Dietrich's Family
Dietrich
also spelled Thiederich
Mathilde
Reinhild
Thietmari
Chron. Lib. 1 in Monumenta Germaniæ
Historica SS 3 p737 (ed. G. H. Pertz, 1839)
per
affines legatosque suos filiam Theodrici et Reinildae, ex Widicinni
regis tribu exortam, interpellat,
This roughly translates as:
Through his
relatives and ambassadors, he appeals to the daughter of Theodoric and
Reinhilda, descended from the tribe of King Widicinn.
- Mathilde ( ? - 968)
- Bia
- Friderun ( ? - 971)
- Amalrada
Count in Westpahlia, a region of
Saxony
Vita
Mathildis Reginæ in Monumenta Germaniæ
Historica SS 4 p285 (ed. G. H. Pertz, 1841)
A
posteris ergo eiusdem Witikini, egregii ducis, processit stirps
beatissimae Mahthildis. Cuius pater, nomine Thietricus, in occidentali
regione comes fuerat gloriosus, et venerabilem Reinhildam, Danorum
Fresonumque germine procreatam, moribus probabilem, sibimet adiunxerat
coniugem. Qui meruit dono Dei gignere infantem hominibus amabilem. O
felix partus huius infantis, cui gratia Christi postmodum contigit
dignitas regalis! Nam extitit gloria parentum, laetitia propinquorum,
spes hereditatis, et decus totius futurae sobolis, amabilis dum
nascitur, et amabilior dum nutritur. Quid plura? Tunc temporis raro
videbatur infans talis. Cum ergo illustris parvula esset ablactata,
desideravit abbatissa Mahthild, mater Thietrici comitis, quae in
Herivordinense sedem possedit abbatiae, praefatam puellam nutriendam
suscipere. Parentes autem illius consentientes petitioni abbatissae,
sibimet ad procurandum commendabant, ut illam doceret sacras lectiones
et manuum operationes.
This roughly translates as:
From the
descendants of the same Witikin, the illustrious duke, the line of the
most blessed Mathilda proceeded. Her father, named Thietric, had been a
glorious count in the western region, and had taken to himself as his
wife the venerable Reinhilda, a descendant of the Danes and Frisians, of
good character. Who deserved, by the gift of God, to give birth to an
infant beloved by men. O happy birth of this infant, to whom, by the
grace of Christ, royal dignity afterwards befell! For she was the glory
of her parents, the joy of her relatives, the hope of her inheritance,
and the glory of all her future offspring, beloved while she was born,
and more beloved while she was nourished. What more could there be? At
that time such an infant was rarely seen. When therefore the illustrious
little girl was weaned, the abbess Mathilda, mother of count Thietric,
who had the seat of an abbey in Herford, desired to take the
aforementioned girl for nursing. Her parents, however, consenting to the
abbess's request, recommended to themselves that she should be taught
sacred lessons and manual labor.
Mathilde
Widukindi
Res Gestæ Saxonicæ Liber 1 in Monumenta
Germaniæ Historica SS 3 p431 (ed. G. H. Pertz, 1839)
Erat
namque ipsa domina regina filia Thiadrici, cujus fratres erant
Widukind, Immed et Reginbern. Reginbern autem ipse erat, qui pugnavit
contra Danos, multo tempore Saxoniam vastantes, vicitque eos, liberans
patriam ab illorum incursionibus usque in hodiernum diem; et hi erant
stirpis magni ducis Widukindi, qui bellum potens gessit contra magnum
Karolum per triginta ferme annos.
This roughly translates as:
For the lady
queen herself was the daughter of Thiadric, whose brothers were
Widukind, Immed, and Reginbern. Reginbern was the one who fought against
the Danes, who for a long time were ravaging Saxony, and defeated them,
freeing his country from their invasions to this day; and these were the
descendants of the great Duke Widukind, who waged a mighty war against
the great Charlemagne for about thirty years.
Abbess of Herford
Vita
Mathildis Reginæ in Monumenta Germaniæ
Historica SS 4 p285 (ed. G. H. Pertz, 1841)
Cum
ergo illustris parvula esset ablactata, desideravit abbatissa
Mahthild, mater Thietrici comitis, quae in Herivordinense sedem
possedit abbatiae, praefatam puellam nutriendam suscipere. Parentes
autem illius consentientes petitioni abbatissae, sibimet ad
procurandum commendabant, ut illam doceret sacras lectiones et manuum
operationes.
This roughly translates as:
When therefore
the illustrious little girl was weaned, the abbess Mathilda, mother of
count Thietric, who had the seat of an abbey in Herford, desired to take
the aforementioned girl for nursing. Her parents, however, consenting to
the abbess's request, recommended to themselves that she should be
taught sacred lessons and manual labor.
