Richensa of Lotharingia
Encyclopedia
Richeza of Lotharingia was a German noblewoman by birth a member of the Ezzonen
dynasty and by marriage Queen of Poland. Married to Mieszko II Lambert
, King of Poland, commonly referred to as Mieszko II in Poland. After she returned to Germany
following the deposition of her husband in 1031, she became later a nun and today is reverenced as Blessed
Richeza of Lotharingia.
Through her three known children, she became in the direct ancestress of the eastern rulers of the Piast
, Rurikid
and Árpád
dynasties. Four of her Árpád descendants were Saints: Elisabeth, Landgravine of Thuringia
, Kinga, Duchess of Kraków
and Princess Margaret of Hungary
, Irene of Hungary, Saint of Eastern Orthodox Church
, and one was Beatificated like her: Jolanta Helena, Duchess of Greater Poland
.
by his wife Mathilde
, daughter of Emperor Otto II
. She was probably the eldest of the ten children born during the marriage of her parents. Through her mother, Richeza was a niece of Emperor Otto III
(who was instrumental to her betrothal), Adelheid I, Abbess of Quedlinburg
and Sophia I, Abbess of Gandersheim
.
Probably already in 1000 during the Congress of Gniezno
, was made an agreement between Bolesław I the Brave and Emperor Otto III. Among the usual political talks, was decided to close ties through a marriage. Due to the childlessness of Otto III, the seven daughters of his sister Mathilde (the only of Otto II's daughters who married and produced children), were the only potential brides for Mieszko
, Bolesław I's son and heir; the oldest of Otto III's nieces, Richeza, was the chosen one. However, the unexpected death of Otto III in 1002 and the reorientation of the Holy Roman Empire politics by his successor Henry II
, the wedding is delayed until 1012, when Bolesław I demanded the wedding and sent his son to Germany with gifts to his bride's family, who at that time quarreled with Henry II for Mathilde's dowry
.
The Emperor took the opportunity of a settlement with the Ezzonen family and in Merseburg
he negotiated a temporary peace with Poland. The marriage between Mieszko and Richeza took place in Merseburg, probably during the Pentecost
festivities. Among those present were Emperor Henry II and Bolesław I.
After the final peace agreement between the Holy Roman Empire and Poland, which was signed in 1018 in Bautzen
, Richeza and Mieszko maintained close contacts with the German court. In 1021 they participated in the consecration over part of the Bamberg Cathedral
.
Bolesław I the Brave died on 17 June 1025. Six months later, on Christmas Day, Mieszko II Lambert
and Richeza were crowned King and Queen of Poland by the Archbishop of Gniezno, Hipolit, in the Gniezno Cathedral
.
The reign of Mieszko II Lambert
, however, was short-lived: in 1031, the invasion of both German and Kievan troops against Poland forced him to escape to Bohemia
, where he was imprisoned and castrated by orders of Duke Oldrich. Mieszko II's half-brother Bezprym
took the government of Poland and began a cruel persecution against the followers of the former King.
The Brauweiler Chronicle indicated that soon after the escape of her husband, Richeza and her children fled to Germany
with the Polish royal crown and regalia
, which were given to Emperor Conrad II
and she subsequently played an important role in mediating a peace settlement between Poland and the Holy Roman Empire. However, modern historians believe that these facts are not credible.
Richeza and Mieszko II never reunited again; according to some sources, they were either officially divorced or only separated. After Bezprym was murdered in 1032, Mieszko II was released from captivity and returned to Poland, but was forced to divide the country into three parts: between him, his brother Otto
and their cousin Dytryk. One year later (1033), after Otto was killed and Dytryk expelled from the country, Mieszko II finally reunited all Poland under his domain. However, his sole rule lasted only one year: between 10/11 July 1034, Mieszko II died suddenly, probably killed as consequence of a conspiracy.
Richeza's son Casimir was at that time at the court of his maternal uncle Hermann II, Archbishop of Köln. Only in 1037 the young prince returned to Poland in order to recover his rights over the throne; apparently Richeza also returned with him, although this fact is disputed among historians. Soon after, a barons' rebellion—coupled with the so-called "Pagan Reaction"
of the commoners—forced both Casimir and Richeza to flee to Germany again. The Queen never returned to Poland.
