Leopold III, Margrave of Austria
Encyclopedia
Saint Leopold III was the Margrave
of Austria in 1073–1136. He is the patron saint
of Austria, of the city of Vienna
, of Lower Austria
, and, jointly with Saint Florian
, of Upper Austria
. His feast day is November 15.
, the son of Margrave Leopold II
and Ida of Formbach-Ratelnberg
. He married twice. His first wife may have been one of the von Perg family, who died in 1105. His second wife was Agnes
, the widowed sister of Emperor Henry V
whom he had supported against her father Henry IV
. This connection to the Salians raised the importance of the House of Babenberg
, to which important royal rights over the margravate of Austria were granted. Also, Agnes had influential connections through her previous marriage, one of her sons being Conrad III of Germany
.
Leopold called himself "Princeps Terræ", a reflection of his sense of territorial independence. He was considered a candidate in the election of the Kaiser
of The Holy Roman Empire in 1125, but declined this honour.
He is mainly remembered for the development of the country and, in particular, the founding of several monasteries. His most important foundation is Klosterneuburg
(1108). According to legend, the Virgin Mary appeared to him and led him to a place where he found the veil of his wife Agnes, who had lost it years earlier. He established the monastery
of Klosterneuburg
there. He subsequently expanded the settlement to become his residence.
Leopold also founded the monasteries of Heiligenkreuz
, Kleinmariazell
and Seitenstetten
which developed a territory still largely covered by forest. All of these induced the church to canonize
him in 1485.
Leopold also fostered the development of cities, such as Klosterneuburg, Vienna
and Krems. The last one was granted the right to mint
but never attained great importance.
The writings of Henry of Melk and Ava of Göttweig
, which are the first literary texts from Austria, date back to Leopold's time.
He is buried in the Klosterneuburg Monastery
, which he founded. His skull is kept in an embroidered reliquary, which leaves the forehead exposed; it also wears an archducal crown.
In 1663, under the rule of his namesake Emperor Leopold I
, he was declared patron saint of Austria instead of Saint Koloman
.
The brothers Joseph and Michael Haydn, each of whom sang in the choir of St. Stephen's Cathedral, both sang in that capacity at Klosterneuburg on this day. Joseph Haydn
later became the more famous composer of the two. Michael Haydn
later (1805) wrote a Mass in honour of Leopold, the Missa sub titulo Sancti Leopoldi.
By his second wife, Agnes of Germany
, widow of Frederick I, Duke of Swabia
:
According to the Continuation of the Chronicles of Klosterneuburg, there may have been up to seven others (possibly from multiple births) stillborn or died in infancy.
Margrave
A margrave or margravine was a medieval hereditary nobleman with military responsibilities in a border province of a kingdom. Border provinces usually had more exposure to military incursions from the outside, compared to interior provinces, and thus a margrave usually had larger and more active...
of Austria in 1073–1136. He is the patron saint
Patron saint
A patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person...
of Austria, of the city of Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, of Lower Austria
Lower Austria
Lower Austria is the northeasternmost state of the nine states in Austria. The capital of Lower Austria since 1986 is Sankt Pölten, the most recently designated capital town in Austria. The capital of Lower Austria had formerly been Vienna, even though Vienna is not officially part of Lower Austria...
, and, jointly with Saint Florian
Saint Florian
Florian lived in the time of the Roman emperors Diocletian and Maximian, and was commander of the imperial army in the Roman province of Noricum. In addition to his military duties, he was also responsible for organizing firefighting brigades....
, of Upper Austria
Upper Austria
Upper Austria is one of the nine states or Bundesländer of Austria. Its capital is Linz. Upper Austria borders on Germany and the Czech Republic, as well as on the other Austrian states of Lower Austria, Styria, and Salzburg...
. His feast day is November 15.
Biography
Leopold was born in MelkMelk
Melk is a city of Austria, in the federal state of Lower Austria, next to the Wachau valley along the Danube. Melk has a population of 5,222 ....
, the son of Margrave Leopold II
Leopold II, Margrave of Austria
Leopold II was a Babenberg Margrave of Austria ruling from 1075 onwards. He was known as Leopold the 'fair'. He was the son of Ernest the Brave and Adelheid, the daughter of Margrave Dedi II of Meissen...
and Ida of Formbach-Ratelnberg
Ida of Formbach-Ratelnberg
Ida of Austria , daughter of Rapoto IV of Cham, also known as Itha, was the wife of Leopold II of Austria, and the mother of Leopold III. She was known as one of the great beauties of her day....
. He married twice. His first wife may have been one of the von Perg family, who died in 1105. His second wife was Agnes
Agnes of Germany
Agnes of Germany was the daughter of Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor and Bertha of Savoy. Her maternal grandparents were Otto, Count of Savoy, Aosta and Moriana and Adelaide, Marchioness of Turin and Susa....