Mathilde
 |
Heinrich I "der Vogelsteller" and his
second wife Mathilde as depicted in the Wolfenbüttel manuscript of
the Chronica sancti Pantaleonis
from the second half of the 12th century
|
Dietrich
Reinhild
Heinrich
I "der Vogelsteller" in 909 in Wallhausen,
Saxony
Thietmari
Chron. Lib. 1 in Monumenta Germaniæ
Historica SS 3 p737 (ed. G. H. Pertz, 1839)
mens
regis ab amore uxoris decrescens, ob pulcritudinem et rem cuiusdam
virginis, nomine Mathildis, secreto flagravit. Iam iamque latentis
animi fervor erupit; et iniusto se hactenus multum peccasse conubio,
tandem professus, per affines legatosque suos filiam Theodrici et
Reinildae, ex Widicinni regis tribu exortam, interpellat, ut sibi
voluisset satisfacere. Et quia flexibilis est mulieris animus, et quia
sciebat eum in cunctis eligantem, consensit, coniunctaque ei tam in
divinis quam in humanis profuit. Que tres filios congruo pariens in
tempore, Ottonem, Heinricum et Brunonem, prospere educavit, doloremque
partus tantae stirpis dulcedine superavit.
This roughly translates as:
the king's
mind, declining from his love for his wife, was secretly inflamed by the
beauty and virtue of a certain maiden, named Mathilde. Now and then the
ardor of his latent mind burst forth; and, at length confessing that he
had hitherto sinned greatly by his unjust marriage, he, through his
relatives and ambassadors, appealed to the daughter of Theodoric and
Reinhilde, descended from the tribe of King Widicin, to make amends for
her. And because a woman's mind is flexible, and because she knew that
he was selective in all things, she consented, and being united to him
benefited both in divine and human matters. She gave birth to three sons
at the right time, Otto, Henry, and Bruno, and successfully raised them,
and overcame the pain of childbirth with the sweetness of such a
lineage.
Vita
Mathildis Reginæ in Monumenta Germaniæ
Historica SS 4 p284 (ed. G. H. Pertz, 1841)
Interim
illorum pervenit ad aures, in coenobio Herivordinense egregiam
hospitare puellam, nomine Mahthildam, genere nobilem, specie
exoptabilem, et moribus illustrem, ut cum ava sua abbatissa disceret
psalmodialem librum et industrias operum. Haec etiam virgo traxit
egregium genus a venerabili viro Witikino, qui in occidentali regione
dux fuerat gloriosus, opibus pollens et dignitatis honore multos
praecellens.
This roughly translates as:
Meanwhile, it
came to their ears that in a convent in Herford there was an excellent
girl, named Mathilda, of noble lineage, desirable in appearance, and
illustrious in character, who, with her grandmother the abbess, was
learning the psalmody and the arts of works. This maiden also descended
from an excellent lineage from the venerable man Witikinus, who had been
a glorious leader in the western region, powerful in wealth and
surpassing many in honor and dignity.
Vita
Mathildis Reginæ in Monumenta Germaniæ
Historica SS 4 p287 (ed. G. H. Pertz, 1841)
6. De procreatione liberorum suorum. Deus autem omnipotens,
sibi servientes numquam derelinquens, elementer inspexit bona opera
regis Heinrici et beatissimae Mahthildis, atque illis multiplicavit
excellentiam nobilissimae prolis. Beatus etiam partus, qui in utroque
sexu enituit pulcherrimus, nec particulatim comprehenditur, nec
penitus reticetur. Otto praeclarus, ante regalem dignitatem
procreatus, natu fuerat maximus, forma insignis et moribus illustris.
Heinricus autem, in regali solio natus, iunior fuit annis, sed haud
inferior excellentia probitatis. Huic nimirum tanta inerat
pulchritudo, ut tunc temporis vix posset alicui comparari viro.
Industria, armis, vultu patri fuerat consimilis; in omni autem
tolerantia adversitatis caute observabat vestigia inclitae genitricis,
et propter haec specialiter dilectus sanctae Dei; quasi esset unicus
illius, confovens eum omnibus deliciis, ceteris in amore praeposuit
filiis, atque desideravit ipsum regno potiri post obitum incliti regis
Heinrici, si permissu Dei voluntas illius posset adimpleri. Hinc etiam
venit puero prima labes mali, et ob hoc Otto egregius contra fratrem
parumper est commotus, talique modo inter ipsos crescebat invidia et
lis assidua. Bruno vero, aetate minimus, sed honestate morum haud
infimus, in annis puerilibus scolasticae deditus censurae, divino
famulatui insudabat die tenus.
This roughly translates as:
6. On
the procreation of his children. But God Almighty, never
abandoning those who serve Him, clearly looked upon the good works of
King Henry and the most blessed Matilda, and multiplied to them the
excellence of the most noble offspring. The blessed birth, which shone
forth most beautifully in both sexes, is neither comprehended in detail
nor completely concealed. The illustrious Otto, begotten before the
royal dignity, had been born the eldest, distinguished in form and
illustrious in character. But Henry, born on the royal throne, was
younger in years, but not inferior in the excellence of probity. Surely
there was such beauty in him that at that time it could hardly be
compared to any man. In industry, in arms, and in appearance he was like
his father; but in all his endurance of adversity he carefully observed
the footsteps of his illustrious mother, and for this reason he was
specially beloved of the holy God; As if he were her only son, she
cherished him with all her delights, and in love she preferred him to
her other sons, and desired that he should inherit the kingdom after the
death of the illustrious King Henry, if by God's permission his will
could be fulfilled. Hence also came the first stain of evil in the boy,
and for this reason the illustrious Otto was for a while agitated
against his brother, and in this way envy and constant quarrel grew
between them. But Bruno, the youngest in age, but not the least in the
honesty of his manners, in his boyhood years given to scholastic
censure, toiled in divine service until daybreak.
