Lothair Udo II, Margrave of the Nordmark
Encyclopedia
Lothair Udo II was the Count of Stade and Margrave of the Nordmark from 1057 until his death. He was the only son of Lothair Udo I of the Udonids and Adelaide of Rheinfelden
.
The power base of his family lay around Harsefeld
and Stade
, but through advantageous marriages, they had control of almost the entire eastern third of the Duchy of Saxony
in lands and rights.
In 1044, William
became Margrave of the Nordmark. In 1056, the Saxons were defeated by the Liutizi at the Battle of Pritzlawa (Havel
mündung), and William was killed. The Emperor Henry III and Lothair Udo I died the same year. Lothair Udo II came into a very strong position and was created Margrave the next year.
Lothair initially placed himself in opposition to the Billung
family and Adalbert of Bremen. Adalbert had won great influence over the young King Henry IV and he designed to extend the influence of the Archdiocese of Hamburg-Bremen over the various small counties of Saxony, especially between the Elbe
and the Weser in order to better evangelise the Slavs. In 1063, Adalbert annexed Stade from Lothair. Originally he had supported Lothair as a counterweight to Billung influence in Saxony, but military conflict soon broke out between the Udonids and the Billungs.
After Henry IV came of age in 1065, Lothair recovered his lost territories from the Billung and Adalbert, whose took a serious setback (1066). In 1068, Lothair was granted the March of Zeitz
. In that year, he and Henry attacked the Liutizi along the Elbe, but in 1069 they called the expedition off in failure.
In 1071, Lothair was involved in the conspiracy of Bardowiek
. In 1073, he was on the side of the king, but the policy of Adalbert and his successor Liemar
put him at odds with the royal party again. In 1075, he fought under Otto of Nordheim
at the Battle of Homburg against the king. They were defeated. Lothair immediately made peace with the king to allow his hostage son to go free. The rest of the Saxon nobles went through long negotiations.
Lothair was succeeded by his son Henry in 1082. His widow was Oda (born c.1050), daughter of Richenza (daughter of Otto II of Swabia
) and Herman III, Count of Werl
.
Rheinfelden
Rheinfelden is a municipality in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland, seat of the district of Rheinfelden. It is located 15 kilometres east of Basel. The name means the fields of the Rhine, as the town is located on the Hochrhein. It is home to Feldschlösschen, the most popular beer in...
.
The power base of his family lay around Harsefeld
Harsefeld
Harsefeld is a municipality situated south-west of Hamburg...
and Stade
Stade
Stade is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany and part of the Hamburg Metropolitan Region . It is the seat of the district named after it...
, but through advantageous marriages, they had control of almost the entire eastern third of the Duchy of Saxony
Duchy of Saxony
The medieval Duchy of Saxony was a late Early Middle Ages "Carolingian stem duchy" covering the greater part of Northern Germany. It covered the area of the modern German states of Bremen, Hamburg, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Saxony-Anhalt and most of Schleswig-Holstein...
in lands and rights.
In 1044, William
William, Margrave of the Nordmark
William was the Margrave of the Nordmark from 1051 until his death. He was the eldest son and successor of the Margrave Bernard and a daughter of Vladimir I of Kiev. He died fighting the Slavs near Prizlawa.-Sources:...
became Margrave of the Nordmark. In 1056, the Saxons were defeated by the Liutizi at the Battle of Pritzlawa (Havel
Havel
The Havel is a river in north-eastern Germany, flowing through the German states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Brandenburg, Berlin and Saxony-Anhalt. It is a right tributary of the Elbe river and in length...
mündung), and William was killed. The Emperor Henry III and Lothair Udo I died the same year. Lothair Udo II came into a very strong position and was created Margrave the next year.
Lothair initially placed himself in opposition to the Billung
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...
family and Adalbert of Bremen. Adalbert had won great influence over the young King Henry IV and he designed to extend the influence of the Archdiocese of Hamburg-Bremen over the various small counties of Saxony, especially between the Elbe
Elbe
The Elbe is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Krkonoše Mountains of the northwestern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia , then Germany and flowing into the North Sea at Cuxhaven, 110 km northwest of Hamburg...
and the Weser in order to better evangelise the Slavs. In 1063, Adalbert annexed Stade from Lothair. Originally he had supported Lothair as a counterweight to Billung influence in Saxony, but military conflict soon broke out between the Udonids and the Billungs.
