Person Page

     Egriftina of Germany married Ulandislaus II of Silefia, son of Boleslaus III of Poland and Adelheid of Germany.¹

     Enzio died without issue.¹

     Ermengarde of Germany was born between 852 and 855.² She married Boso II of Vienne, son of Budwine of Metz and Richilde of Arles, in 876.² Ermengarde died before 22 June 896 in Chiemsee, Bavaria.³

     Ermengarde was also known as Trungard or Irmingardis.

     Frederick II of Germany was born on 26 December 1194 in Jesi, Ancona, Papal States.² He married first Constanza of Aragon, daughter of Alfonso II of Aragon and Sancia of Castile & Leon, circa February 1209/10 in Spain.² He married second Yolanda of Brienne, daughter of Jean de Brienne and Mary of Jerusalem, in 1225.³ He married third Isabella of England, daughter of John I of England and Isabella of Angoulême, in Worms, Rhinehessen, Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, on 20 July 1235.⁴ Frederick died on 13 December 1250 in Castle Fiorentino, Apulia, Sicily, at age 55.² He was interred in Palermo, Sicily.³

     Frederick was also known as Frederick II of Hohenstaufen.

     Frederick II was made German king in 1196 and two years later became king of Sicily. Before Frederick came of age, Pope Innocent III acted as regent. Holy Roman Emperor Otto IV was deposed in 1211, and the German princes selected Frederick to replace him. A contest for the imperial throne ensued, and Frederick triumphed in 1215.

     Frederick made a number of promises to the church, including a vow that he would go on a Crusade. He postponed the Crusade because of anarchy in Sicily and because of the resistance of the Lombard cities. He finally sailed for Jerusalem in 1227, but an epidemic forced him to return three days after his departure. In 1228 Frederick led the Fifth Crusade to the Holy Land, where he took Jerusalem and signed a truce with the sultan of Egypt. Frederick returned to Europe and spent many of his remaining years attempting to bring the Lombards under subjection.⁵

     Hedwige of Germany married Otto I of Saxony, son of Ludolph I of Saxony and Oda of Thuringia, in 869.^2,3 Hedwige died in 906.³

     Hedwige was also known as Edith.

     Henry V of Germany was born in 1081.² He married Matilda of England, daughter of Henry I of England and Matilda of Scotland, on 7 January 1113/14 in Mainz, Rheinhessen, Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany.³ Henry died 22/23 May 1125 in Utrecht, Holland.³

     Henry V (Holy Roman Empire), German king (1098-1125) and Holy Roman emperor (1106-1125), last of the Salian emperors. Henry was born in Goslar, Germany. He struggled against Pope Paschal II over the issue of lay investiture- that is, the king's right to appoint church officials. The pope crowned him emperor but retracted the title in 1112. In 1116 Henry invaded Italy. After driving Pope Paschal from Rome, he had himself recrowned in 1117 by Maurice Bourdin, archbishop of Braga, whom he established as the antipope Gregory VIII. Henry was excommunicated by Paschal's successor, Pope Gelasius II. From 1114 to 1121 many of the German princes rebelled against Henry. He concluded peace with them in 1121. In 1122 he established a compromise on investiture with the papacy, abandoning the antipope; he was then reinstated in the communion of the church but retained the right to appoint church officials. Henry was succeeded by Lothair II.⁴

     Henry I of Germany was born circa 876 in Germany.^2,3 He married Matilda von Ringleheim, daughter of Dietrich of Saxony and Reginhilde von Friesland, in 909.^4,3 Henry died on 2 July 936 in Memleben, Saxony, Germany.^2,3

     Henry I was the first of the Saxon line of German kings. In 912 Henry succeeded his father as duke of Saxony. Following the death of Conrad I, king of Germany, in 918, Henry was chosen king by the Franconian and Saxon nobles. Bavaria, Swabia, and Lotharingia refused to acknowledge him at first, and it was not until 925 that he managed to win recognition from all the German states. In 926 Henry secured a nine-year truce from warfare with the Magyars. During that period he transformed many of the small towns of Germany into fortified cities with trained troops of mounted warriors. His military preparations were successfully tested in a war against the Wends in 929. When the Magyars invaded Thuringia in 933, Henry repulsed them decisively. He defeated the Danes in the following year and seized territory from them. Henry was the first to create a united Germany, and, although he never received the imperial crown, he is generally recognized as one of the Holy Roman emperors. He was succeeded by his son, Otto.⁵