Vita
Mathildis Reginæ in Monumenta Germaniæ
Historica SS 4 pp285-6 (ed. G. H. Pertz, 1841)
A
posteris ergo eiusdem Witikini, egregii ducis, processit stirps
beatissimae Mahthildis. Cuius pater, nomine Thietricus, in occidentali
regione comes fuerat gloriosus, et venerabilem Reinhildam, Danorum
Fresonumque germine procreatam, moribus probabilem, sibimet adiunxerat
coniugem. Qui meruit dono Dei gignere infantem hominibus amabilem. O
felix partus huius infantis, cui gratia Christi postmodum contigit
dignitas regalis! Nam extitit gloria parentum, laetitia propinquorum,
spes hereditatis, et decus totius futurae sobolis, amabilis dum
nascitur, et amabilior dum nutritur. Quid plura? Tunc temporis raro
videbatur infans talis. Cum ergo illustris parvula esset ablactata,
desideravit abbatissa Mahthild, mater Thietrici comitis, quae in
Herivordinense sedem possedit abbatiae, praefatam puellam nutriendam
suscipere. Parentes autem illius consentientes petitioni abbatissae,
sibimet ad procurandum commendabant, ut illam doceret sacras lectiones
et manuum operationes.
3. De desponsatione Mahthildis. Puella igitur insignis
mirum in modum proficiebat in cunctis, aetate tenera, probitate
grandaeva, capax in studio disciplinae litteralis et operum
industriis. Cum autem ubique divulgaretur virtus illius laudabilis,
etiam pervenit ad aures praeclari ducis Ottonis, qui statim misit suum
comitem Thietmarum haec ad explorandum [909]. Ille vero, praecepto
ducis obediens, ad supra memoratum coenobium iter acceleravit ardens,
et statim adiens cubiculum matronarum eidem puellae iussu abbatissae
servientium, ac adminiculo earum clam se inferens monasterio,
diligenter perspexit formam virginis herilem et mire laudabilem.
Igitur tacite investigatis et caute consideratis omnibus quae
desiderabat, domino suo reportavit hilaris cuncta quae viderat. Die
vero sequenti dux Otto disposuit ire suum filium Heinricum ad
praefatum coenobium una cum comite Thietmaro, suo magistro, ut cauta
consideratione perspicerent, si forma moresque puellae sibimet
convenirent. Elegit itaque non paucos iuvenes, genere et specie
elegantes, qui comitarentur iuvenem Heinricum, quo se iactantius
ferret ad praedestinatum locum. Appropinquantes autem monasterio,
castra metati sunt in campo; pauci vero illorum quasi causa orationis
ingressi oratorium, viderunt virginem intus sedentem et psalterium
manu tenentem, honestissimam habitu et admodum reverendo cultu.
Heinricus autem, eximiae virginis amore succensus, interdixit sociis
ne cuiquam indicarent qua causa huc venissent; statimque ad castrum
revertebatur, ubi cetera pars iuvenum commorabatur. Et induens se
herili ornatu, templum denuo intravit multo comitatu, postulans sibi
copiam dari abbatissam alloquendi. Quae etiam procedens, ipsum
cunctosque suos satellites suscepit gaudens. Postquam autem invicem
dedissent verba salutationis, secum duxit iuvenem Heinricum una cum
comite Thietmaro in suum cubiculum, et familiare cum eis in longum
produxit colloquium. Egregius vero iuvenis interim sumens fiduciam
animi, paulatim incepit sermonem de virgine, interrogans quantum
provecta esset aetate aut qualis staturae; postremo etiam desideravit
sibi licentiam dari ipsam conspiciendi. Qua evocata praecepto
abbatissae, apparuit in ea virginalis incessus et verae pudicitiae
habitus, frons serenus et speciosus ad intuendum vultus in candore
liliis extitit persimilis, in vivido autem colore assimulabatur
rosarum foliis. Hanc tanti decoris ut vidit egregius iuvenis, minime
valens diutius celare amorem cordis, postulavit prece instanti, ipsam
virginem sibi desponderi. Contra haec abbatissa oculos deiecit, et
nutanti animo in responsione diu haesitavit. Cum autem magis ac magis
perseveraret adolescens in incepto petitionis, tandem domina talibus
respondebat verbis: Non est nostrum, eam nuptam dare alicui absque
consilio et consensu parentum; dignum est enim ut a nobis integra
fide illis restituatur, ex quibus nostrae procurationi commendata
est. Quin etiam nobis versatur in dubio, si alterius viri eam
decreverunt thalamo; nam illam desiderabant perplures genere et
forma illustres. Quamquam autem nobis sit incognitum, quem de his
velint eligere generum, adimplebimus tamen vestrum votum; et si Dei
aderit voluntas, nostra de parte non tardamus nuptias, quia
excellentia vestri generis crebro insonuit auribus nostris, et hoc
non est minima pars foederis, quod ipse ad nos iter direxistis.
