Matilda of Sulzbach
Encyclopedia
Matilda of Sulzbach was the wife of Engelbert III of Istria
. Different dates of death are given in the necrologies of Baumburg Abbey and two monasteries of Salzburg
.
. In 1111, Berengar was among the nobles attending the coronation of Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor
. He is mentioned among the sureties
of documents related to the coronation. In 1120, Berengar is recorded granting a donation to the Prince-Bishopric of Bamberg
. He is mentioned as the founder of Berchtesgaden
and Baumburg
. He was also a co-founder of Kastl Abbey
. He was one of the rulers who signed the Concordat of Worms
(23 September 1122). In August, 1125, Berengar is mentioned in documents of Lothair III
, King of the Romans
. The death of Berengar is mentioned four months later.
The identity of her mother is mentioned in the "Kastler Reimchronik", Vers 525. Adelheid is mentioned in various other documents of the 12th century as "Countess of Sulzbach", without mentioning her husband. "De Fundatoribus Monasterii Diessenses" contains a rather confused genealogy concerning her two most prominent daughters. Otto II, Count of Wolfratshausen
, father of Adelheid, is given as father to Richenza
, "Empress" and "Maria, Empress of the Greeks". Richenza was the empress of Lothair III. The author of the text had apparently confused her with Gertrude von Sulzbach
, wife of Conrad III of Germany
. Maria is probably a confusion for "Irene" the baptismal name of Bertha of Sulzbach
, wife of Manuel I Komnenos
. Both were actually granddaughters of Otto, children of Berengar and Adelheid. They were also sisters of Matilda.
The known siblings of Matilda include (1)Gebhard III, Count of Sulzbach, (2)Adelheid, Abbess of Niedernburg at Passau (3)Gertrude of Sulzbach, German Queen, (4)Bertha of Sulzbach, Byzantine Empress and (5)Luitgarde, wife first of Godfrey II of Leuven
and secondly of Hugo XII, Count of Dagsburg and Metz.
Berengar II was a son of Gebhard II, Count of Sulzbach and Irmgard of Rott. Irmgard was a daughter of Kuno I of Rott, founder of Rott Abbey
, and his wife Uta. There is a theory identifying her mother as a daughter of Frederick III, Count of Diessen. However this is not confirmed by primary sources. Irmgard is mentioned as the founder of Berchtesgaden
monastery. There is mention of her marrying twice but the identity of her second husband is disputed. The most likely candidate is Kuno, Count of Horburg.
Gebhard II is considered a namesake son of Gebhard I, Count of Sulzbach. Gebhard I is the first person known to have used this title. On 28 November 1043, Gebhard was granted property by charter of Henry III, King of Germany
. There his mother is mentioned as "Adalheit". The "Genealogischen Tafeln zur mitteleuropäischen Geschichte" (1965–1967) by W. Wegener identifies her as Adelaide of Susa
. The father therefore being Herman IV, Duke of Swabia
. This theory has gained some acceptance. However Charles Cawley notes that this would place his birth c. 1037-1038. In order for Gebhard to have grandchildren by the 1080s, "this would require a succession of teenage bridegrooms which seems improbable." Wegener theorises the wife of Gebhard I to have been a daughter of Berengar, Count of Nordgau. He suggests that Sulzbach was part of her dowry. Cawley considers the theory to stand only on "the transmission of the name Berengar into her husband's family." Otherwise no connection between the families is known to exist.
. Her husband witnessed the granting of the Privilegium Minus
creating the Duchy of Austria. They had four children:
Engelbert III of Istria
Engelbert III was the Margrave of Istria. from 1124 until his death. He was a Sponheimer, the eldest son of Engelbert II and Uta of Passau. He succeeded his father in Istria when his father was raised to the Duchy of Carinthia. He is sometimes numbered Engelbert II of Istria.From 1135 to 1137...
. Different dates of death are given in the necrologies of Baumburg Abbey and two monasteries of Salzburg
Salzburg
-Population development:In 1935, the population significantly increased when Salzburg absorbed adjacent municipalities. After World War II, numerous refugees found a new home in the city. New residential space was created for American soldiers of the postwar Occupation, and could be used for...
.
Family
She was a daughter of Berengar II, Count of Sulzbach (c. 1080 – 3 December 1125) and his second wife Adelheid of WolfratshausenAdelheid of Wolfratshausen
Adelheid of Wolfratshausen was the second wife of Berengar II, Count of Sulzbach. Slightly different dates for her death are given in the necrologies of Tegernsee and the Salzburg Cathedral. -Family:...
