oda, the wife of Count Liudolf, oldest known member of the Liudolf ...

and the first abbess of

Gernrode Gernrode () is a historic town and former municipality in the Harz (district), Harz District, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 January 2014, it has been part of Quedlinburg.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 ...

, of the

, and an unknown woman. Because

Thietmar of Merseburg Thietmar (also Dietmar or Dithmar; 25 July 9751 December 1018), Prince-Bishop of Merseburg from 1009 until his death in 1018, was an important chronicler recording the reigns of German kings and Holy Roman Emperors of the Ottonian (Saxon) dynas ...

called Hauthi the niece (''neptis'') of Queen

Matilda Matilda or Mathilda may refer to: Animals * Matilda (chicken) (1990–2006), World's Oldest Living Chicken record holder * Mathilda (gastropod), ''Mathilda'' (gastropod), a genus of gastropods in the family Mathildidae * Matilda (horse) (1824–1 ...

, Hathui's mother has sometimes been identified as one of Matilda's sisters, Bia or Frederuna. Hathui had at least two brothers:

Wichmann the Younger Wichmann II the Younger (also spelled ''Wigmann'' or ''Wichman'') (about 930 – 22 September 967) was a member of the Saxon House of Billung. He was a son of Count Wichmann the Elder and his wife Frederuna, a niece of Queen Matilda. The cousin ...

and Eckbert. Bruno, Bishop of Verden may also have been Hathui's brother. Hathui was a cousin of Emperor

Otto I Otto I (23 November 912 – 7 May 973), known as Otto the Great ( ) or Otto of Saxony ( ), was East Francia, East Frankish (Kingdom of Germany, German) king from 936 and Holy Roman Emperor from 962 until his death in 973. He was the eldest son o ...

Marriage

In 952, when she was about thirteen years old, Hathui married Siegfried, son of Margrave

Gero Gero I ( 900 – 20 May 965), sometimes called the Great (),Thompson, 486. Also se was a nobleman from East Francia who ruled an initially modest march centred on Merseburg in the south of the present German state of Saxony-Anhalt, which he ...

of the

Saxon Eastern March The Saxon Eastern March () was a march of the Holy Roman Empire from the 10th until the 12th century. The term "eastern march" stems from the Latin term ''marchia Orientalis'' and originally could refer to either a march created on the eastern fr ...

, who stood high in Otto I's favour. Siegfried died only a few years later, on 24 June 959. The couple had no surviving children.

Abbess of Gernrode and Vreden

After Siegfried's death, Hathui became a

nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service and contemplation, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 5 ...

and, at the request of her father-in-law, Gero,

abbess An abbess (Latin: ''abbatissa'') is the female superior of a community of nuns in an abbey. Description In the Catholic Church (both the Latin Church and Eastern Catholic), Eastern Orthodox, Coptic, Lutheran and Anglican abbeys, the mod ...

of Gero's new foundation of

Gernrode Gernrode () is a historic town and former municipality in the Harz (district), Harz District, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 January 2014, it has been part of Quedlinburg.consecrated Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...

in 962 by Bishop Bernard of Halberstadt. She remained abbess of Gernrode until her death 55 years later. Hathui was also abbess of Vreden, where she shared the office of advocate with her nephew, Wichmann III, son of Eckbert.

Legend

Hathui is said to have cared for and healed the sick at the ‘Sacred Pool’ (''Heiliger Teich'') south of Gernrode. After her death in 1014 the water of the pool is said to have turned first blood-red, then bright green, before returning to its normal colour.Thietmar, ''Chronicon'', VII c. 3, p 402
; Kellermann and Kellermann, 'Heiliger Teich' p. 173.

Literature

* C. Warnke, 'Das Kanonissenstift St. Cyriacus zu Gernrode im Spannungsfeld zwischen Hochadel, Kaiser, Bischof und Papst von der Gründung 961 bis zum Ende des Investiturstreits 1122,' in I. Crusius, ed., ''Studien zum Kanonissenstift'' (= ''Veröffentlichungen des Max-Planck-Instituts für Geschichte.'' Bd. 167 = ''Studien zur Germania Sacra.'' Bd. 24). (Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 2001), , S. 201–274 *

Reuter, Timothy Timothy Alan Reuter (25 January 1947 – 14 October 2002), grandson of the former mayor of Berlin Ernst Reuter, was a German-British historian who specialized in the study of medieval Germany, particularly the social, military and ecclesiastical ...

. ''Germany in the Early Middle Ages 800–1056''. New York: Longman, 1991. *W. Glocker, ''Die Verwandten der Ottonen und ihre Bedeutung in der Politik''. * O. von Heinemann, ''Geschichte der Abtei und Beschreibung der Stiftskirche zu Gernrode'' (H. C. Huch, Quedlinburg 1877). * M. Giese, ed., ''Die Annales Quedlinburgenses'', MGH Script. rer. Germ., 72 (Hannover, 2004). *Thietmar of Merseburg, ''Chronicon'', ed. R. Holtzmann MGH SS NS 9 (Berlin, 1935). * R. Kellermann and G. Kellermann, 'Heiliger Teich', in ''Chronik der Stadt Gernrode'', Gernroder Kulturverein Andreas Popperodt e.V. 2013.

External links

Genealogical details
(in German)

References

{{Authority control House of Billung 10th-century Saxon people 11th-century Saxon people 10th-century German abbesses 10th-century Christian nuns 11th-century German abbesses 11th-century Christian nuns