Haut mora, ornamentis honeste paratis, quae congrua erant
desponsationi virginis, sequenti die Heinricus secum duxit venerabilem
virginem in partes Saxoniae. Tunc circumducebatur per civitates
egregii ducis Ottonis a comite Thietmaro et militibus ceteris, donec
in Walohusun praeparabatur convivium nuptiale magno honore, uti decuit
illos, qui postea imperabant gentibus plurimis; ibi perfruebantur
connubiis et licito foedere amoris. Heinricus autem tradidit
venerabili nuptae in dotem omne quod attinet ad eandem civitatem,
patre suo consentiente, et ipse venerabilis dux Otto enutrivit eam in
vice filiae usque ad obitum suae vitae. Tribus autem annis post haec
transactis, vir venerandus mortem subiit temporalem, [912] et Dei
ordinatione Heinricus ducatus percepit honorem. Ascendens autem gradum
dignitatis, tantam humilitatem exhibebat subditis, ut etiam, si posset
evenire, exoptarent ipsum regale solium iam possidere.
This roughly translates as:
From the
descendants of the same Witikin, the illustrious duke, the line of the
most blessed Mathilda proceeded. Her father, named Thietric, had been a
glorious count in the western region, and had taken to himself as his
wife the venerable Reinhilda, a descendant of the Danes and Frisians, of
good character. Who deserved, by the gift of God, to give birth to an
infant beloved by men. O happy birth of this infant, to whom, by the
grace of Christ, royal dignity afterwards befell! For she was the glory
of her parents, the joy of her relatives, the hope of her inheritance,
and the glory of all her future offspring, beloved while she was born,
and more beloved while she was nourished. What more could there be? At
that time such an infant was rarely seen. When therefore the illustrious
little girl was weaned, the abbess Mathilda, mother of count Thietric,
who had the seat of an abbey in Herford, desired to take the
aforementioned girl for nursing. Her parents, however, consenting to the
abbess's request, recommended to themselves that she should be taught
sacred lessons and manual labor.
3. On the betrothal of Mathilde. The remarkable girl
therefore made wonderful progress in all things, at a tender age, with
great probity, capable of studying literary discipline and industrious
works. But when her praiseworthy virtue was spread everywhere, it also
reached the ears of the illustrious Duke Otto, who immediately sent his
count Thietmar to investigate [909]. But he, obeying the Duke's command,
hastened his way to the aforementioned monastery, and immediately
approaching the chamber of the matrons who served the girl at the
command of the abbess, and with their help secretly entering the
monastery, he carefully observed the maiden's graceful and wonderfully
praiseworthy form. Therefore, having silently investigated and carefully
considered everything that he desired, he joyfully reported to his
master all that he had seen. But the following day Duke Otto arranged
for his son Henry to go to the aforementioned monastery together with
count Thietmar, his master, so that they could carefully examine whether
the girl's form and manners suited them. He therefore chose not a few
young men, elegant in birth and appearance, to accompany the young
Henry, that he might carry himself more proudly to the predestined
place. But approaching the monastery, they pitched camp in the field;
but a few of them, as if for the purpose of prayer, entered the oratory,
and saw a maiden sitting within, holding a psaltery in her hand, most
honorable in dress and with very reverent worship. But Henry, inflamed
with love for the excellent maiden, forbade his companions to tell
anyone why they had come hither; and he immediately returned to the
castle, where the rest of the young men were staying. And putting on his
knightly attire, he entered the temple again with a large company,
requesting that he be given the opportunity to address the abbess. She
also went forth and joyfully received him and all his companions. But
after they had exchanged words of greeting, she led the young Henry with
her, together with count Thietmar, into her chamber, and had a long
familiar conversation with them. Meanwhile, the distinguished young man,
gaining confidence in his mind, gradually began to talk about the
virgin, asking how advanced in age she was or what her stature was like;
finally, he even desired to be given permission to see her. When she was
summoned by the abbess's command, a virginal gait and a habit of true
chastity appeared in her, a serene and beautiful forehead appeared to
the eye, a face very similar in whiteness to lilies, but in vivid color
it resembled the leaves of roses. Seeing her of such beauty, the
distinguished young man, unable to conceal the love of his heart any
longer, asked with urgent prayer that the virgin herself be betrothed to
him. At this, the abbess lowered her eyes and hesitated for a long time
in her response, wavering in her mind. But when the young man persisted
more and more in the request, the lady finally answered in these words:
It is not our business to give her in marriage to anyone without the
advice and consent of her parents; for it is fitting that she be
restored by us in full faith to those from whom she was entrusted to
our care. Nay, we are also in doubt if she has been given to another
man's chamber; for many illustrious men of birth and form desired her.