. In 1111, Berengar was among the nobles attending the coronation of Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor
Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor
Henry V was King of Germany and Holy Roman Emperor , the fourth and last ruler of the Salian dynasty. Henry's reign coincided with the final phase of the great Investiture Controversy, which had pitted pope against emperor...
. He is mentioned among the sureties
Surety
A surety or guarantee, in finance, is a promise by one party to assume responsibility for the debt obligation of a borrower if that borrower defaults...
of documents related to the coronation. In 1120, Berengar is recorded granting a donation to the Prince-Bishopric of Bamberg
Prince-Bishopric of Bamberg
The Bishopric of Bamberg was established in 1007, to further expand the spread of Christianity in Germany. The ecclesiastical state was a member of the Holy Roman Empire from about 1245 until it was subsumed to the Electorate of Bavaria in 1802...
. He is mentioned as the founder of Berchtesgaden
Berchtesgaden
Berchtesgaden is a municipality in the German Bavarian Alps. It is located in the south district of Berchtesgadener Land in Bavaria, near the border with Austria, some 30 km south of Salzburg and 180 km southeast of Munich...
and Baumburg
Traunstein (district)
Traunstein is a Kreis in the southeastern part of Bavaria, Germany. Neighboring districts are Mühldorf, Altötting, the Austrian states Upper Austria and Salzburg, the district Berchtesgadener Land, the Austrian states of Salzburg and Tyrol, and the district Rosenheim.-Geography:The district is...
. He was also a co-founder of Kastl Abbey
Kastl Abbey
Kastl Abbey is a former Benedictine monastery in Kastl in the Upper Palatinate, Bavaria.-History:The monastery, dedicated to Saint Peter, was founded in 1103, or shortly before, by Count Berengar I of Sulzbach together with Frederick and Otto, Counts of Kastl-Habsberg.It was dissolved in 1563 in...
. He was one of the rulers who signed the Concordat of Worms
Concordat of Worms
The Concordat of Worms, sometimes called the Pactum Calixtinum by papal historians, was an agreement between Pope Calixtus II and Holy Roman Emperor Henry V on September 23, 1122 near the city of Worms...
(23 September 1122). In August, 1125, Berengar is mentioned in documents of Lothair III
Lothair III, Holy Roman Emperor
Lothair III of Supplinburg , was Duke of Saxony , King of Germany , and Holy Roman Emperor from 1133 to 1137. The son of Count Gebhard of Supplinburg, his reign was troubled by the constant intriguing of Frederick I, Duke of Swabia and Duke Conrad of Franconia...
, King of the Romans
King of the Romans
King of the Romans was the title used by the ruler of the Holy Roman Empire following his election to the office by the princes of the Kingdom of Germany...
. The death of Berengar is mentioned four months later.
The identity of her mother is mentioned in the "Kastler Reimchronik", Vers 525. Adelheid is mentioned in various other documents of the 12th century as "Countess of Sulzbach", without mentioning her husband. "De Fundatoribus Monasterii Diessenses" contains a rather confused genealogy concerning her two most prominent daughters. Otto II, Count of Wolfratshausen
Wolfratshausen
Wolfratshausen is a town of the district of Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen, located in Bavaria, Germany. The town had a population of 17,118 as of 31 December 2003.-History:...
, father of Adelheid, is given as father to Richenza
Richenza of Northeim
Richenza of Northeim was a member of the dynasty of the Counts of Northeim, and a German Empress.She was the daughter of Henry the Fat of Northeim and Gertrud of Brunswick of the Brunonen dynasty....
, "Empress" and "Maria, Empress of the Greeks". Richenza was the empress of Lothair III. The author of the text had apparently confused her with Gertrude von Sulzbach
Gertrude von Sulzbach
Gertrude of Sulzbach was German Queen . She was the second wife of Conrad III of Germany.-Family:...
, wife of Conrad III of Germany
Conrad III of Germany
Conrad III was the first King of Germany of the Hohenstaufen dynasty. He was the son of Frederick I, Duke of Swabia, and Agnes, a daughter of the Salian Emperor Henry IV.-Life and reign:...
. Maria is probably a confusion for "Irene" the baptismal name of Bertha of Sulzbach
Bertha of Sulzbach
Bertha of Sulzbach was the first wife and Empress of Byzantine Emperor Manuel I Comnenus.-Family:...
, wife of Manuel I Komnenos
Manuel I Komnenos
Manuel I Komnenos was a Byzantine Emperor of the 12th century who reigned over a crucial turning point in the history of Byzantium and the Mediterranean....
. Both were actually granddaughters of Otto, children of Berengar and Adelheid. They were also sisters of Matilda.
