Rikdag
Encyclopedia
Rikdag, Ricdag, Riddag, or Rihdag (died 985) was the Margrave of Meissen (or Thuringia) from 979 until his death. In 982, he acquired the marches of Merseburg and Zeitz
. In 985, he was made count in the Schwabengau
. He temporarily reunited all of the southern marca Geronis
under his command. His march fronted the Chutizi and Dalaminzi tribes.
Ricdag's daughter, Oda or Hunilda, married Boleslaus I Chrobry, who later became the King of Poland. However, this marriage alliance was cut short by the interests of power politics.
In 983, following word of the defeat of the Emperor Otto II at the Battle of Stilo
, the Slavic tribes
bordering eastern Saxony
rebelled. Havelberg
and Brandenburg
were destroyed and the March of Zeitz devastated. Ricdag and Dietrich of the Nordmark joined with the troops of Gisilher, Archbishop of Magdeburg
and the Bishop of Halberstadt and defeated the Slavs at Belkesheim, near Stendal
. Nevertheless, the Germans were once again limited to the land west of the Elbe
.
In 985, Ricdag and his sister, Eilsuit, founded the monastery of Gerbstedt
, in which he was buried and she was first abbess. Ricdag's and Dietrich's deaths in that same year were a severe setback on the middle border. By an unnamed wife, Ricdag, beside the aforementioned Oda, left a son and another daughter: Charles (died 28 April 1014), who was count in the Schwabengau in 992 and who was unjustly deprived of his benefices because of false accusations, and Gerburga (died 30 October 1022), who was later abbess of Quedlinburg
.
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 985, he was made count in 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....
. He temporarily reunited all of the southern 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...
under his command. His march fronted the Chutizi and Dalaminzi tribes.
Ricdag's daughter, Oda or Hunilda, married Boleslaus I Chrobry, who later became the King of Poland. However, this marriage alliance was cut short by the interests of power politics.
In 983, following word of the defeat of the Emperor Otto II at the Battle of Stilo
Battle of Stilo
The Battle of Stilo or Cape Colonna was fought on 13 or 14 July 982 near Crotone in Calabria between the forces of the Emperor Otto II and his Italo-Lombard allies and those of the Kalbid emir of Sicily, Abu al-Qasim...
, the Slavic tribes
Slavic peoples
The Slavic people are an Indo-European panethnicity living in Eastern Europe, Southeast Europe, North Asia and Central Asia. The term Slavic represents a broad ethno-linguistic group of people, who speak languages belonging to the Slavic language family and share, to varying degrees, certain...
bordering eastern 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...
rebelled. Havelberg
Havelberg
Havelberg is a town in the district of Stendal, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated on the Havel, and part of the town is built on an island in the centre of the river. The two parts were incorporated as a town in 1875...
and Brandenburg
Brandenburg
Brandenburg is one of the sixteen federal-states of Germany. It lies in the east of the country and is one of the new federal states that were re-created in 1990 upon the reunification of the former West Germany and East Germany. The capital is Potsdam...
were destroyed and the March of Zeitz devastated. Ricdag and Dietrich of the Nordmark joined with the troops of Gisilher, Archbishop of Magdeburg
Gisilher, Archbishop of Magdeburg
Gisilher, Gisiler, Giseler, or Giselmar was the second Archbishop of Magdeburg, succeeding Saint Adalbert, from 1004 until his death. In 981, the Diocese of Merseburg was united to that of Magdeburg. It was only separated on Gisilher's death.From 971 to 981, Gisilher was the Bishop of the new see...
and the Bishop of Halberstadt and defeated the Slavs at Belkesheim, near Stendal
Stendal
Stendal is a town in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is the capital of Stendal District and unofficial capital of the Altmark. Its population in 2001 was 38,900. It is located some west of Berlin and around east of Hanover...
. Nevertheless, the Germans were once again limited to the land west of 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...
.
In 985, Ricdag and his sister, Eilsuit, founded the monastery of Gerbstedt
Gerbstedt
Gerbstedt is a small town in Saxony-Anhalt, district Mansfeld-Südharz. By tradition it was the town of copper miners and tanners , which gave the name for the town.-Location:...
, in which he was buried and she was first abbess. Ricdag's and Dietrich's deaths in that same year were a severe setback on the middle border. By an unnamed wife, Ricdag, beside the aforementioned Oda, left a son and another daughter: Charles (died 28 April 1014), who was count in the Schwabengau in 992 and who was unjustly deprived of his benefices because of false accusations, and Gerburga (died 30 October 1022), who was later abbess of Quedlinburg
Quedlinburg
Quedlinburg is a town located north of the Harz mountains, in the district of Harz in the west of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. In 1994 the medieval court and the old town was set on the UNESCO world heritage list....
.