The return of Richeza to Germany forced a redistribution of his father's inheritance, because at the previous arrangement it wasn't contemplated that Richeza would need a place to live. Richeza received Saalfeld, a possession that didn't belong to the Lower Rhine
area in which the Ezzonen dynasty tried to build a coherent dominion. Richeza still called herself Queen of Poland, a privilege that was given to her by the Emperor. In Saalfeld Richeza led the Polish opposition which supported her son Casimir, who in 1039, with the help of Conrad II, finally obtain the Polish throne. During the years 1040-1047 Richeza lived in the Klotten
state in Moselle
.
On 7 September 1047 Richeza's brother Otto
, the last male representative of the Ezzonen dynasty who remained, died and with him, the territorial and political objectives of his family. Richeza now inherited large parts of the Ezzonen possessions.
Otto's death seems to have touched Richeza; apparently, they were very close (Otto named his only daughter after her). At his funeral in Brauweiler
, according to Bruno of Toul (later Pope Leo IX
), she put her fine jewelry on the altar and declared that she devote the rest of her life as a nun and to preserved the memory of the Ezzonen dynasty. Another goal was probably to secure the remaining Ezzonen rights.
By a charter dated on 17 July 1051 is noted that Richeza participated in the reorganization of the Ezzonen properties. She, her sister Theophanu, Abbess of Essen
, and her brother, Hermann II, Archbishop of Köln
, transferred the Abbey of Brauweiler to the Archdiocese of Köln. This originated a dispute with the Emperor, as this transfer had already been done under the reign of Ezzo. This was successfully challenged by Ezzo's surviving children. The reason for the transfer was likely that the future wasn't secured to the descendants of the Ezzonen: From Ezzo's ten children only Richeza and Otto had children. None of these children was in a position of real power over the Ezzonen inheritance. The transfer to the diocese, headed by Hermann II with one of the younger Ezzonen, ensured the cohesion of the property. In 1054 in connection with some donations to the Abbey of Brauweiler, Richeza expressed her desire to be buried there beside her mother. This reorganization, which apparently emanated from the fact that Hermann II would survive his siblings failed, because he died in 1056. The Archbishop of Köln, Anno II, trying to increase the power of his diocese at the expense of the Ezzonen.
Richeza responded to Anno II's ambitions with the formal renunciation of her possessions in Brauweiler to the monastery of Moselle
, while reserving the lifelong use of the lands. Brauweiler was the center of Ezzonen memory and should be assured regardless of the powerful economic position of the family. Then Richeza went to Saalfeld, where she met similar arrangements in favor of the Diocese of Würzburg
. Anno II protested against these regulations unsuccessfully. At the end Richeza only maintain her direct rule over the towns of Saalfeld and Coburg
, but retained the right to use until her death seven other locations in the Rhineland with their additional incomes, and 100 silver pounds per year by the Archdiocese of Köln. Richeza died on 21 March 1063 in Saalfeld.
's church of St. Maria ad Gradus
and not, as she had wished, in Brauweiler
. This was prompted by Archbishop Anno II, who appealed to an oral agreement with Richeza. The Klotten
estate donated the Richeza's funeral arrangements to St. Maria ad Gradus, whose relationship with Richeza, Hermann II and Anno II is unclear. Maybe St. Maria ad Gradus was an unfinished work of Richeza's brother and completed by Anno II, who wanted to secured part of the Ezzonen patrimony in this way. The Brauweiler Abbey claimed the validy of the 1051 charter and demanded that Klotten given to them the remains of the Polish Queen.
The dispute was only ended in 1090 when the current Archbishop of Köln, Hermann III, ruled in favor of the monastery of Brauweiler. However, Richeza's grave remained in St. Maria ad Gradus until 1816, when was transferred to the Köln Cathedral
. Her grave was placed in the chapel dedicated to St. John the Baptist in a classic wooden sarcophagus. Besides the coffin, hang two medieval portraits of Richeza and Anno II, who dated from the medieval grave in St. Maria ad Gradus.
Her grave was opened multiple times after the transfer to the Köln Cathedral. The last opening was in 1959 and showed her bones. According to witnesses, Richeza had a small and graceful stature; her collarbone showed traces of a fracture, which may have been caused by falling from a horse. The skull was brownish and skinless, her head wrapped up in her face in substance, and the skull was also a golden dome with a cross grid pattern. Because the skull was praying on a red cushion, was made an exhibition of the late Queen. Richeza's relics are located since then in St. Nicholas church in Brauweiler and since 2002 in the Klotter parish church.
