Odo I, Margrave of the Saxon Ostmark
Encyclopedia
Odo I (also Huodo or Huoto) (born ca. 930; died 13 March 993) was the Margrave
of the Saxon Ostmark from 965 until his death.
Odo was, if the onomastics
are correct, the son of Hidda and Christian of Thuringia. Odo held the county of Serimuntgau which Thietmar I of Meissen, a known son of Hidda, had held. He was buried in Nienburg
, a monastic foundation of Thietmar's. This too provides evidence of their probable relationship.
In 965, Gero the Great, a likely uncle of Odo, died and his great march
, the marca Geronis
, was divided into five smaller marches. Odo received the so-called marca Orientalis or Eastern March. Odo was also later granted the countship of the gau of Nizizi. Odo first appeared with the title marchio (margrave) only in 974, though he had held marcher territories (officially as a county) since 965. In that same year (974), Odo was made Count of Nordthüringau.
Odo made war on Mieszko I of Poland
, but the Emperor Otto I, from his seat at far-off Mezzogiorno
, ordered Odo and Mieszko to cease until he himself could arbitrate their dispute. Thietmar of Merseburg
, apparently quite gladly, relates that Odo's reputation with Mieszko was such that the duke of Poland "would not have dared while wearing his fur coat to enter a house where he knew the margrave to be, or to remain seated when the margrave stood up." In 979 (or 972), Odo, intending to compel Mieszko to pay tribute for the territory between the Oder
and the Warthe, invaded that region, but was defeated on 24 June 979 (or 972) at the Battle of Cedynia
.
Odo left a son, Siegfried, who became a monk at Nienburg, but left the monastery on his father's death to claim his inheritance. In this he failed, though he was a count in 1018 and he allied with Mieszko II of Poland in 1030.
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 the Saxon Ostmark from 965 until his death.
Odo was, if the onomastics
Onomastics
Onomastics or onomatology is the study of proper names of all kinds and the origins of names. The words are from the Greek: "ὀνομαστικός" , "of or belonging to naming" and "ὀνοματολογία" , from "ὄνομα" "name". Toponymy or toponomastics, the study of place names, is one of the principal branches of...
are correct, the son of Hidda and Christian of Thuringia. Odo held the county of Serimuntgau which Thietmar I of Meissen, a known son of Hidda, had held. He was buried in Nienburg
Nienburg
There are two towns named Nienburg in Germany.*Nienburg, Lower Saxony*Nienburg, Saxony-AnhaltThe Name Nienburg means "Neue Burg" ....
, a monastic foundation of Thietmar's. This too provides evidence of their probable relationship.
In 965, Gero the Great, a likely uncle of Odo, died and his great march
Marches
A march or mark refers to a border region similar to a frontier, such as the Welsh Marches, the borderland between England and Wales. During the Frankish Carolingian Dynasty, the word spread throughout Europe....
, the marca Geronis
Marca Geronis
The Marca Geronis was a vast super-march in the middle of the tenth century. It was created probably for Thietmar and passed to his two sons consecutively: Siegfried and Gero...
, was divided into five smaller marches. Odo received the so-called marca Orientalis or Eastern March. Odo was also later granted the countship of the gau of Nizizi. Odo first appeared with the title marchio (margrave) only in 974, though he had held marcher territories (officially as a county) since 965. In that same year (974), Odo was made Count of Nordthüringau.
Odo made war on Mieszko I of Poland
Mieszko I of Poland
Mieszko I , was a Duke of the Polans from about 960 until his death. A member of the Piast dynasty, he was son of Siemomysł; grandchild of Lestek; father of Bolesław I the Brave, the first crowned King of Poland; likely father of Świętosława , a Nordic Queen; and grandfather of her son, Cnut the...
, but the Emperor Otto I, from his seat at far-off Mezzogiorno
Mezzogiorno
The Midday is a wide definition, without any administrative usage, used to indicate the southern half of the Italian state, encompassing the southern section of the continental Italian Peninsula and the two major islands of Sicily and Sardinia, in addition to a large number of minor islands...
, ordered Odo and Mieszko to cease until he himself could arbitrate their dispute. Thietmar of Merseburg
Thietmar of Merseburg
Thietmar of Merseburg was a German chronicler who was also bishop of Merseburg.-Life:...
, apparently quite gladly, relates that Odo's reputation with Mieszko was such that the duke of Poland "would not have dared while wearing his fur coat to enter a house where he knew the margrave to be, or to remain seated when the margrave stood up." In 979 (or 972), Odo, intending to compel Mieszko to pay tribute for the territory between the Oder
Oder
The Oder is a river in Central Europe. It rises in the Czech Republic and flows through western Poland, later forming of the border between Poland and Germany, part of the Oder-Neisse line...
and the Warthe, invaded that region, but was defeated on 24 June 979 (or 972) at the Battle of Cedynia
Battle of Cedynia
In the Battle of Cedynia or Zehden, an army of Mieszko I of Poland defeated forces of Hodo or Odo I of Lusatia on 24 June 972, near the Oder river...
.
Odo left a son, Siegfried, who became a monk at Nienburg, but left the monastery on his father's death to claim his inheritance. In this he failed, though he was a count in 1018 and he allied with Mieszko II of Poland in 1030.
Sources
- Reuter, TimothyTimothy ReuterTimothy Alan Reuter , grandson of the former mayor of Berlin Ernst Reuter, was a German-British historian who specialized in the study of medieval Germany, particularly the social, military and ecclesiastical institutions of the Ottonian and Salian periods .Reuter received his D.phil from Oxford in...
. Germany in the Early Middle Ages 800–1056. New York: Longman, 1991. - Thompson, James WestfallJames Westfall ThompsonJames Westfall Thompson was an American historian specializing in the history of medieval and early modern Europe, particularly of the Holy Roman Empire and France...
. Feudal Germany, Volume II. New York: Frederick Ungar Publishing Co., 1928. - Foundation for Medieval Genealogy: Nobility of Meissen.