But although it is unknown to us which of these men they wish to
choose as their son-in-law, we will nevertheless fulfill your wish;
and if God wills, we will not delay the marriage on our part, because
the excellence of your family has often rung in our ears, and this is
not the least part of the treaty that you yourself have directed the
journey to us. Without delay, having honestly prepared the
ornaments that were suitable for the betrothal of a virgin, the
following day Henry led the venerable maiden with him to the parts of
Saxony. Then she was led around through the cities of the excellent Duke
Otto by count Thietmar and the other soldiers, until at Wallhausen a
wedding feast was prepared with great honor, as was befitting those who
afterwards ruled over many nations; There they enjoyed marriages and a
lawful covenant of love. Henry, however, gave the venerable bride as a
dowry everything that pertained to that city, with her father's consent,
and the venerable Duke Otto himself raised her in place of his daughter
until the end of his life. But three years after this, the venerable man
suffered a temporal death, [912] and by the ordinance of God Henry
received the honor of the duchy. But ascending the rank of dignity, he
showed such humility to his subjects that even, if it could happen, they
would have wished to possess the royal throne itself.
Thietmari
Chron. Lib. 1 in Monumenta Germaniæ
Historica SS 3 pp740-1 (ed. G. H. Pertz, 1839)
11. Et inclita venerabilis gesta Machtildis, quae post excessum
senioris sui sumopere fecit, equidem paucis comprehendam ad
imitationem bonam fidelibus cunctis; quia sancta est, ut scriptura
docet, et salubris cogitatio, pro defunctis orare et elemosinis
absolutionem hiis impetrare. Legimus, quod unius captivi vincula, quem
uxor sua putans mortuum assiduis procuravit exequiis, tocies
solverentur, quocies pro eo acceptabiles Deo patri hostiae ab ea
offerrentur, ut ipse ei post retulit, cum domum suam liber revisit.
Hoc exemplo domna Mahtildis, viro suimet vinculo momentaneae mortis
depresso, succurrit, non solum pauperibus, verum eciam avibus victum
subministrans. Congregationem quoque sanctimonialium in die tricesima
in supra memorata urbe statuit, et huic, quantum ad victus et sui
vestitus necessaria suppetebat, ex sua proprietate4,
laudantibus hoc suimet filiis, concessit et scriptis confirmavit.
Asserunt nonnulli eandem hoc sumopere diu enisam fuisse, quod iunior
filius suimet Heinricus patris sedem possideret. Sed hoc Deus, electos
sibi ad unaquaeque semper preordinans, noluit, nec summatum optima
pars consensit, sed racione prudenti et ideo facile suadenti haec
merentis reginae animum paulo minus a proposito declinavit, et huic
Bawarios ad tuendum apcius assignari, prehabito sibi nato maiori,
consuluit.
… 4) Urbem Quedlinburg Heinricus rex 929. SepL 16 (DHI, 20) uxori suae
Mahthildae in ius proprium concessit.
This roughly translates as:
11. And the
famous and venerable deeds of Matilde, which she did after the death of
her elder, I will indeed briefly summarize for the good imitation of all
the faithful; because it is holy, as Scripture teaches, and a salutary
thought, to pray for the dead and to obtain absolution for them by alms.
We read that the bonds of a certain prisoner, whom his wife, supposing
him dead, had diligently arranged for funerals, were as often as she
offered acceptable sacrifices to God the Father in his behalf, as he
himself later reported to him, when he revisited his free house. By this
example, Lady Matilde, when her husband was oppressed by the bonds of a
momentary death, came to the aid of him, supplying food not only to the
poor but also to the birds. She also established a congregation of nuns
on the thirtieth day in the above-mentioned city, and to this, as far as
the necessities of food and clothing were available, she granted them
from her own property4, her sons praising this, and confirmed
it in writing. Some assert that this same thing had been long desired,
that the younger son of Henry should possess his father's seat. But God,
who always preordaines his elect to each office, did not will this, nor
did the best part of the sums consent, but prudent reason, and therefore
easily persuasive, turned the mind of this deserving queen a little less
from her purpose, and she consulted that the Bavarians should be
assigned to her more aptly for the protection of her eldest son.
… 4) King Henry granted the city of Quedlinburg to his wife Mathilda in
her own right on 16 Sep 929 (DHI, 20).
The lives of the fathers, martyrs, and other principal
saints vol 3 pp190-3 (Alban Butler, 1842)
MARCH XIV.
ST. MAUD, OR MATHILDIS,
QUEEN OF GERMANY.
From her life written forty years after her death, by the order of St.
Henry; Acta Sanct. t. 7. p. 361.