After Henry IV came of age in 1065, Lothair recovered his lost territories from the Billung and Adalbert, whose took a serious setback (1066). In 1068, Lothair was granted the March of Zeitz
March of Zeitz
The March of Zeitz was a frontier county of the Holy Roman Empire, created through the division of the marca Geronis in 965, when the Emperor Otto I, on the death of Gero the Great. Its capital was Zeitz. Its first and only margrave was Wigger...
. In that year, he and Henry attacked the Liutizi along the Elbe, but in 1069 they called the expedition off in failure.
In 1071, Lothair was involved in the conspiracy of Bardowiek
Bardowiek
Bardowiek was a village in Germany.-History:The earliest surviving record of Bardowiek’s is in the Ratzeburger Hufenregister and dates from 1292. The town was virtually destroyed during the Thirty Years War, but was rebuilt after the war’s end in 1648....
. In 1073, he was on the side of the king, but the policy of Adalbert and his successor Liemar
Liemar, Archbishop of Bremen
Liemar was archbishop of Hamburg-Bremen from 1072 to 1101, and an important figure of the early Investiture Contest.He was a supporter of Emperor Henry IV from 1073...
put him at odds with the royal party again. In 1075, he fought under Otto of Nordheim
Otto of Nordheim
Otto of Northeim was Duke of Bavaria from 1061 until 1070. He was one of the leaders of the Saxon revolt against Emperor Henry IV....
at the Battle of Homburg against the king. They were defeated. Lothair immediately made peace with the king to allow his hostage son to go free. The rest of the Saxon nobles went through long negotiations.
Lothair was succeeded by his son Henry in 1082. His widow was Oda (born c.1050), daughter of Richenza (daughter of Otto II of Swabia
Otto II, Duke of Swabia
Otto II was Count Palatine of Lotharingia , then Duke of Swabia , and all the while Count in Deutz and Auelgau . He was the son of Ezzo and Matilda , and a member of the Ezzonian dynasty...
) and Herman III, Count of Werl
Werl
Werl is a town located in the district of Soest in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.-Geography:Werl is easily accessible because it is located between the Sauerland, Münsterland, and the Ruhr Area...
.
Marriage and issue
Lothair Udo married Oda of Werl (also Uda and Hilaria; b. ca. 1050), their children were:- Henry I the Long, Count of Stade (ca. 1065–27 June 1087), married Eupraxia of KievEupraxia of KievEupraxia of Kiev was the daughter of Vsevolod I, Prince of Kiev and second wife of Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor. She was the sister of Vladimir Monomakh....
- Lothair Udo III, Count of Stade (ca. 1070–2 June 1106)
- Rudolf I, Count of Stade (d. 7 December 1124), married Richardis, daughter of Hermann, Count of SponheimCounty of SponheimThe County of Sponheim was an independent territory in the Holy Roman Empire which lasted from the 11th century until the early 19th century...
-Lavanttal (d. 22 July 1118), since 1080 burgrave of Magdeburg, brother of Archbishop Hartwig of MagdeburgArchbishopric of MagdeburgThe Archbishopric of Magdeburg was a Roman Catholic archdiocese and Prince-Bishopric of the Holy Roman Empire centered on the city of Magdeburg on the Elbe River....
. - Siegfried, Count of Stade (d. ca. 1111), cleric in Magdeburg
- Adelaide (Adelheid; ca. 1065–18 October 1110), married (1) with Frederick III, Count of GoseckGoseckGoseck is a municipality lying on the Saale River, in the Burgenlandkreis district of the German state of Saxony-Anhalt.-Geographic location:Goseck is located on the north bank of the Saale River about halfway between Naumburg and Weißenfels....
(ca. 1065–5 February 1085), also Count of Putelendorf and as Frederick III also Count Palatine of Saxony, and (2) with Louis the Jumper, Count of Schauenburg (near FriedrichrodaFriedrichrodaFriedrichroda is a town in the district of Gotha, Thuringia, Germany. It is situated at the north foot of the Thuringian Forest, 21 km by rail southwest of the town of Gotha. It is surrounded by fir-clad hills and possesses numerous handsome villa residences, a Kurhaus and a sanatorium...
, Thuringia; 1042–1123) also Count of Thuringia