Hedwig of Brandenburg
Encyclopedia
Hedwig of Brandenburg was a Margravine of Brandenburg
by birth and by marriage Margravine of Meissen.
. This would provide the Margraves of Meissen with bailiwick rights over the location where they buried deceased family members and erected momrials. Altzella was, due to its location, also an important starting point of residential development in Meissen.
Hedwig has been described as generally a strong woman, who exerted a significant influence on her husband. It was alleged that she was the one that convinced him to alter the order of succession, so that her husband would not be succeeded by his eldest son Albert, as normal, but by his youngest son Dietrich
. Albert did not accept this change and started a war against his father and brother. In 1189, he even took his father prisoner. The conflict ended when Albert died in 1195.
Margraviate of Brandenburg
The Margraviate of Brandenburg was a major principality of the Holy Roman Empire from 1157 to 1806. Also known as the March of Brandenburg , it played a pivotal role in the history of Germany and Central Europe....
by birth and by marriage Margravine of Meissen.
Life
Hedwig was born in 1140 as a daughter of Albert I of Brandenburg and his wife, Sophie of Winzenburg. At the age of 15, she married Margrave Otto of Meissen, a member of the House of Wettin, presumably for political reasons.Life
Little of known about her life. In 1162, she initiated the founding of the Cistercian monastery Altzella Abbey near NossenNossen
Nossen is a town in the district of Meißen, in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It is part of the Dresden region, and located 80 km southeast of Leipzig. The town is dominated by a large Renaissance castle.- History :...
. This would provide the Margraves of Meissen with bailiwick rights over the location where they buried deceased family members and erected momrials. Altzella was, due to its location, also an important starting point of residential development in Meissen.
Hedwig has been described as generally a strong woman, who exerted a significant influence on her husband. It was alleged that she was the one that convinced him to alter the order of succession, so that her husband would not be succeeded by his eldest son Albert, as normal, but by his youngest son Dietrich
Dietrich, Margrave of Meissen
Dietrich I , called the Oppressed, was the Margrave of Meissen from 1198 until his death. He was the second son of Otto II, Margrave of Meissen and Hedwig of Brandenburg.-Biography:...
. Albert did not accept this change and started a war against his father and brother. In 1189, he even took his father prisoner. The conflict ended when Albert died in 1195.
Death
Hedwig died in late March 1203 and was buried on 1 April 1203 in Altzella Abbey, alongside her husband, who had died in 1190.Issue
Hedwig was married to Margrave Otto of Meissen. They had four children:- Albert (1158-1195), married Sophie of Bohemia
- Adelheid of MeissenAdelheid of MeissenAdelheid of Meissen was the first Queen consort of Ottokar I of Bohemia.-Marriage:Adelheid was born about 1160 as the daughter of Otto II, Margrave of Meissen. She met her future husband in the 1170s, in the time of his exile. It is possible that this marriage was forced on grounds of her...
(1160-1211), married king Otakar I of Bohemia - DietrichDietrich, Margrave of MeissenDietrich I , called the Oppressed, was the Margrave of Meissen from 1198 until his death. He was the second son of Otto II, Margrave of Meissen and Hedwig of Brandenburg.-Biography:...
(1162-1221), married Jutta of ThuringiaJutta of ThuringiaJutta of Thuringia was the eldest daughter of Landgrave Hermann I of Thuringia and his first wife, Sophia of Sommerschenburg, a daughter of Fredrick II of Sommerschenburg.... - Sophie, married Udalrich II, Duke of Moravia
External links
- Christiane Weller: Hedwig von Ballenstedt, in: Martina Schattkowsky (ed.): Sächsische Biografie, Institut für Sächsische Geschichte und Volkskunde, Dresden
- Entry at fabpedigree.com
- Grave stones of Ottos and Hedwig in Altzella Abbey
