Ordulf (sometimes ''Otto'') ( – 28 March 1072) was the duke of Saxony from 1059, when he succeeded his father Bernard II, until his death. He was a member of the

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 Liudol ...

family.

Reign

Ordulf's entire reign was occupied by wars with the

Wends Wends ( ang, Winedas ; non, Vindar; german: Wenden , ; da, vendere; sv, vender; pl, Wendowie, cz, Wendové) is a historical name for Slavs living near Germanic settlement areas. It refers not to a homogeneous people, but to various peopl ...

. He was allied with

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

in this endeavor, and he strengthened the alliance by marrying Wulfhild of Norway, the daughter of King

Olaf II of Norway Olaf II Haraldsson ( – 29 July 1030), later known as Saint Olaf (and traditionally as St. Olave), was King of Norway from 1015 to 1028. Son of Harald Grenske, a petty king in Vestfold, Norway, he was posthumously given the title ''Rex Perpet ...

, in 1042. Their son

Magnus Magnus, meaning "Great" in Latin, was used as cognomen of Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus in the first century BC. The best-known use of the name during the Roman Empire is for the fourth-century Western Roman Emperor Magnus Maximus. The name gained wid ...

succeeded Ordulf as Duke of Saxony. Ordulf's second wife, Gertrude of

Haldensleben Haldensleben (; Eastphalian: ''Halslä'') is a town in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Börde district. Geography It is situated on the Ohre river, near the confluence with its Beber tributary, and the parallel Mi ...

, daughter of a Count Conrad, was imprisoned in

Mainz Mainz () is the capital and largest city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Mainz is on the left bank of the Rhine, opposite to the place that the Main (river), Main joins the Rhine. Downstream of the confluence, the Rhine flows to the north-we ...

in 1076 and died 21 February 1116. Their son Bernard died after a fall from a horse in

Lüneburg Lüneburg (officially the ''Hanseatic City of Lüneburg'', German: ''Hansestadt Lüneburg'', , Low German ''Lümborg'', Latin ''Luneburgum'' or ''Lunaburgum'', Old High German ''Luneburc'', Old Saxon ''Hliuni'', Polabian ''Glain''), also calle ...

on 15 July of an unknown year. Ordulf is buried in the Church of St. Michael in Lüneburg.

References

Sources

* * * 1020s births 1072 deaths Dukes of Saxony House of Billung Burials at the Church of Saint Michael, Lüneburg Year of birth uncertain {{Germany-noble-stub