Gertrude of Saxony
Encyclopedia
Gertrude of Saxony also known as Gertrude Billung, was the daughter of Bernard II, Duke of Saxony
and Eilika of Schweinfurt
. She married Floris I, Count of Holland
(c. 1017 – June 28, 1061) c. 1050, and upon his death, her son Dirk V
became Count of Holland
. Since he was still young, she became regent.
When Dirk V came into power, William I, Bishop of Utrecht
, took advantage of the situation, occupying territory that he had claimed in Holland. Gertrude and her son withdrew to the islands of Frisia
(Zeeland), leaving William to occupy the disputed lands.
In 1063 Gertrude married Robert of Flanders
(Robert the Frisian), the second son of Baldwin V of Flanders
. This act gave Dirk the Imperial Flanders
as an appanage
- including the islands of Frisia west of the Frisian Scheldt
. She and her husband then acted as co-regents for the young count.
From her second marriage to Robert I she had five children:
Bernard II, Duke of Saxony
Bernard II was the Duke of Saxony , the third of the Billung dynasty, a son of Bernard I and Hildegard. He had the rights of a count in Frisia....
and Eilika of Schweinfurt
Schweinfurt
Schweinfurt is a city in the Lower Franconia region of Bavaria in Germany on the right bank of the canalized Main, which is here spanned by several bridges, 27 km northeast of Würzburg.- History :...
. She married Floris I, Count of Holland
Floris I, Count of Holland
Floris I of Holland was Count of Holland from 1049 to 1061. He was a son of Dirk III and Othelindis....
(c. 1017 – June 28, 1061) c. 1050, and upon his death, her son Dirk V
Dirk V, Count of Holland
Dirk V was Count of Holland from 1061 to 1091.Dirk V succeeded Floris I, under the guardianship of his mother, Gertrude of Saxony. William I, Bishop of Utrecht, took advantage of the young ruler, occupying territory that he had claimed in Holland. William's claim was confirmed by two charters of...
became Count of Holland
Count of Holland
The Counts of Holland ruled over the County of Holland in the Low Countries between the 10th and the 16th century.-House of Holland:The first count of Holland, Dirk I, was the son or foster-son of Gerolf, Count in Frisia...
. Since he was still young, she became regent.
When Dirk V came into power, William I, Bishop of Utrecht
William I, Bishop of Utrecht
William I was bishop of Utrecht between 1054 and 1076. He was a typical representative of the German imperial system in which bishops were the main officials of the empire. He was a loyal follower of king Henry IV of Germany...
, took advantage of the situation, occupying territory that he had claimed in Holland. Gertrude and her son withdrew to the islands of Frisia
Frisia
Frisia is a coastal region along the southeastern corner of the North Sea, i.e. the German Bight. Frisia is the traditional homeland of the Frisians, a Germanic people who speak Frisian, a language group closely related to the English language...
(Zeeland), leaving William to occupy the disputed lands.
In 1063 Gertrude married Robert of Flanders
Robert I, Count of Flanders
thumb|Robert I of FlandersRobert I of Flanders , known as Robert the Frisian, was count of Flanders from 1071 to 1092.-History:...
(Robert the Frisian), the second son of Baldwin V of Flanders
Baldwin V, Count of Flanders
Baldwin V of Flanders was Count of Flanders from 1035 until his death.He was the son of Baldwin IV, Count of Flanders, who died in 1035.-History:...
. This act gave Dirk the Imperial Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
as an appanage
Appanage
An apanage or appanage or is the grant of an estate, titles, offices, or other things of value to the younger male children of a sovereign, who would otherwise have no inheritance under the system of primogeniture...
- including the islands of Frisia west of the Frisian Scheldt
Scheldt
The Scheldt is a 350 km long river in northern France, western Belgium and the southwestern part of the Netherlands...
. She and her husband then acted as co-regents for the young count.
Family and children
She had a total of seven children with Floris I:- Albrecht (b. ca. 1051), a canon in Liege.
- Dirk VDirk V, Count of HollandDirk V was Count of Holland from 1061 to 1091.Dirk V succeeded Floris I, under the guardianship of his mother, Gertrude of Saxony. William I, Bishop of Utrecht, took advantage of the young ruler, occupying territory that he had claimed in Holland. William's claim was confirmed by two charters of...
(ca. 1052, VlaardingenVlaardingenVlaardingen is a town in South Holland in the Netherlands. It is located on the north bank of the Nieuwe Maas/Nieuwe Waterweg river at the confluence with the Oude Maas...
–17 June 1091). - Pieter (b. ca. 1053), a canon in Liége.
- BerthaBertha of HollandBertha of Holland was the first wife of Philip I of France, the King of France.-Biography:She was the daughter of Floris I, Count of Holland, by his wife Gertrude of Saxony. After her father died in 1061, her mother remarried to Robert I, Count of Flanders. In 1072 her stepfather concluded a...
(ca. 1055–1094, Montreuil-sur-MerMontreuil-sur-MerMontreuil or Montreuil-sur-Mer is a sub-prefecture in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. It is located on the Canche river, not far from Étaples...
), who married Philip I of FrancePhilip I of FrancePhilip I , called the Amorous, was King of France from 1060 to his death. His reign, like that of most of the early Direct Capetians, was extraordinarily long for the time...
in 1072. - Floris (b. ca. 1055), a canon in Liége.
- Machteld (b. ca. 1057)
- Adela (b. ca. 1061), who married Count Baudouin I of Guînes.
From her second marriage to Robert I she had five children:
- Robert II of FlandersRobert II, Count of FlandersRobert II was Count of Flanders from 1093 to 1111. He became known as Robert of Jerusalem or Robert the Crusader after his exploits in the First Crusade.-History:...
(c. 1065 – October 5, 1111). - AdelaAdela of FlandersAdela of Flanders , also known as Ailanda, was a mediaeval Danish Queen and Italian Duchess and regent, Queen Consort of King Canute IV of Denmark, and Duchess consort of Duke Roger Borsa of Apulia, and then minor regent of Apulia in 1111–1115 as mother and guardian of William II of Apulia...
(d. 1115), who first married king Canute IV of Denmark, and was the mother of Charles the Good, later count of Flanders. She then married Roger BorsaRoger BorsaRoger Borsa was the Norman Duke of Apulia and effective ruler of southern Italy from 1085 until his death. He was the son of Robert Guiscard, the conqueror of southern Italy and Sicily; Roger was not as adept as his father, and most of his reign was spent in feudal anarchy.-Biography:Roger was the...
, duke of ApuliaApuliaApulia is a region in Southern Italy bordering the Adriatic Sea in the east, the Ionian Sea to the southeast, and the Strait of Òtranto and Gulf of Taranto in the south. Its most southern portion, known as Salento peninsula, forms a high heel on the "boot" of Italy. The region comprises , and...
. - Gertrude, who married Thierry II, Duke of LorraineThierry II, Duke of LorraineTheodoric II , called the Valiant, was the duke of Lorraine from 1070 to his death. He was the son and successor of Gerhard and Hedwige de Namur...
, and was the mother of Thierry of Alsace, also later count of Flanders. - Philip of Loo, whose illegitimate son William of YpresWilliam of YpresWilliam of Ypres , styled count of Flanders, was King Stephen of England's chief lieutenant during the English civil wars of 1139–54...
was also a claimant to the county of Flanders. - Ogiva, abbess of Messines.