     Henry II of Germany was born on 6 May 975.² He married Kunigunde of Luxemburg, daughter of Siegfried of Luxemburg and Hedwig of Saxony, on 6 June 1002.³ Henry died on 13 July 1024 at age 49.³

     Henry II (Holy Roman Empire), called Henry The Saint, German king and Holy Roman emperor, was the last of the Saxon rulers, born in Abbach, Bavaria. When Henry's cousin Emperor Otto III died without any heirs, Henry was elected by the German nobles to succeed him. From 1004 until 1018 he carried on intermittent warfare with Boleslaw I, king of Poland, regaining Bohemia, one of the German territories taken by Poland. In 1004 Henry invaded Italy and was crowned king of the Lombards. Returning to Germany, he persuaded Rudolf III, king of Burgundy, to agree that Burgundy should be united with Germany upon Rudolf's death. In 1014 Henry went to Rome, where he was crowned emperor by Pope Benedict VIII. In 1021, at the request of Pope Benedict, Henry undertook a third expedition to Italy, where he campaigned against the Byzantines in the south, subjugating Capua and Salerno. Famed for his piety, Henry was active in church reform and established a number of monasteries and schools. He was canonized in 1146. He was succeeded as emperor by Conrad II, founder of the Salian dynasty.⁴

     Henry III of Germany was born on 28 October 1017.^2,3 He married first Gunhilda of Denmark, daughter of Canute II of Denmark and Emma of Normandy, on 10 June 1036 in Nimeguen, Germany.^4,5 He married second Agnes of Poitou, daughter of William III (V) of Poitou and Agnes of Burgundy, on 21 November 1043.^2,3 Henry died on 5 October 1056 in Bodfeld Hartz at age 38.⁶ He was interred in Speyer.³

     Henry III was the son and successor of Conrad II. When, in 1041, the Bohemians invaded the lands of the Poles, who were Henry's vassals, Henry brought them to submission, compelling the duke of Bohemia to recognize his suzerainty. Between 1043 and 1045 Henry campaigned successfully to restore the deposed Hungarian king to his throne and for a short time afterward controlled Hungary. Henry was greatly concerned with church reform and went to Rome in 1046 to settle the conflict caused by three rival claimants to the papacy. Setting aside the three antipopes, he appointed a German bishop, who, as Pope Clement II, crowned Henry Holy Roman emperor. During the rest of his reign Henry appointed three succeeding popes, all Germans. Returning to Germany, he contended with domestic rebellions. Henry supported the church's attempts to check clerical abuses; he also strengthened the power of the papacy, which proved disadvantageous for his son, Henry IV.⁷

     Henry IV of Germany was born on 11 November 1050 in Goslar.^2,3 He married first Bertha of Maurienne, daughter of Odo I of Maurienne and Adelaide von Susa, on 13 July 1066.⁴ He married second Adelheid ? after 1087.⁵ Henry died on 7 August 1106 in Louvain, Brabant, Belgium, at age 55.^4,3 He was interred in Liege, Belgium.³

     A struggle with Pope Gregory VII over the authority to appoint church officials culminated in Henry declaring the pope deposed in 1076. Pope Gregory then excommunicated him. When the nobles threatened not to recognize Henry unless he secured absolution, Henry did penance and obtained readmission to the church.

     The German nobles, however, elected Rudolf, Duke of Swabia, to replace Henry. This election caused a civil war. In 1080 the pope recognized the kingship of Rudolf and again excommunicated Henry, who declared Pope Gregory deposed and recognized Pope Clement III in his stead. Rudolf was killed in 1080, and Henry regained control of Germany. In 1084 he captured Rome, where he was crowned emperor by Clement III. A Norman army then drove Henry from Rome. In 1105 Henry was taken prisoner by his son, later Emperor Henry V, and forced to abdicate.⁶

     Henry VI of Germany was born circa 1165. He married Constance of Sicily, daughter of Roger II of Naples and Elvira de Castile, circa 1186.² Henry died circa 1197.