A. D. 968.
THIS princess was daughter of Theodoric, a
powerful Saxon count. Her parents, being sensible that piety is the only
true greatness, placed her very young in the monastery of Erford, of
which her grandmother Maud, who had renounced the world in her
widowhood, was then abbess. Here our saint acquired an extraordinary
relish for prayer and spiritual reading; and learned to work at her
needle, and to employ all the precious moments of life in. something
serious and worthy the great end of her creation. She remained in that
house an accomplished model of all virtues, till her parents married her
to Henry, son of Otho, duke of Saxony, in 913. Her husband, surnamed the
Fowler, from his fondness for the diversion of hawking, then much in
vogue, became duke of Saxony by the death of his father, in 916; and in
919, upon the death of Conrad, was chosen king of Germany. He was a
pious and victorious prince, and very tender of his subjects. His
solicitude in easing their taxes, made them ready to serve their country
in his wars at their own charges, though he generously recompensed their
zeal after his expeditions, which were always attended with success.
Whilst he by his arms checked the insolence of the Hungarians and Danes,
and enlarged his dominions by adding to them Bavaria, Maud gained
domestic victories over her spiritual enemies, more worthy of a
Christian, and far greater in the eyes of heaven. She nourished the
precious seeds of devotion and humility in her heart by assiduous prayer
and meditation; and, not content with the time which the day afforded
for these exercises, employed part of the night the same way. The nearer
the view was which she took of worldly vanities, the more clearly she
discovered their emptiness and dangers, and sighed to see men pursue
such bubbles to the loss of their souls; for, under a fair outside, they
contain nothing but poison and bitterness.
It was her delight to visit, comfort, and exhort the sick and the
afflicted; to serve and instruct the poor, teaching them the advantages
of their state from the benedictions and example of Christ; and to
afford her charitable succours to prisoners, procuring them their
liberty where motives of justice would permit it; or at least easing the
weight of their chains by liberal alms; but her chief aim was to make
them shake off their sins by sincere repentance. Her husband, edified by
her example, concurred with her in every pious undertaking which she
projected. After twenty-three years’ marriage, God was pleased to call
the king to himself by an apoplectic fit, in 936. Maud, during his
sickness, went to the Church to pour forth her soul in prayer for him at
the foot of the altar. As soon as she understood, by the tears and cries
of the people, that he had expired, she called for a priest that was
fasting, to offer the holy sacrifice for his soul; and at the same time
cut off the jewels which she wore, and gave them to the priest, as a
pledge that she renounced from that moment the pomp of the world. She
had three sons; Otho, afterward emperor; Henry, duke of Bavaria, and St.
Bruno, archbishop of Cologne. Otho was crowned king of Germany in 937,
and emperor at Rome in 962, after his victories over the Bohemians and
Lombards. Maud, in the contest between her two elder sons for the crown
which was elective, favoured Henry, who was the younger, a fault she
expiated by severe afflictions and penance. These two sons conspired to
strip her of her dowry, on the unjust pretence that she had squandered
away the revenues of the state on the poor. This persecution was long
and cruel, coming from all that was most dear to her in this world. The
unnatural princes at length repented of their injustice, were reconciled
to her, and restored her all that had been taken from her. She then
became more liberal in her alms than ever, and founded many churches,
with five monasteries; of which the principal were that of Polden in the
dutchy of Brunswick, in which she maintained three thousand monks; and
that of Quedlinbourg in the dutchy of Saxony.1 She buried her
husband in this place, and when she had finished the buildings, made it
her usual retreat. She applied herself totally to her devotions, and to
works of mercy. It was her greatest pleasure to teach the poor and
ignorant how to pray, as she had formerly taught her servants. In her
last sickness she made her confession to her grandson William, the
archbishop of Mentz, who yet died twelve days before her, on his road
home. She again made a public confession before the priests and monks of
the place, received a second time the last sacraments, and lying on a
sack-cloth with ashes on her head, died on the 14th of March in in 968.
Her body remains at Quedlinbourg. Her name is recorded in the Roman
Martyrology on this day.
1 The
abbess of this latter is the first princess of the empire.
14 March 968, in Quedlinburg,
Saxony
Annales
Necrologici Fuldenses in Monumenta
Germaniæ Historica SS 13 p201 (1881)
Anno 968.
… 2. Id. Mar. ob. Mahthild regina.
This roughly translates as:
Year
968.
… 2 day of the Ides of March [14 March]. died queen Mathilde
Vita
Mathildis Reginæ in Monumenta Germaniæ
Historica SS 4 pp299-302 (ed. G. H. Pertz, 1841)
24. De unctione reginae. Igitur discessit Deo
dilecta regina de civitate Northusunense in 11. Kalendarum Ianuarii
[Dec. 22], et maximum moerorem illic commorantibus reliquit
sanctimonialibus, quas semper materno dilexit amore; quia illam in hoc
mortali corpore, pro dolore! ulterius non erant visurae, quae illarum
fuit honor, laetitia, decus et gloria. Tunc in Quitilingoburc
properabat, ubi Deus sanctam animam de carnis ergastulo dissolvi
praeordinaverat; ibique nimia aegritudine correpta, usque ad obitus
diem infirmabatur [968].
…
27. Qualiter obierit. Post haec verba
praecepit presbiteros et sanctimoniales propius accedere, ut eius
confessionem audirent et sibi a Deo remissionem postularent. Quo
facto, iussit missam celebrari et corpus Christi sibi afferri, ut per
sacri mysterii communionem securius evaderet callidi hostis laesionem.