, the widowed sister of Emperor Henry V
Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor
Henry V was King of Germany and Holy Roman Emperor , the fourth and last ruler of the Salian dynasty. Henry's reign coincided with the final phase of the great Investiture Controversy, which had pitted pope against emperor...
whom he had supported against her father Henry IV
Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Henry IV was King of the Romans from 1056 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1084 until his forced abdication in 1105. He was the third emperor of the Salian dynasty and one of the most powerful and important figures of the 11th century...
. This connection to the Salians raised the importance of the House of Babenberg
Babenberg
Originally from Bamberg in Franconia, now northern Bavaria, an apparent branch of the Babenbergs or Babenberger went on to rule Austria as counts of the march and dukes from 976–1248, before the rise of the house of Habsburg.-One or two families:...
, to which important royal rights over the margravate of Austria were granted. Also, Agnes had influential connections through her previous marriage, one of her sons being Conrad III of Germany
Conrad III of Germany
Conrad III was the first King of Germany of the Hohenstaufen dynasty. He was the son of Frederick I, Duke of Swabia, and Agnes, a daughter of the Salian Emperor Henry IV.-Life and reign:...
.
Leopold called himself "Princeps Terræ", a reflection of his sense of territorial independence. He was considered a candidate in the election of the Kaiser
King of the Romans
King of the Romans was the title used by the ruler of the Holy Roman Empire following his election to the office by the princes of the Kingdom of Germany...
of The Holy Roman Empire in 1125, but declined this honour.
He is mainly remembered for the development of the country and, in particular, the founding of several monasteries. His most important foundation is Klosterneuburg
Klosterneuburg
Klosterneuburg is an attractive small town in Lower Austria, Austria with a population of 24,442.It is located on the Danube, immediately north of Vienna, from which it is separated by the Kahlenberg and Leopoldsberg hills...
(1108). According to legend, the Virgin Mary appeared to him and led him to a place where he found the veil of his wife Agnes, who had lost it years earlier. He established the monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
of Klosterneuburg
Stift Klosterneuburg
Klosterneuburg Priory is a Roman Catholic monastery of Augustinian Canons in the Lower Austrian town of Klosterneuburg on the Danube river, just north of the Vienna city limits at the Leopoldsberg....
there. He subsequently expanded the settlement to become his residence.
Leopold also founded the monasteries of Heiligenkreuz
Heiligenkreuz Abbey
Heiligenkreuz Abbey is a Cistercian monastery in the village of Heiligenkreuz in the southern part of the Vienna woods, c. 13 km north-west of Baden in Lower Austria...
, Kleinmariazell
Kleinmariazell
Kleinmariazell is a district of Altenmarkt an der Triesting in the Wienerwald, Lower Austria, Austria.-Geography:Kleinmariazell is located north of Altenmarkt in a side valley of the Triesting in the direction of Klausen-Leopoldsdorf....
and Seitenstetten
Seitenstetten
Seitenstetten is a town in the district of Amstetten in Lower Austria in Austria.One Udalschalk or Udiskalk, first mentioned in 1109, founded a monastery there in 1112 and gave all of his properties in Seitenstetten, Grünbach, Heft and Stille . In 1114, Benedictine monks from Göttweig Abbey were...
which developed a territory still largely covered by forest. All of these induced the church to canonize
Canonization
Canonization is the act by which a Christian church declares a deceased person to be a saint, upon which declaration the person is included in the canon, or list, of recognized saints. Originally, individuals were recognized as saints without any formal process...
him in 1485.
Leopold also fostered the development of cities, such as Klosterneuburg, Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
and Krems. The last one was granted the right to mint
Mint (coin)
A mint is an industrial facility which manufactures coins for currency.The history of mints correlates closely with the history of coins. One difference is that the history of the mint is usually closely tied to the political situation of an era...
but never attained great importance.
The writings of Henry of Melk and Ava of Göttweig
Ava (poet)
The poet Ava , also known as Frau Ava, Ava of Göttweig or Ava of Melk, was the first named female writer in any genre in the German language.-Life:...
, which are the first literary texts from Austria, date back to Leopold's time.
He is buried in the Klosterneuburg Monastery
Stift Klosterneuburg
Klosterneuburg Priory is a Roman Catholic monastery of Augustinian Canons in the Lower Austrian town of Klosterneuburg on the Danube river, just north of the Vienna city limits at the Leopoldsberg....
, which he founded. His skull is kept in an embroidered reliquary, which leaves the forehead exposed; it also wears an archducal crown.