The most important of Richeza's foundations was the re-building of the Abbey of Brauweiler. Her parents had founded Brauweiler, but the original church was modestly furnished, a fact who was incompatible with the territorial objectives of the Ezzonen dynasty. After the death of his brother Otto, Richeza decided that Brauweiler became in the center of Ezzonen memory. This purpose wasn't enough of the original building so Richeza built a new Abbey, which is substantially conserved until today. When the construction began was planned a three-aisled pillared basilica
with projecting transept to the east apse
across a crypt. The aisles were groined vaults with flat ceilings in the central nave
. Inside, the nave had five Pfeilerjoche, each of which was half as large as the square crossing. In all the Abbey could see the cross-vaulted ceiling (for example in the aisles, pillars or the crypy) which can be found in many Ezzonen buildings. The crypt was consecrate on 11 December 1051. The consecration of the rest of the construction was on 30 October 1063, seven months after Richeza's death.
The building has distinct references to the Church of St. Maria im Kapitol
in Köln
, founded by Richeza's sister Ida. Both crypts are laid out identically, the two bays in Brauweiler, however, was shorter. Also in the upper church, there are clear implications. Also, Brauweiler is reduced as a copy of the Köln Cathedral, probably thanks to the influence of Richeza's brother Hermann II, who in 1040 consecrated the Abbey of Stablo (Stavelot
).
Richeza planned to made Brauweiler as the Ezzonen family crypt, so in 1051 she placed there the remains of her sister Adelaide, Abbess of Nivelles, and in 1054 transferred the remains of her father from Augsburg to be buried next to her sister.
of Queen Richeza (today is in possession of the Hessische Landes-und Darmstadt University), comes from St. Maria ad Gradus, where Richeza (due to large donations of land) had a reserved space in the central nave occupied, normally occupied by the Donors. Whether this was done at the behest of Anno II, or whether it may have made by Richeza, isn't clarified. An indication of the latter thesis, however, is the Gospel Book. The manuscript is in the format of 18 x 13.5 cms is made from 153 pages at the pergamin style. In 150 of the 152 pages of the book the prayer is recorded, which suggests a high-born owner. The following pages contain entries about the Ezzonen memorial. Among these, in addition to Richeza were named Anno II and her parents. The entries can be count with drawns like the Codex style recognized around 1100. The Codex itself is built around 1040, probably in Maasland
, and incomplete in its ornamentation: the Evangelists Mark and Luke are complete drawned, but only in a preliminary sketch. The evangelist Matthew wasn't draw. Possibly can be more precisely from the condition of the Codex date: After 1047, when Richeza assumed her clerical vows, she had no need for a personal representative signature. Whether they remained in their possession and was used together with other relics of Anno II from her estate for St. Maria ad Gradus, or already has been donated to her brother, is unknown.
Ezzonen
The Ezzonids were a dynasty of Lotharingian stock dating back as far as the ninth century. They attained prominence only in the eleventh century, through marriage with the Ottonian dynasty of Holy Roman Emperors. Named after Ezzo, Count Palatine of Lotharingia from 1015 to 1034, they dominated the...
dynasty and by marriage Queen of Poland. Married to Mieszko II Lambert
Mieszko II Lambert
Mieszko II Lambert was King of Poland during 1025–1031, and Duke from 1032 until his death.He was the second son of Bolesław I the Brave, but the eldest born from his third wife Emmilda, daughter of Dobromir, possible ruler of Lusatia. He was probably named after his paternal grandfather, Mieszko I...
, King of Poland, commonly referred to as Mieszko II in Poland. After she returned to Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
following the deposition of her husband in 1031, she became later a nun and today is reverenced as Blessed
Beatification
Beatification is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a dead person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in his or her name . Beatification is the third of the four steps in the canonization process...
Richeza of Lotharingia.
Through her three known children, she became in the direct ancestress of the eastern rulers of the Piast
Piast dynasty
The Piast dynasty was the first historical ruling dynasty of Poland. It began with the semi-legendary Piast Kołodziej . The first historical ruler was Duke Mieszko I . The Piasts' royal rule in Poland ended in 1370 with the death of king Casimir the Great...
