Thietmar, Margrave of Meissen
Encyclopedia
Thietmar (c. 925 – 3 August 979) was the Margrave of Meissen from 970 until his death. Thietmar was the eldest of three brothers, all sons of Hidda, sister of Gero the Great
, and Count Christian of Thuringia. His brothers were Gero, Archbishop of Cologne
, and Odo I, Margrave of the Saxon Ostmark
.
In 951, he was first recorded as Count of Gau Serimunt, following his father Christian. Between 951 and 978, he was also Count of Schwabengau
. After the death of his uncle Gero in 965, Thietmar inherited large parts of whose Marca Geronis
.
He married Schwanehilde (Suanhild), daughter of Margrave Hermann Billung, and had one son: Gero II
, who in 993 would become Margrave of the Saxon Eastern March
. On 29 August 970, Thietmar and his brother Gero founded the abbey of Thankmarsfelde
, which between 971 and 975 became a royal monastery. It was moved to Nienburg
on the Saale
river at the mouth of the Bode
in 975 and that is where Thietmar is buried. In the years which followed, Thietmar and Gero made further donations of land to the monastery.
Thietmar was succeeded by Rikdag
. His widow Suanhilde married Rikdag's successor Eckard I
.
Gero
Gero I , called the Great , ruled an initially modest march centred on Merseburg, which he expanded into a vast territory named after him: the marca Geronis. During the mid-10th century, he was the leader of the Saxon Drang nach Osten.-Succession and early conflicts:Gero was the son of Count...
, and Count Christian of Thuringia. His brothers were Gero, Archbishop of Cologne
Gero, Archbishop of Cologne
Gero was the Archbishop of Cologne from 969 until his death.Gero originated from Thuringia. He and Thietmar, Margrave of Meissen, were the sons of Hidda, sister of Gero the Great, and Christian of Thuringia. On 29 August 970, he and his brother donated part of their inheritance for the foundation...
, and Odo I, Margrave of the Saxon Ostmark
Odo I, Margrave of the Saxon Ostmark
Odo I was the Margrave of the Saxon Ostmark from 965 until his death....
.
In 951, he was first recorded as Count of Gau Serimunt, following his father Christian. Between 951 and 978, he was also Count of 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....
. After the death of his uncle Gero in 965, Thietmar inherited large parts of whose 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...
.
He married Schwanehilde (Suanhild), daughter of Margrave Hermann Billung, and had one son: Gero II
Gero II, Margrave of the Saxon Ostmark
Gero II was the eldest son of Thietmar, Margrave of Meissen, and Schwanehilde , daughter of Herman, Duke of Saxony. He was therefore probably a grandson of Hidda and Christian of Thuringia and named for his great uncle Gero the Great...
, who in 993 would become Margrave of the Saxon Eastern March
Saxon Eastern March
The Saxon Eastern March or Ostmark was a march of the Holy Roman Empire from the 10th until the 12th century. The term "eastern march" or "ostmark" comes from the Latin term marchia Orientalis and originally could refer to either a march created on the eastern frontier of the Duchy of Saxony or...
. On 29 August 970, Thietmar and his brother Gero founded the abbey of Thankmarsfelde
Nienburg Abbey
Nienburg Abbey was a Benedictine monastery in Nienburg in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany.- Abbey :Nienburg was for centuries on the extreme eastern edge of the settled territory of Germany...
, which between 971 and 975 became a royal monastery. It was moved to Nienburg
Nienburg, Saxony-Anhalt
Nienburg is a town in the district of Salzlandkreis in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is located in the lower Saale valley, approx. 5 km northeast of Bernburg. In June 2005 its population was 4,449.Nienburg is first mentioned in travel records dating from 961...
on the Saale
Saale
The Saale, also known as the Saxon Saale and Thuringian Saale , is a river in Germany and a left-bank tributary of the Elbe. It is not to be confused with the smaller Franconian Saale, a right-bank tributary of the Main, or the Saale in Lower Saxony, a tributary of the Leine.-Course:The Saale...
river at the mouth of the Bode
Bode
Bode may refer to:in people by surname:*Boyd Henry Bode , American academic and philosopher*Bruce Bode, MD, FACE, American diabetes specialist*Denise Bode , American politician*Erin Bode, American singer...
in 975 and that is where Thietmar is buried. In the years which followed, Thietmar and Gero made further donations of land to the monastery.
Thietmar was succeeded by Rikdag
Rikdag
Rikdag, Ricdag, Riddag, or Rihdag was the Margrave of Meissen 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 widow Suanhilde married Rikdag's successor Eckard I
Eckard I, Margrave of Meissen
Eckard I was Margrave of Meissen from 985 until his death, the first margrave of the Ekkehardinger family that dominated Meissen until the extinction of the line in 1046.-Life:...
.
Sources
- Foundation for Medieval Genealogy: Nobility of Meissen.