Burchard III, Duke of Swabia
Encyclopedia
Burchard III was the count of Thurgau
and Zürich
gau, perhaps of Rhaetia, and then Duke of Swabia
from 954 to his death.
He was the son of Burchard II
and Regilinda. At a young age on the murder of his father in 926, he was sent to Saxony
for his safety after the accession of the duke Herman I
. In Saxony, he married a member of the Immedinger
family. From this marriage came two sons: Theodoric, count of Wettin
, and Burchard, count of Liesgau
. He second marriage was to Hedwig, daughter of Henry I, Duke of Bavaria
. Burchard built the great fortress atop the Hohentwiel
, and Hedwige was the foundress of the monastery of St. George there, but their marriage remained childless.
After the rebellion of Duke Liudolf
, son of King Otto I, in 954, the king bestowed the ducal title on his nephew-in-law Burchard at a general council at Arnstadt
. Burchard was an intimate of Otto and his queen, Adelaide of Italy
. He was often at the royal court and he accompanied Otto on his campaign against the Magyars and was present at the great Battle of the Lechfeld on August 10, 955. In 965, he led a third campaign against Berengar II
in Italy
. At the Battle of the Po on 25 June, Burchard defeated the local Lombard
magnates and restored Italy to Ottonian control, even the south Italian principalities were brought to heel by 972. In 973, he died and was buried in the chapel of Saint Erasmus in the monastery on Reichenau Island
in Lake Constance
. He was succeeded by Otto, son of Liudolf.
Thurgau
Thurgau is a northeast canton of Switzerland. The population, , is . In 2007, there were a total of 47,390 who were resident foreigners. The capital is Frauenfeld.-History:...
and Zürich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
gau, perhaps of Rhaetia, and then Duke of Swabia
Duke of Swabia
The following is a list of Dukes of Swabia in southwest Germany.Swabia was one of the five stem duchies of the medieval German kingdom, and its dukes were thus among the most powerful magnates of Germany. The most notable family to hold Swabia were the Hohenstaufen, who held it, with a brief...
from 954 to his death.
He was the son of Burchard II
Burchard II, Duke of Swabia
Burchard II was the Hunfriding Duke of Swabia and Count of Raetia. He was the son of Burchard I and Liutgard of Saxony....
and Regilinda. At a young age on the murder of his father in 926, he was sent to Saxony
Saxony
The Free State of Saxony is a landlocked state of Germany, contingent with Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Poland. It is the tenth-largest German state in area, with of Germany's sixteen states....
for his safety after the accession of the duke Herman I
Herman I, Duke of Swabia
Herman I was the first Conradine Duke of Swabia , the son of Gebhard, Duke of Lorraine, and a cousin of King Conrad I of Germany....
. In Saxony, he married a member of the Immedinger
Immedinger
The Immedinger were a noble family of medieval Saxony, descended from the Saxon leader Widukind. The most notable member was Saint Matilda , queen consort of King Henry I of Germany....
family. From this marriage came two sons: Theodoric, count of Wettin
Wettin
Wettin is:*House of Wettin, a German Royal House*Wettin Castle, near Halle, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, ancestral seat of the House of Wettin*Asteroid 90709 Wettin, named in the castle's and House's honour...
, and Burchard, count of Liesgau
Liesgau
The Liesgau is an early medieval county of the Duchy of Saxony, located in modern-day Germany. It lies on the south-west side of the Harz Mountains in present-day Lower Saxony...
. He second marriage was to Hedwig, daughter of Henry I, Duke of Bavaria
Henry I, Duke of Bavaria
Henry I was Duke of Bavaria.He was the second son of the German King Henry the Fowler and his wife Matilda. He attempted a revolt against his older brother Otto I in 938 in alliance with Eberhard of Franconia and Giselbert of Lorraine, believing he had a claim on the throne. In 939 he was defeated...
. Burchard built the great fortress atop the Hohentwiel
Hohentwiel
Hohentwiel is an extinct volcano in the Hegau region of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. About 20 miles from Lake Constance, it lies in the German city of Singen....
, and Hedwige was the foundress of the monastery of St. George there, but their marriage remained childless.
After the rebellion of Duke Liudolf
Liudolf, Duke of Swabia
Liudolf was the duke of Swabia from 950 until 954. He was the only son of Otto I, king of Germany, from his wife Eadgyth, daughter of Edward the Elder, king of England....
, son of King Otto I, in 954, the king bestowed the ducal title on his nephew-in-law Burchard at a general council at Arnstadt
Arnstadt
Arnstadt is a town in Ilm-Kreis, Thuringia, Germany, situated on the Gera River. It is one of the oldest towns in Thuringia and is nicknamed Das Tor zum Thüringer Wald, The Gate to the Thuringian Forest....
. Burchard was an intimate of Otto and his queen, Adelaide of Italy
Adelaide of Italy
Saint Adelaide of Italy , also called Adelaide of Burgundy, was the second wife of Otto the Great, Holy Roman Emperor...
. He was often at the royal court and he accompanied Otto on his campaign against the Magyars and was present at the great Battle of the Lechfeld on August 10, 955. In 965, he led a third campaign against Berengar II
Berengar II of Italy
Berengar of Ivrea , sometimes also referred to as Berengar II of Italy, was Margrave of Ivrea and usurper King of Italy from 950 until his deposition in 961, the last before Italy's incorporation into the Holy Roman Empire...
in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. At the Battle of the Po on 25 June, Burchard defeated the local Lombard
Lombardy
Lombardy is one of the 20 regions of Italy. The capital is Milan. One-sixth of Italy's population lives in Lombardy and about one fifth of Italy's GDP is produced in this region, making it the most populous and richest region in the country and one of the richest in the whole of Europe...
magnates and restored Italy to Ottonian control, even the south Italian principalities were brought to heel by 972. In 973, he died and was buried in the chapel of Saint Erasmus in the monastery on Reichenau Island
Reichenau Island
Reichenau Island lies in Lake Constance in southern Germany, at approximately . It lies between Gnadensee and Untersee, two parts of Lake Constance, almost due west of the city of Konstanz. The island is connected to the mainland by a causeway that was completed in 1838...
in Lake Constance
Lake Constance
Lake Constance is a lake on the Rhine at the northern foot of the Alps, and consists of three bodies of water: the Obersee , the Untersee , and a connecting stretch of the Rhine, called the Seerhein.The lake is situated in Germany, Switzerland and Austria near the Alps...
. He was succeeded by Otto, son of Liudolf.