, Rurikid
Rurik Dynasty
The Rurik dynasty or Rurikids was a dynasty founded by the Varangian prince Rurik, who established himself in Novgorod around the year 862 AD...
and Árpád
Árpád dynasty
The Árpáds or Arpads was the ruling dynasty of the federation of the Hungarian tribes and of the Kingdom of Hungary . The dynasty was named after Grand Prince Árpád who was the head of the tribal federation when the Magyars occupied the Carpathian Basin, circa 895...
dynasties. Four of her Árpád descendants were Saints: Elisabeth, Landgravine of Thuringia
Elisabeth of Hungary
Elizabeth of Hungary, T.O.S.F., was a princess of the Kingdom of Hungary, Countess of Thuringia, Germany and a greatly-venerated Catholic saint. Elizabeth was married at the age of 14, and widowed at 20. She then became one of the first members of the newly-founded Third Order of St. Francis,...
, Kinga, Duchess of Kraków
Kinga of Poland
Saint Kinga of Poland is a saint in the Catholic Church and patroness of Poland and Lithuania....
and Princess Margaret of Hungary
Saint Margaret of Hungary
Saint Margaret was a nun and the daughter of King Béla IV and Maria Laskarina. She was the niece of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary and the younger sister of Saint Kinga and Blessed Yolanda.-Early life:...
, Irene of Hungary, Saint of Eastern Orthodox Church
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...
, and one was Beatificated like her: Jolanta Helena, Duchess of Greater Poland
Jolenta of Poland
Jolenta of Poland was the daughter of Béla IV of Hungary and Maria Laskarina. She was the sister of Saint Margaret of Hungary and Saint Kinga...
.
Family
She was the daughter of Ezzo (also called Ehrenfried), Count Palatine of LotharingiaLotharingia
Lotharingia was a region in northwest Europe, comprising the Low Countries, the western Rhineland, the lands today on the border between France and Germany, and what is now western Switzerland. It was born of the tripartite division in 855, of the kingdom of Middle Francia, itself formed of the...
by his wife Mathilde
Matilda of Germany (979–1025)
Matilda of Germany or Matilde of Saxony Was the third daughter of Otto II, Holy Roman Emperor and his wife Empress Theophanu.- Life :...
, daughter of Emperor Otto II
Otto II, Holy Roman Emperor
Otto II , called the Red, was the third ruler of the Saxon or Ottonian dynasty, the son of Otto the Great and Adelaide of Italy.-Early years and co-ruler with Otto I:...
. She was probably the eldest of the ten children born during the marriage of her parents. Through her mother, Richeza was a niece of Emperor Otto III
Otto III, Holy Roman Emperor
Otto III , a King of Germany, was the fourth ruler of the Saxon or Ottonian dynasty of the Holy Roman Empire. He was elected King in 983 on the death of his father Otto II and was crowned Holy Roman Emperor in 996.-Early reign:...
(who was instrumental to her betrothal), Adelheid I, Abbess of Quedlinburg
Adelheid I, Abbess of Quedlinburg
Adelaide I was Abbess of Quedlinburg and Gandersheim, as well as highly influential kingmaker of medieval Germany.- Early life :...
and Sophia I, Abbess of Gandersheim
Sophia I, Abbess of Gandersheim
Sophia I , also known as Sophie I, was Abbess of Gandersheim and an important kingmaker of the medieval Germany.- Early life :...
.
Queen of Poland
Congress of Gniezno
The Congress of Gniezno was an amical meeting between the Polish duke Bolesław I Chrobry and Emperor Otto III, which took place at Gniezno on March 11, 1000...
, was made an agreement between Bolesław I the Brave and Emperor Otto III. Among the usual political talks, was decided to close ties through a marriage. Due to the childlessness of Otto III, the seven daughters of his sister Mathilde (the only of Otto II's daughters who married and produced children), were the only potential brides for Mieszko
Mieszko II Lambert
Mieszko II Lambert was King of Poland during 1025–1031, and Duke from 1032 until his death.He was the second son of Bolesław I the Brave, but the eldest born from his third wife Emmilda, daughter of Dobromir, possible ruler of Lusatia. He was probably named after his paternal grandfather, Mieszko I...