His omnibus rite peractis, sibi astantes admonuit, ut psalmos
vigilanter decantarent et evangelium legerent, usque dum anima iussu
Dei de corpore discederet. Post haec nullum verbum protulit, sed
oculis expansis et manibus elevatis, animo et spiritu in coelum
intendit. Appropinquante autem hora nona, iussit cilicium humi poni et
corpus moribundum supra collocari, propriis manibus cinerem imponens
capiti: Non decet, inquit, christinianum nisi in cilicio
et cinere mori. Dein sanctae crucis se muniens signaculo, cum
pace et requie obdormivit in Domino 2 Idus Martii. Ut rectissime
potuit investigari, anima sanctae Dei egressa est de corpore in ipsa
hora diei, qua semper consuetudinem habuit pauperes recreare in nomine
Domini diebus quadragesimae. Cum autem corpus lavissent et ad
ecclesiam detulissent, venerunt nuntii reginae Gerburgis, filiae
venerabilis domnae Mahthildis, afferentes pallium auro intertextum,
aptum cooperire loculum. Tunc electae Christi famulae prophetia in
omnibus fuit adimpleta, et de transmigratione archiepiscopi Willehelmi
et veste lugubri.
28. De sepultura eius. Igitur sepelierunt
corpus in basilica sancti Servatii, iuxta sepulcrum regis Heinrici,
cum magno honore, ubi ipsa decreverat requiescere et diem iudicii
expectare. Ergo discessit de corpore, nobilis genere, nobilior moribus
et sanctitate, senex et plena dierum, omnibus suis posteris bonum
relinquens exemplum. Cum honore enim praesentem vitam duxerat, et cum
honore de mundo migrabat; et quidquid temporaliter vixerat, in bonis
operibus consummabat.
This roughly translates as:
24. Of the anointing of the queen. Therefore the
queen, beloved of God, departed from the city of Nordhausen on the 11th
of the Kalends of January [Dec. 22], and left the greatest sorrow to the
nuns who dwelt there, whom she had always loved with a motherly love;
because in this mortal body, for sorrow! they would never see her again,
who was their honor, joy, glory and glory. Then she hastened to
Quitilingoburc, where God had preordained the release of her holy soul
from the labor prison of the flesh; and there, seized with great
illness, she was infirm until the day of her death [968].
…
27. How she died. After these words she
ordered the priests and nuns to come closer, so that they might hear her
confession and ask forgiveness for themselves from God. When this was
done, she ordered mass to be celebrated and the body of Christ to be
brought to her, so that through the communion of the sacred mystery she
might more safely escape the injury of the cunning enemy. When all these
things were duly accomplished, she admonished those present to chant the
psalms vigilantly and read the Gospel until the soul departed from the
body at the command of God. After this she uttered no word, but with
eyes wide open and hands raised, she turned her mind and spirit to
heaven. But as the ninth hour approached, she ordered that a sackcloth
be laid on the ground and the dying body be placed on it, applying ashes
to her head with her own hands: "It is not becoming," she said, "for
a Christian to die except in sackcloth and ashes." Then, securing
herself with the seal of the holy cross, she fell asleep in the Lord on
the 2nd day of the Ides of March [14 March] with peace and rest. As
could be most correctly ascertained, the soul of the holy woman of God
departed from the body at the very hour of the day at which it was
always the custom for the poor to rest in the name of the Lord during
the days of Lent. But when they had washed the body and taken it to
church, messengers arrived from Queen Gerburg, daughter of the venerable
Lady Mathilde, bringing a cloak interwoven with gold, suitable for
covering the coffin. Then the prophecy of the chosen handmaid of Christ
was fulfilled in all things, both concerning the transmigration of
Archbishop William and the mourning garment.
28. Of her burial. Therefore they buried her
body in the basilica of St. Servatius, next to the tomb of king Henry,
with great honor, where she had decided to rest and await the day of
judgment. Therefore she departed from the body, noble in lineage, nobler
in character and holiness, old and full of days, leaving a good example
to all her descendants. For she had led her present life with honor, and
with honor she departed from the world; and whatever she had lived
temporally, she accomplished in good works.
in the basilica of St Servatius, in
Quedlinburg, Saxony,
next to her husband, Heinrich.
Vita
Mathildis Reginæ Antiquior in Monumenta
Germaniæ Historica SS 10 p581 (ed. G. H. Pertz, 1853)
His
itaque omnibus iuxta divinum ordinem dispositis, plena dierum et
perfecta aetate, exemplum boni operis posteris relinquens, soboles
suas atque ex eis videns nepotes usque in quartem generationem,
Mactildis regina Deo et angelis spiritum reddidit, migravitque ad
Dominum 2. Idus Marcii in Quidilingaburg civitate, ibique in basilica
sancti Servacii episcopi et confessoris honorifice tradita sepulturae,
iuxta sepulcrum domini sui Heinrici requiescit.