The known siblings of Matilda include (1)Gebhard III, Count of Sulzbach, (2)Adelheid, Abbess of Niedernburg at Passau (3)Gertrude of Sulzbach, German Queen, (4)Bertha of Sulzbach, Byzantine Empress and (5)Luitgarde, wife first of Godfrey II of Leuven
Godfrey II of Leuven
Godfrey II was the count of Leuven, landgrave of Brabant by inheritance from 23 January 1139. He was the son of Godfrey I and Ida of Chiny...
and secondly of Hugo XII, Count of Dagsburg and Metz.
Berengar II was a son of Gebhard II, Count of Sulzbach and Irmgard of Rott. Irmgard was a daughter of Kuno I of Rott, founder of Rott Abbey
Rott Abbey
Rott Abbey was a Benedictine monastery in Rott am Inn in Bavaria, Germany.-History:The monastery, dedicated to Saints Marinus and Anianus, was founded by Count Kuno of Rott ....
, and his wife Uta. There is a theory identifying her mother as a daughter of Frederick III, Count of Diessen. However this is not confirmed by primary sources. Irmgard is mentioned as the founder of Berchtesgaden
Berchtesgaden
Berchtesgaden is a municipality in the German Bavarian Alps. It is located in the south district of Berchtesgadener Land in Bavaria, near the border with Austria, some 30 km south of Salzburg and 180 km southeast of Munich...
monastery. There is mention of her marrying twice but the identity of her second husband is disputed. The most likely candidate is Kuno, Count of Horburg.
Gebhard II is considered a namesake son of Gebhard I, Count of Sulzbach. Gebhard I is the first person known to have used this title. On 28 November 1043, Gebhard was granted property by charter of Henry III, King of Germany
Henry III, Holy Roman Emperor
Henry III , called the Black or the Pious, was a member of the Salian Dynasty of Holy Roman Emperors...
. There his mother is mentioned as "Adalheit". The "Genealogischen Tafeln zur mitteleuropäischen Geschichte" (1965–1967) by W. Wegener identifies her as Adelaide of Susa
Adelaide of Susa
Adelaide of Susa was the Marchioness of Turin from 1034 to her death. She moved the seat of the march from Turin to Susa and settled the itinerant court there...
. The father therefore being Herman IV, Duke of Swabia
Herman IV, Duke of Swabia
Herman IV was the Duke of Swabia . He was the second son of Ernest I and Gisela of Swabia. He was one of the Babenberg dukes of Swabia.Herman became duke in 1030 following the death of his older brother Ernest II...
. This theory has gained some acceptance. However Charles Cawley notes that this would place his birth c. 1037-1038. In order for Gebhard to have grandchildren by the 1080s, "this would require a succession of teenage bridegrooms which seems improbable." Wegener theorises the wife of Gebhard I to have been a daughter of Berengar, Count of Nordgau. He suggests that Sulzbach was part of her dowry. Cawley considers the theory to stand only on "the transmission of the name Berengar into her husband's family." Otherwise no connection between the families is known to exist.
Marriage
Matilda married Engelbert III of IstriaEngelbert III of Istria
Engelbert III was the Margrave of Istria. from 1124 until his death. He was a Sponheimer, the eldest son of Engelbert II and Uta of Passau. He succeeded his father in Istria when his father was raised to the Duchy of Carinthia. He is sometimes numbered Engelbert II of Istria.From 1135 to 1137...
. Her husband witnessed the granting of the Privilegium Minus
Privilegium Minus
The Privilegium Minus is a document issued by Emperor Frederick I on September 17, 1156. It included the elevation of the Margraviate of Austria to a Duchy, which was given as an inheritable fief to the House of Babenberg. Its recipient was Frederick's paternal uncle Margrave Henry II Jasomirgott...
creating the Duchy of Austria. They had four children:
- Henry, who inherited Carinthia from his grandfather in 1144. Henry married Elizabeth of Styria, a daughter of Leopold of StyriaLeopold of StyriaLeopold the Strong was Margrave of Styria from 1122 to 1129. He was the son of Margrave Ottokar II of Styria and Elisabeth of Austria from the Babenberg family. His wife was Sophie of Bavaria. He was succeeded by his son Margrave Ottokar III of Styria....
. - Urlic, Count of Laibach (LjubljanaLjubljanaLjubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants...
) - Godfrey, a priest.
- Herman IIHerman II, Duke of CarinthiaHerman II of Sponheim, Duke of Carinthia ruled the Duchy of Carinthia from 1161 to his death. -Family:A scion of the House of Sponheim, he was a son of Margrave Engelbert III of Istria and Matilda of Sulzbach...
, succeeded his brother in Carinthia.