Esico of Ballenstedt is the top ancestor

Top ancestor

In genealogy, a top ancestor is the oldest ancestor in a continuous sequence of ancestors. This means, that a continuous line of parent-child connections exists between the top ancestor and the subject of the genealogical study, such as a living person...

 of the House of Ascania, i.e., he is the oldest member of the house known for certain. Little is known about him, but he is assumed to have been count of the Schwabengau

Schwabengau

The Schwabengau was an early medieval shire in the Eastphalia region of the Duchy of Saxony. It is located in present-day Saxony-Anhalt....

 and of the Harzgau

Harzgau

The Harzgau was a medieval 'gau' county near the northeastern Harz mountains in the Eastphalia region of the Duchy of Saxony. It included the towns of Halberstadt, Quedlinburg, and Osterwieck, and was bounded by the Oker in the west, by the Großer Graben in the north, the Bode in the east, and the...

 with his seat at Ballenstedt

Ballenstedt

Ballenstedt is a town in the Harz district, in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. It is situated at the northern rim of the Harz mountain range, about 10 km southeast of Quedlinburg. The municipality includes the villages of Badeborn and Oppenrode...

. His father is sometimes assumed to have been called Adalbert (counted as Count Adalbert I), but there is no evidence for this. Esico is assumed to have inherited properties from Odo I, Margrave of the Saxon Ostmark

Odo I, Margrave of the Saxon Ostmark

Odo I was the Margrave of the Saxon Ostmark from 965 until his death....

, who may have been his maternal grandfather.

He was succeeded by his son Adalbert II, Count of Ballenstedt

Adalbert II, Count of Ballenstedt

Adalbert II, Count of Ballenstedt from the House of Ascania, the 23rd Great-Grandfather of Elizabeth II, was Graf in Saxony and Vogt of Nienburg Abbey.-Biography:...

.