, Bolesław I's son and heir; the oldest of Otto III's nieces, Richeza, was the chosen one. However, the unexpected death of Otto III in 1002 and the reorientation of the Holy Roman Empire politics by his successor Henry II
Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor
Henry II , also referred to as Saint Henry, Obl.S.B., was the fifth and last Holy Roman Emperor of the Ottonian dynasty, from his coronation in Rome in 1014 until his death a decade later. He was crowned King of the Germans in 1002 and King of Italy in 1004...
, the wedding is delayed until 1012, when Bolesław I demanded the wedding and sent his son to Germany with gifts to his bride's family, who at that time quarreled with Henry II for Mathilde's dowry
Dowry
A dowry is the money, goods, or estate that a woman brings forth to the marriage. It contrasts with bride price, which is paid to the bride's parents, and dower, which is property settled on the bride herself by the groom at the time of marriage. The same culture may simultaneously practice both...
.
The Emperor took the opportunity of a settlement with the Ezzonen family and in Merseburg
Merseburg
Merseburg is a town in the south of the German state of Saxony-Anhalt on the river Saale, approx. 14 km south of Halle . It is the capital of the Saalekreis district. It had a diocese founded by Archbishop Adalbert of Magdeburg....
he negotiated a temporary peace with Poland. The marriage between Mieszko and Richeza took place in Merseburg, probably during the Pentecost
Pentecost
Pentecost is a prominent feast in the calendar of Ancient Israel celebrating the giving of the Law on Sinai, and also later in the Christian liturgical year commemorating the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples of Christ after the Resurrection of Jesus...
festivities. Among those present were Emperor Henry II and Bolesław I.
After the final peace agreement between the Holy Roman Empire and Poland, which was signed in 1018 in Bautzen
Bautzen
Bautzen is a hill-top town in eastern Saxony, Germany, and administrative centre of the eponymous district. It is located on the Spree River. As of 2008, its population is 41,161...
, Richeza and Mieszko maintained close contacts with the German court. In 1021 they participated in the consecration over part of the Bamberg Cathedral
Bamberg Cathedral
The Bamberg Cathedral is a church in Bamberg, Germany, completed in the 13th century. The cathedral is under the administration of the Roman Catholic Church and is the seat of the Archbishop of Bamberg....
.
Bolesław I the Brave died on 17 June 1025. Six months later, on Christmas Day, Mieszko II Lambert
Mieszko II Lambert
Mieszko II Lambert was King of Poland during 1025–1031, and Duke from 1032 until his death.He was the second son of Bolesław I the Brave, but the eldest born from his third wife Emmilda, daughter of Dobromir, possible ruler of Lusatia. He was probably named after his paternal grandfather, Mieszko I...
and Richeza were crowned King and Queen of Poland by the Archbishop of Gniezno, Hipolit, in the Gniezno Cathedral
Gniezno Cathedral
Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Adalbert is a Gothic cathedral in Gniezno, Poland. The Cathedral is known for its twelfth-century , two-winged bronze doors decorated with scenes of martyrdom of St. Wojciech and a silver relic coffin of that saint...
.
The reign of Mieszko II Lambert
Mieszko II Lambert
Mieszko II Lambert was King of Poland during 1025–1031, and Duke from 1032 until his death.He was the second son of Bolesław I the Brave, but the eldest born from his third wife Emmilda, daughter of Dobromir, possible ruler of Lusatia. He was probably named after his paternal grandfather, Mieszko I...
, however, was short-lived: in 1031, the invasion of both German and Kievan troops against Poland forced him to escape to Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
, where he was imprisoned and castrated by orders of Duke Oldrich. Mieszko II's half-brother Bezprym
Bezprym
Bezprym was a Duke of Poland during 1031–1032.He was the eldest son of Bolesław I the Brave, King of Poland, but was deprived of the succession by his father, who around 1001 sent him to Italy, in order to became a monk at one of Saint Romuald's hermitages in Ravenna.Expelled by his half-brother...
took the government of Poland and began a cruel persecution against the followers of the former King.
The Brauweiler Chronicle indicated that soon after the escape of her husband, Richeza and her children fled to Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
with the Polish royal crown and regalia
Polish Crown Jewels
The only surviving original piece of the Polish Crown Jewels from the time of the Piast dynasty is the ceremonial sword - Szczerbiec. It is currently on display along with other preserved royal items in the Wawel Royal Castle Museum, Kraków....