     Henry of Germany married Margaret of Austria.¹ Henry died in 1242.¹

     Ida of Germany was born circa 1106.¹ Ida died circa 1163.¹

     Itha of Germany married Leopold III of Austria.¹

     Judith of Germany married Bretiflaus of Bohemia.¹ She was married to Azo of Este according to some researchers.¹ Judith died in 1058.¹

     Judith of Germany married Vladislav I Hermann of Poland, son of Kazimierz I of Poland and Debronega Maria of Kiev.

     Margaretha of Germany was born circa 1215.¹ She married Tomasso II d'Aquino.¹

     Matilda of Germany married Henry I of France, son of Robert II of France and Constance of Arles, Provence, & Toulouse.¹

     Maud of Germany was born in 1045.¹ She married Rudolph I of Germany, son of Kuno of Rheinfelden and Richilda of Ohningen, in 1059.² Maud died without issue on 12 May 1080.¹

     Maud was also known as Mathilde.

     Oda of Germany married Mieszko I of Poland, son of Ziemoslav of Polanie.¹

     Otto IV of Germany was born in 1177.² He married first Beatrix of Swabia, daughter of Philip of Swabia and Eirene Angelica of Byzantium, in 1212, no issue.² He married second Marie of Brabant, daughter of Henry I of Brabant and Matilda of Flanders, in 1214, no issue.² Otto died without issue on 19 May 1218.^2,3

     Otto was also known as Otto of Brunswick.

     Otto was crowned Holy Roman Emperor in 1209 and disposed in 1215.

     Otto I of Germany was born on 23 November 912.² He married first Eadgyth of England, daughter of Edward I of England and Ælflaed of England, circa 929.³ He married second Adelaide of Burgundy, daughter of Rudolph II of Burgundy and Bertha of Swabia, circa October 951.^3,4 Otto died on 7 May 973 in Memleben, Saxony, Germany, at age 60.²

     Otto I (Holy Roman Empire), called Otto the Great was the son of the German king Henry I. After subduing an uprising of nobles incited by his brother, Otto consolidated his kingdom by granting duchies to faithful relatives and followers. In 951 he marched to Italy to assist Adelaide, the widowed queen of Lombardy, against Berengar II, who had usurped the kingdom. Otto defeated Berengar and married Adelaide, thereby becoming ruler of northern Italy. When he returned to Germany, he again crushed a rebellion of nobles led by his son Liudolf and halted a Hungarian invasion in 955. In 962 he was crowned Holy Roman emperor. In 963 he deposed Pope John XII and had Leo VIII elected in his stead. Otto sought to make the church subordinate to the authority of the empire but assisted in spreading Christianity throughout his domain. He negotiated unsuccessfully with the Byzantine emperor Nicephorus II Phocas for an alliance between the Byzantine and Holy Roman empires, but was able to arrange a marriage between his son Otto II and Theophano, daughter of the Byzantine emperor Romanus II.⁵

     Otto II of Germany was born circa 955 in Saxony, Germany.² He married second Theophano Skleros of Byzantium, daughter of Konstantin Skleros and Sophia Phokas, on 14 April 972 in Rome, Italy.² Otto died on 7 December 983.²

     Otto II was the son of Otto I, with whom he ruled jointly from 967 to 973. In 976 he suppressed a rebellion that was led by his cousin Henry II, duke of Bavaria. Two years later, having been attacked by Lothair, king of France, Otto drove the French out of Lorraine but was unsuccessful in besieging Paris. Later Lothair renounced Lorraine, and peace was established. Otto next invaded southern Italy, gaining possession of Naples, Salerno, and Taranto, but he was overwhelmingly defeated by the Greeks and Saracens at Crotona in 982. He died in Rome while planning a second invasion. His wife, Theophano, brought Byzantine refinement and culture to the German court.³

     Otto III of Germany was born circa 980 in Kessel, Germany.² Otto died without issue circa 1002.^2,3

     Otto III was the son of Otto II, born in Kessel, Germany. He reigned under the coregency of his mother, Theophano, and his grandmother, Adelaide, from 983 to 991 and then under the regency of a council from 991 to 996. In 996 Otto assumed control, and having been crowned king of the Lombards, he went to Rome and established his cousin Bruno as Pope Gregory. After Gregory's death Otto made his own former tutor, Gerbert, pope as Sylvester II. Otto remained in Rome until his death, striving to make the city the capital of the Holy Roman Empire and to restore many of the customs of the ancient Roman Empire.⁴