In 1663, under the rule of his namesake Emperor Leopold I
Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor
| style="float:right;" | Leopold I was a Holy Roman Emperor, King of Hungary and King of Bohemia. A member of the Habsburg family, he was the second son of Emperor Ferdinand III and his first wife, Maria Anna of Spain. His maternal grandparents were Philip III of Spain and Margaret of Austria...
, he was declared patron saint of Austria instead of Saint Koloman
Coloman of Stockerau
Saint Coloman of Stockerau is a saint of the Catholic Church. He was a monk of either Irish or Scottish origin and of royal lineage who was accused of being a spy while on penitential pilgrimage to Jerusalem...
.
The brothers Joseph and Michael Haydn, each of whom sang in the choir of St. Stephen's Cathedral, both sang in that capacity at Klosterneuburg on this day. Joseph Haydn
Joseph Haydn
Franz Joseph Haydn , known as Joseph Haydn , was an Austrian composer, one of the most prolific and prominent composers of the Classical period. He is often called the "Father of the Symphony" and "Father of the String Quartet" because of his important contributions to these forms...
later became the more famous composer of the two. Michael Haydn
Michael Haydn
Johann Michael Haydn was an Austrian composer of the classical period, the younger brother of Joseph Haydn.-Life:...
later (1805) wrote a Mass in honour of Leopold, the Missa sub titulo Sancti Leopoldi.
Children
By his first marriage, possibly to a lady of the Perg family:- Adalbert or Albert II The Devout , Markgraf (1136–1137), d. 1137
By his second wife, Agnes of Germany
Agnes of Germany
Agnes of Germany was the daughter of Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor and Bertha of Savoy. Her maternal grandparents were Otto, Count of Savoy, Aosta and Moriana and Adelaide, Marchioness of Turin and Susa....
, widow of Frederick I, Duke of Swabia
Frederick I, Duke of Swabia
Frederick I von Staufen was Duke of Swabia from 1079 to his death. He was the first ruler of Swabia from the House of Hohenstaufen, and was the builder of dynasty's ancestral Hohenstaufen Castle near Göppingen.-Parents:...
:
- Leopold IVLeopold IV, Duke of BavariaLeopold IV, the Generous was Margrave of Austria from 1137 and Duke of Bavaria from 1139 until his death....
- Henry II Jasomirgott.
- Berta, m. Henry III, Burggraf of RegensburgRegensburgRegensburg is a city in Bavaria, Germany, located at the confluence of the Danube and Regen rivers, at the northernmost bend in the Danube. To the east lies the Bavarian Forest. Regensburg is the capital of the Bavarian administrative region Upper Palatinate...
. - AgnesAgnes of BabenbergAgnes of Babenberg , was a German noblewoman, a scion of the Franconian House of Babenberg and by marriage High Duchess of Poland and Duchess of Silesia....
, m. Władysław II of Poland. - Ernst.
- Otto of FreisingOtto of FreisingOtto von Freising was a German bishop and chronicler.-Life:He was the fifth son of Leopold III, margrave of Austria, by his wife Agnes, daughter of the emperor Henry IV...
, Bishop and biographer of his nephew (from his mother's first marriage), Emperor Frederick I "Barbarossa"Frederick I, Holy Roman EmperorFrederick I Barbarossa was a German Holy Roman Emperor. He was elected King of Germany at Frankfurt on 4 March 1152 and crowned in Aachen on 9 March, crowned King of Italy in Pavia in 1155, and finally crowned Roman Emperor by Pope Adrian IV, on 18 June 1155, and two years later in 1157 the term...
. - Conrad, Bishop of PassauBishop of PassauThe Diocese of Passau is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic church in Germany. It is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of München und Freising. The diocese covers an area of 5,442 km². The current bishop is Wilhelm Schraml.-History:...
and Archbishop of SalzburgArchbishopric of SalzburgThe Archbishopric of Salzburg was an ecclesiastical State of the Holy Roman Empire, its territory roughly congruent with the present-day Austrian state of Salzburg....
. - Elizabeth, m. Hermann II of Winzenburg.
- JudithJudith of BabenbergJudith of Babenberg , , was a daughter of Agnes of Germany and her second husband Leopold III of Austria. The chronicler Otto of Freising was one of her older brothers; Conrad III of Germany her half-brother. Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor was her nephew.She married c...
, m. William V of Montferrat. - GertrudeGertrude of Babenberg (d. 1150)Gertrude of Babenberg was the first wife of Vladislaus II of Bohemia and the Duchess of Bohemia. She was the daughter of count Leopold III, Margrave of Austria and his wife Agnes of Germany....
, m. King Vladislaus II of Bohemia.
According to the Continuation of the Chronicles of Klosterneuburg, there may have been up to seven others (possibly from multiple births) stillborn or died in infancy.