, which were given to Emperor Conrad II
Conrad II, Holy Roman Emperor
Conrad II was Holy Roman Emperor from 1027 until his death.The son of a mid-level nobleman in Franconia, Count Henry of Speyer and Adelaide of Alsace, he inherited the titles of count of Speyer and of Worms as an infant when Henry died at age twenty...
and she subsequently played an important role in mediating a peace settlement between Poland and the Holy Roman Empire. However, modern historians believe that these facts are not credible.
Richeza and Mieszko II never reunited again; according to some sources, they were either officially divorced or only separated. After Bezprym was murdered in 1032, Mieszko II was released from captivity and returned to Poland, but was forced to divide the country into three parts: between him, his brother Otto
Otto Bolesławowic
Otto Bolesławowic was a Polish prince member of the House of Piast.He was the third son of Bolesław I the Brave but the second born from his third marriage with Emnilda, daughter of Dobromir, a Slavic prince of Lusatia.-Life:...
and their cousin Dytryk. One year later (1033), after Otto was killed and Dytryk expelled from the country, Mieszko II finally reunited all Poland under his domain. However, his sole rule lasted only one year: between 10/11 July 1034, Mieszko II died suddenly, probably killed as consequence of a conspiracy.
Richeza's son Casimir was at that time at the court of his maternal uncle Hermann II, Archbishop of Köln. Only in 1037 the young prince returned to Poland in order to recover his rights over the throne; apparently Richeza also returned with him, although this fact is disputed among historians. Soon after, a barons' rebellion—coupled with the so-called "Pagan Reaction"
Pagan reaction in Poland
The Pagan reaction in Poland was a series of events in the Kingdom of Poland of the 1030s that culminated in a popular uprising. It was caused by dissatifaction with the economic situation and with the process of Christianization.-See also:...
of the commoners—forced both Casimir and Richeza to flee to Germany again. The Queen never returned to Poland.
After returning to the Holy Roman Empire
Lower Rhine
The Lower Rhine flows from Bonn, Germany, to the North Sea at Hoek van Holland, Netherlands.Almost immediately after entering the Netherlands, the Rhine splits into many branches. The main branch is called the Waal which flows from Nijmegen to meet the river Meuse; after which it is called Merwede...
area in which the Ezzonen dynasty tried to build a coherent dominion. Richeza still called herself Queen of Poland, a privilege that was given to her by the Emperor. In Saalfeld Richeza led the Polish opposition which supported her son Casimir, who in 1039, with the help of Conrad II, finally obtain the Polish throne. During the years 1040-1047 Richeza lived in the Klotten
Klotten
Klotten is a winemaking centre and an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Cochem-Zell district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
state in Moselle
Moselle
Moselle is a department in the east of France named after the river Moselle.- History :Moselle is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790...
.
On 7 September 1047 Richeza's brother Otto
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...
, the last male representative of the Ezzonen dynasty who remained, died and with him, the territorial and political objectives of his family. Richeza now inherited large parts of the Ezzonen possessions.
Otto's death seems to have touched Richeza; apparently, they were very close (Otto named his only daughter after her). At his funeral in Brauweiler
Brauweiler
Brauweiler is a part of Pulheim, west of Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany.The former Benedictine abbey, Brauweiler Abbey, founded 1024, is used today by the Rhein Department for the Care of Historic Monuments....
, according to Bruno of Toul (later Pope Leo IX
Pope Leo IX
Pope Saint Leo IX , born Bruno of Eguisheim-Dagsburg, was Pope from February 12, 1049 to his death. He was a German aristocrat and as well as being Pope was a powerful secular ruler of central Italy. He is regarded as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church, with the feast day of April 19...
), she put her fine jewelry on the altar and declared that she devote the rest of her life as a nun and to preserved the memory of the Ezzonen dynasty. Another goal was probably to secure the remaining Ezzonen rights.
By a charter dated on 17 July 1051 is noted that Richeza participated in the reorganization of the Ezzonen properties. She, her sister Theophanu, Abbess of Essen
Essen
- Origin of the name :In German-speaking countries, the name of the city Essen often causes confusion as to its origins, because it is commonly known as the German infinitive of the verb for the act of eating, and/or the German noun for food. Although scholars still dispute the interpretation of...
, and her brother, Hermann II, Archbishop of Köln
KOLN
KOLN, digital channel 10, is the CBS affiliate in Lincoln, Nebraska. It operates a satellite station, KGIN, on digital channel 11 in Grand Island. KGIN repeats all KOLN programming, but airs separate commercials...
