Hedwig, Abbess of Quedlinburg
Encyclopedia
Hedwig of Saxony was Princess-Abbess of Quedlinburg from 1458 until her death.
Born in Meissen
, Hedwig was the daughter of Frederick II, Elector of Saxony
, and Margaret of Austria
.
In 1458, the 12-year-old Hedwig was elected successor of Princess-Abbess Anna I of Quedlinburg, who had died aged 42, by the chapter. Pope Calixtus III confirmed the election but decreed that the Princess-Abbess should reign under the guardianship of her father and canonesses of Quedlinburg until the age of 20. In 1465, she was invested with regalia by her uncle, Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor
, and started governing the abbey-principality on her own.
In 1460, the Princess-Abbess faced a rebellion when the city of Quedlinburg joined the Hanseatic League
, attempting to gain independence from her and become a free imperial city
. Gebhard von Hoym, Bishop of Halberstadt, aided the rebellion. The Bishop invaded the abbey-principality and tried to evict Hedwig. However, Hedwig, who, as a princess-abbess, was subject only to the Pope and the Emperor, forced the Bishop to renounce his claim with the help of her brothers, Ernest, Elector of Saxony
, and Albert III, Duke of Saxony. Thus, for the next two centuries, the abbey-principality remained under the protection of the electors of Saxony, who would influence the election of its new rulers and often come into conflicts with them. Upon subduing the rebels, Hedwig forced the town to leave the Hanseatic League and decided to strenghten her authority within the town.
Her uncle, Emperor Frederick III, admitted her to the Order of the Vase and Stole. She died in Quedlinburg and was succeeded by Magdalene of Anhalt.
Born in Meissen
Meissen
Meissen is a town of approximately 30,000 about northwest of Dresden on both banks of the Elbe river in the Free State of Saxony, in eastern Germany. Meissen is the home of Meissen porcelain, the Albrechtsburg castle, the Gothic Meissen Cathedral and the Meissen Frauenkirche...
, Hedwig was the daughter of Frederick II, Elector of Saxony
Frederick II, Elector of Saxony
Frederick II was Elector of Saxony and was Landgrave of Thuringia .-Biography:...
, and Margaret of Austria
Margaret of Austria, Electress of Saxony
Margaret of Austria was the elder daughter of Ernest, Duke of Austria and his second wife Cymburgis of Masovia. From her marriage she was Electress of Saxony...
.
In 1458, the 12-year-old Hedwig was elected successor of Princess-Abbess Anna I of Quedlinburg, who had died aged 42, by the chapter. Pope Calixtus III confirmed the election but decreed that the Princess-Abbess should reign under the guardianship of her father and canonesses of Quedlinburg until the age of 20. In 1465, she was invested with regalia by her uncle, Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick the Peaceful KG was Duke of Austria as Frederick V from 1424, the successor of Albert II as German King as Frederick IV from 1440, and Holy Roman Emperor as Frederick III from 1452...
, and started governing the abbey-principality on her own.
In 1460, the Princess-Abbess faced a rebellion when the city of Quedlinburg joined the Hanseatic League
Hanseatic League
The Hanseatic League was an economic alliance of trading cities and their merchant guilds that dominated trade along the coast of Northern Europe...
, attempting to gain independence from her and become a free imperial city
Free Imperial City
In the Holy Roman Empire, a free imperial city was a city formally ruled by the emperor only — as opposed to the majority of cities in the Empire, which were governed by one of the many princes of the Empire, such as dukes or prince-bishops...
. Gebhard von Hoym, Bishop of Halberstadt, aided the rebellion. The Bishop invaded the abbey-principality and tried to evict Hedwig. However, Hedwig, who, as a princess-abbess, was subject only to the Pope and the Emperor, forced the Bishop to renounce his claim with the help of her brothers, Ernest, Elector of Saxony
Ernest, Elector of Saxony
Ernst, Elector of Saxony was Elector of Saxony from 1464 to 1486.-Biography:Ernst was founder of the Ernestine line of Saxon princes, ancestor of George I of Great Britain, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, as well as his wife and cousin Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, and their...
, and Albert III, Duke of Saxony. Thus, for the next two centuries, the abbey-principality remained under the protection of the electors of Saxony, who would influence the election of its new rulers and often come into conflicts with them. Upon subduing the rebels, Hedwig forced the town to leave the Hanseatic League and decided to strenghten her authority within the town.
Her uncle, Emperor Frederick III, admitted her to the Order of the Vase and Stole. She died in Quedlinburg and was succeeded by Magdalene of Anhalt.