Sophia of Bavaria (1105–1145) was a German noblewoman and nun. Through her marriages she was the Duchess of Zähringen and the Margravine of Styria.

Biography

Sophia of Bavaria was born in 1105 to

Henry IX, Duke of Bavaria Henry IX (107513 December 1126), called the Black, a member of the House of Welf, was Duke of Bavaria from 1120 to 1126. Life and reign Henry was the second son of Duke Welf I of Bavaria (died 1101) from his marriage with Judith, daughter of C ...

and his wife

Wulfhilde of Saxony Wulfhilde Billung of Saxony (1072 – 29 December 1126 in Weingarten Abbey) was the eldest daughter of Magnus, Duke of Saxony and his wife, Sophia of Hungary. She married Duke Henry IX of Bavaria. As a result of this marriage, part of the ...

. She was a member of the

House of Welf The House of Welf (also Guelf or Guelph) is a European dynasty that has included many German and British monarchs from the 11th to 20th century and Emperor Ivan VI of Russia in the 18th century. The originally Franconia, Franconian family from ...

and was the sister of

Henry X, Duke of Bavaria Henry the Proud (german: Heinrich der Stolze) (20 October 1139), a member of the House of Welf, was Duke of Bavaria (as Henry X) from 1126 to 1138 and Duke of Saxony (as Henry II) as well as Margrave of Tuscany and Duke of Spoleto f ...

;

Welf VI Welf VI (111515 December 1191) was the margrave of Tuscany (1152–1162) and duke of Spoleto (1152–1162), the third son of Henry IX, Duke of Bavaria, and a member of the illustrious family of the Welf. Biography Welf inherited the familial po ...

;

Judith of Bavaria, Duchess of Swabia Judith of Bavaria, Duchess of Swabia (19 May 1100 – 27 Aug 1130) was a duchess of Swabia by marriage to Frederick II, Duke of Swabia. She was the mother of Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor, known to history as "Barbarossa". Life Judith was bor ...

; and

Conrad of Bavaria Conrad of Bavaria (german: Konrad von Bayern; it, Corrado di Baviera) (c. 1105 – 17 March 1126 or 1154) was a Cistercian monk, the son of Henry the Black, Duke of Bavaria. The former Molfetta Cathedral, now renamed church of Saint Conrad o ...

. Her first husband was

Berthold III, Duke of Zähringen Berthold III, Duke of Zähringen (b. c. 1085, d. 3 DecemberStephan Molitor, ''Das Todesdatum Herzog Bertolds III. von Zähringen im Reichenbacher Seelbuch in Kopenhagen''. In: Die Zähringer. Eine Tradition und ihre Erforschung, hrsg. von Karl Schm ...

, who was killed in 1122. After her first husband's death, she married

Leopold of Styria Leopold the Strong (died 1129) was Margrave of Styria from 1122 to 1129. He was the son of Margrave Ottokar II of Styria and Elisabeth of Austria from the Babenberg family. His wife was Sophie of Bavaria, daughter of Henry IX, Duke of Bavaria. H ...

. In 1124 she gave birth to a son,

Ottokar Ottokar is the medieval German form of the Germanic name Audovacar. People with the name Ottokar include: *Two kings of Bohemia, members of the Přemyslid dynasty ** Ottokar I of Bohemia (–1230) ** Ottokar II of Bohemia (–1278) *Four Styrian m ...

. Her second husband died in 1129, shortly after founding the Rein Abbey. After his death, Sophia continued to fund the building of the abbey. She and Bernard of Trixen served as co-regents over the

March of Styria The March of Styria (german: Steiermark), originally known as Carantanian march (''Karantanische Mark'', ''marchia Carantana'' after the former Slavic principality of Carantania), was a southeastern frontier march of the Holy Roman Empire. It was ...

until her son came of age in 1139. In her later life she took religious vows and joined the

Admont Abbey Admont Abbey (german: Stift Admont) is a Benedictine monastery located on the Enns River in the town of Admont, Austria. The oldest remaining monastery in Styria, Admont Abbey contains the largest monastic library in the world as well as a lon ...

. She died in 1145.

References

1105 births 1145 deaths 12th-century German nuns Bavarian princesses German duchesses Margravines of Germany House of Welf House of Zähringen Women of medieval Bavaria Daughters of monarchs {{DEFAULTSORT:Sophia of Bavaria