, transferred the Abbey of Brauweiler to the Archdiocese of Köln. This originated a dispute with the Emperor, as this transfer had already been done under the reign of Ezzo. This was successfully challenged by Ezzo's surviving children. The reason for the transfer was likely that the future wasn't secured to the descendants of the Ezzonen: From Ezzo's ten children only Richeza and Otto had children. None of these children was in a position of real power over the Ezzonen inheritance. The transfer to the diocese, headed by Hermann II with one of the younger Ezzonen, ensured the cohesion of the property. In 1054 in connection with some donations to the Abbey of Brauweiler, Richeza expressed her desire to be buried there beside her mother. This reorganization, which apparently emanated from the fact that Hermann II would survive his siblings failed, because he died in 1056. The Archbishop of Köln, Anno II, trying to increase the power of his diocese at the expense of the Ezzonen.
Richeza responded to Anno II's ambitions with the formal renunciation of her possessions in Brauweiler to the monastery of Moselle
Moselle
Moselle is a department in the east of France named after the river Moselle.- History :Moselle is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790...
, while reserving the lifelong use of the lands. Brauweiler was the center of Ezzonen memory and should be assured regardless of the powerful economic position of the family. Then Richeza went to Saalfeld, where she met similar arrangements in favor of the Diocese of Würzburg
Würzburg
Würzburg is a city in the region of Franconia which lies in the northern tip of Bavaria, Germany. Located at the Main River, it is the capital of the Regierungsbezirk Lower Franconia. The regional dialect is Franconian....
. Anno II protested against these regulations unsuccessfully. At the end Richeza only maintain her direct rule over the towns of Saalfeld and Coburg
Coburg
Coburg is a town located on the Itz River in Bavaria, Germany. Its 2005 population was 42,015. Long one of the Thuringian states of the Wettin line, it joined with Bavaria by popular vote in 1920...
, but retained the right to use until her death seven other locations in the Rhineland with their additional incomes, and 100 silver pounds per year by the Archdiocese of Köln. Richeza died on 21 March 1063 in Saalfeld.
Controversy over Richeza's heritage
Richeza was buried in KölnKOLN
KOLN, digital channel 10, is the CBS affiliate in Lincoln, Nebraska. It operates a satellite station, KGIN, on digital channel 11 in Grand Island. KGIN repeats all KOLN programming, but airs separate commercials...
's church of St. Maria ad Gradus
St. Maria ad Gradus
St. Maria ad Gradus is the name of a former church located East of the Cathedral of Cologne, Germany, situated between the cathedral and the Rhine....
and not, as she had wished, in Brauweiler
Brauweiler
Brauweiler is a part of Pulheim, west of Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany.The former Benedictine abbey, Brauweiler Abbey, founded 1024, is used today by the Rhein Department for the Care of Historic Monuments....
. This was prompted by Archbishop Anno II, who appealed to an oral agreement with Richeza. The Klotten
Klotten
Klotten is a winemaking centre and an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Cochem-Zell district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
estate donated the Richeza's funeral arrangements to St. Maria ad Gradus, whose relationship with Richeza, Hermann II and Anno II is unclear. Maybe St. Maria ad Gradus was an unfinished work of Richeza's brother and completed by Anno II, who wanted to secured part of the Ezzonen patrimony in this way. The Brauweiler Abbey claimed the validy of the 1051 charter and demanded that Klotten given to them the remains of the Polish Queen.
The dispute was only ended in 1090 when the current Archbishop of Köln, Hermann III, ruled in favor of the monastery of Brauweiler. However, Richeza's grave remained in St. Maria ad Gradus until 1816, when was transferred to the Köln Cathedral
Cologne Cathedral
Cologne Cathedral is a Roman Catholic church in Cologne, Germany. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Cologne and the administration of the Archdiocese of Cologne. It is renowned monument of German Catholicism and Gothic architecture and is a World Heritage Site...
. Her grave was placed in the chapel dedicated to St. John the Baptist in a classic wooden sarcophagus. Besides the coffin, hang two medieval portraits of Richeza and Anno II, who dated from the medieval grave in St. Maria ad Gradus.