This roughly translates as:
Therefore,
having arranged all these things according to divine order, at full days
and perfect age, leaving an example of good works to posterity, having
seen her offspring and grandchildren from them down to the fourth
generation, Queen Mathilde gave up her spirit to God and the angels, and
passed away to the Lord. On the 2nd day of the Ides of March in the city
of Quedlinburg, she rests honorably buried in the basilica of St.
Servatius, bishop and confessor, next to the tomb of her lord Henry.
- Vita Mathildis Reginæ in Monumenta
Germaniæ Historica SS 4 p285 (ed. G. H. Pertz, 1841); Thietmari Chron. Lib. 1 in Monumenta
Germaniæ Historica SS 3 p737 (ed. G. H. Pertz, 1839); The
Henry Project: The Ancestors of King Henry II of England (Mathilde);
Medieval
Lands (MATHILDE); wikipedia
(Matilda of Ringelheim)
- Thietmari Chron. Lib. 1 in Monumenta
Germaniæ Historica SS 3 p737 (ed. G. H. Pertz, 1839); Vita Mathildis Reginæ in Monumenta
Germaniæ Historica SS 4 pp284-6 (ed. G. H. Pertz, 1841);
The Encyclopaedia Britannica 11th edition vol
13 p273 (ed. Hugh Chisholm, 1910); The
Henry Project: The Ancestors of King Henry II of England (Heinrich I);
Medieval
Lands (HEINRICH); wikipedia
(Henry the Fowler)
- Thietmari Chron. Lib. 1 in Monumenta
Germaniæ Historica SS 3 p737 (ed. G. H. Pertz, 1839); The
Henry Project: The Ancestors of King Henry II of England (Heinrich I);
Medieval
Lands (HEINRICH); wikipedia
(Henry the Fowler)
-
Thietmari Chron. Lib. 1 in Monumenta
Germaniæ Historica SS 3 pp740-1 (ed. G. H. Pertz, 1839);
The lives of the fathers, martyrs, and other
principal saints vol 3 pp190-3 (Alban Butler, 1842); The
Henry Project: The Ancestors of King Henry II of England (Mathilde);
Medieval
Lands (MATHILDE); wikipedia
(Matilda of Ringelheim)
- Annales Necrologici Fuldenses in Monumenta
Germaniæ Historica SS 13 p201 (1881); Vita Mathildis Reginæ Antiquior in Monumenta
Germaniæ Historica SS 10 p581 (ed. G. H. Pertz, 1853); Vita Mathildis Reginæ in Monumenta
Germaniæ Historica SS 4 pp301-2 (ed. G. H. Pertz, 1841);
The
Henry Project: The Ancestors of King Henry II of England (Mathilde);
Medieval
Lands (MATHILDE); wikipedia
(Matilda of Ringelheim)
- Vita Mathildis Reginæ Antiquior in Monumenta
Germaniæ Historica SS 10 p581 (ed. G. H. Pertz, 1853); Vita Mathildis Reginæ in Monumenta
Germaniæ Historica SS 4 pp301-2 (ed. G. H. Pertz, 1841);
The
Henry Project: The Ancestors of King Henry II of England (Mathilde);
Medieval
Lands (MATHILDE)
Reinhild
Dietrich
Thietmari
Chron. Lib. 1 in Monumenta Germaniæ
Historica SS 3 p737 (ed. G. H. Pertz, 1839)
per
affines legatosque suos filiam Theodrici et Reinildae, ex Widicinni
regis tribu exortam, interpellat,
This roughly translates as:
Through his
relatives and ambassadors, he appeals to the daughter of Theodoric and
Reinhilda, descended from the tribe of king Widicinn.
- Mathilde ( ? - 968)
- Bia
- Friderun ( ? - 971)
- Amalrada
Reinhild is stated to have been of Danish-Frisian origin, although her
actual parents are unknown.
Vita
Mathildis Reginæ in Monumenta Germaniæ
Historica SS 4 p285 (ed. G. H. Pertz, 1841)
Cuius
pater, nomine Thietricus, in occidentali regione comes fuerat
gloriosus, et venerabilem Reinhildam, Danorum Fresonumque germine
procreatam, moribus probabilem, sibimet adiunxerat coniugem.
This roughly translates as:
Her father,
named Thietric, had been a glorious count in the western region, and had
taken to himself as his wife the venerable Reinhilda, a descendant of
the Danes and Frisians, of good character.
11 May, although the year is unknown
Neue Mittheilungen aus dem Gebiete
historisch-antiquarischer Forschungen p248 (1867)
Das
alte Merseburger Todtenbuch herausgegeben von Ernst Dümmler.
Necrologium Mersebvrgense
Reinhild, Gem. Theoderichs, Mutter der Kön. Mathilde 11 Mai (Diptych.
Trevir. a. a. O. I, 470).
This roughly translates as:
The old
Merseburg death register edited by Ernst Dümmler.
Merseburg Obituary
Reinhild, wife of Theoderich, Mother of the Queen Mathilde 11 May
(Diptych. Trevir. a. a. O. I, 470).
Return to Chris Gosnell's Home Page
If you have any comments, additions or modifications to the information on this page, please feel free to email me.
Created and maintained by: chris@ocotilloroad.com