Her grave was opened multiple times after the transfer to the Köln Cathedral. The last opening was in 1959 and showed her bones. According to witnesses, Richeza had a small and graceful stature; her collarbone showed traces of a fracture, which may have been caused by falling from a horse. The skull was brownish and skinless, her head wrapped up in her face in substance, and the skull was also a golden dome with a cross grid pattern. Because the skull was praying on a red cushion, was made an exhibition of the late Queen. Richeza's relics are located since then in St. Nicholas church in Brauweiler and since 2002 in the Klotter parish church.
Brauweiler Abbey
Basilica
The Latin word basilica , was originally used to describe a Roman public building, usually located in the forum of a Roman town. Public basilicas began to appear in Hellenistic cities in the 2nd century BC.The term was also applied to buildings used for religious purposes...
with projecting transept to the east apse
Apse
In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
across a crypt. The aisles were groined vaults with flat ceilings in the central nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
. Inside, the nave had five Pfeilerjoche, each of which was half as large as the square crossing. In all the Abbey could see the cross-vaulted ceiling (for example in the aisles, pillars or the crypy) which can be found in many Ezzonen buildings. The crypt was consecrate on 11 December 1051. The consecration of the rest of the construction was on 30 October 1063, seven months after Richeza's death.
The building has distinct references to the Church of St. Maria im Kapitol
St. Maria im Kapitol
St. Maria im Kapitol is an 11th century Romanesque church located in the Kapitol-Viertel in the old town of Cologne, Germany. The Roman Catholic church is based on the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, was dedicated to St. Mary and built between 1040 and 1065...
in Köln
KOLN
KOLN, digital channel 10, is the CBS affiliate in Lincoln, Nebraska. It operates a satellite station, KGIN, on digital channel 11 in Grand Island. KGIN repeats all KOLN programming, but airs separate commercials...
, founded by Richeza's sister Ida. Both crypts are laid out identically, the two bays in Brauweiler, however, was shorter. Also in the upper church, there are clear implications. Also, Brauweiler is reduced as a copy of the Köln Cathedral, probably thanks to the influence of Richeza's brother Hermann II, who in 1040 consecrated the Abbey of Stablo (Stavelot
Stavelot
Stavelot is a Walloon municipality located in the Belgian province of Liège. On January 1, 2006, Stavelot had a total population of 6,671. The total area is 85.07 km² which gives a population density of 78 inhabitants per km².-History:...
).
Richeza planned to made Brauweiler as the Ezzonen family crypt, so in 1051 she placed there the remains of her sister Adelaide, Abbess of Nivelles, and in 1054 transferred the remains of her father from Augsburg to be buried next to her sister.
Richeza's Gospel Book
The Gospel BookGospel Book
The Gospel Book, Evangelion, or Book of the Gospels is a codex or bound volume containing one or more of the four Gospels of the Christian New Testament...
of Queen Richeza (today is in possession of the Hessische Landes-und Darmstadt University), comes from St. Maria ad Gradus, where Richeza (due to large donations of land) had a reserved space in the central nave occupied, normally occupied by the Donors. Whether this was done at the behest of Anno II, or whether it may have made by Richeza, isn't clarified. An indication of the latter thesis, however, is the Gospel Book. The manuscript is in the format of 18 x 13.5 cms is made from 153 pages at the pergamin style. In 150 of the 152 pages of the book the prayer is recorded, which suggests a high-born owner. The following pages contain entries about the Ezzonen memorial. Among these, in addition to Richeza were named Anno II and her parents. The entries can be count with drawns like the Codex style recognized around 1100. The Codex itself is built around 1040, probably in Maasland
Maasland
Maasland is a town in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. It lies in the municipality of Midden-Delfland and covers an area of 24.42 km² ....
, and incomplete in its ornamentation: the Evangelists Mark and Luke are complete drawned, but only in a preliminary sketch. The evangelist Matthew wasn't draw. Possibly can be more precisely from the condition of the Codex date: After 1047, when Richeza assumed her clerical vows, she had no need for a personal representative signature. Whether they remained in their possession and was used together with other relics of Anno II from her estate for St. Maria ad Gradus, or already has been donated to her brother, is unknown.
Literature
- Klaus Gereon Beuckers: Die Ezzonen und ihre Stiftungen. LIT Verlag, Münster 1993, ISBN 3-89473-953-3.
External links
- Materialsammlung zu Richeza auf genealogie-mittelalter.de
- Artikel über Richeza und Klotten