Matilda, Abbess of Quedlinburg

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Matilda
Roman Catholic

Matilda (December 955 – 999), also known as Mathilda and Mathilde, was a German regent, and the first

Princess-Abbess of Quedlinburg
. She served as regent of Germany for her brother during his absence in 967, and as regent during the minority of her nephew from 984.

She was the daughter of

Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, and his second wife, Adelaide of Italy
.

Nun

Her grandmother, Saint Matilda, founded the Quedlinburg Abbey in 936.[1] In April 966, in a splendid ceremony requested by her father, the eleven-year-old granddaughter and namesake of Saint Matilda was elected suae metropolitanae sibi haereditariae.[2]

Regency

A year after becoming abbess, Matilda was assigned as regent of the kingdom when her father and brother

Dornberg.[2]
concerning the church in Germany.

In 968, the monk

Otto I in 973, also served as a kind of manual for ruling, including advices on how to deal with deceit and betrayal.[4][5]

In 984, she held an

Henry the Wrangler questioned the right of Matilda's nephew to succeed his father. Matilda successfully defeated his claims and secured the election of her nephew as Holy Roman Emperor, therefore "holding the empire together".[3] A contemporary chronicler described her regency as being "without female levity". Matilda succeeded in restoring peace and authority by leading an army against the "barbarians".[3]

In 985, Wallhausen (now in Saxony-Anhalt) became her private property.[6][4]

In 984, Matilda, her mother, Empress Adelaide, and her sister-in-law, Empress Theophanu, became co-regents for Matilda's young nephew, Otto III.[7]

In 994, she secured market rights, as well as coinage and customs privileges from Otto III to Quedlinburg. From a few huts, Quedlinburg developed into a prosperous city.[4][8]

In 997, as Otto III increasingly shifted his focus to Italy (she accompanied him there in his first trip), he handed over the rulership of Germany to her, overriding the authority of all bishops and dukes. In seven years, she was the only member of the dynasty to have a presence in Saxony.[4][9]

In 998, she held a Diet (Hoftag) in Derenburg, heard requests and appointed offices.[4][10]

In contemporary documents, she was called metropolitana ("overseer of bishops) and mattricia ("

matriarch").[11][12]

Death

She died in February 999

Adelaide I.[14]

Cultural depictions

        Hoc opus eximium gemmis auroque decorum Mathildis vovit,
        Theophanu quod bene solvit
        Regi dans regum Mathildt haec crysea dona
        Abbatissa bona; quae rex deposcit in aevum
        Spiritus Ottonis pauset caelestibus oris.

        Matilda made a votive offering of this excellent work,
        Beautiful in its jewels and gold, which Theophanu disposed of;
        Good abbess Matilda, giving to the King of Kings these golden gifts,
        Which the king everlastingly keeps asking for,
        May the spirit of Otto tarry on the celestial shores.

  • In 2013, Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk made the documentary Mathilde von Quedlinburg - Vom Mädchen zur Machtfrau (Matilda of Quedlinburg, from young girl to woman of power), or Geschichte Mitteldeutschlands - Mathilde. Die erste Äbtissin Quedlinburgs (Working title).[16]

Commemoration

In 1999, the 1000th Anniversary of her death was commemorated, especially in Quedlinburg with a colloquium and an exhibition.[17][18]

Ancestry

References

  1. ^ Wemple 1987, p. 139.
  2. ^ a b c McNamara 1996, p. 197.
  3. ^ a b c Jansen 2002, p. 153.
  4. ^ a b c d e Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk. "Mathilde von Quedlinburg: Daten, Orte und Ereignisse | MDR.DE". www.mdr.de (in German). Retrieved 12 February 2022.
  5. ISBN 978-3-7392-3343-7
    . Retrieved 12 February 2022.
  6. ISBN 978-3-7678-0375-6
    . Retrieved 12 February 2022.
  7. ^ Yorke 2003, p. ??.
  8. ISBN 978-3-86732-115-0
    . Retrieved 12 February 2022.
  9. ISBN 978-0-8390-0148-5
    . Retrieved 12 February 2022.
  10. ^ Jordan, Karl, ed. (1939). Archiv für urkundenforschung (in German). p. 139. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
  11. ISBN 978-0-281-05647-7
    . Retrieved 13 February 2022.
  12. ISBN 978-0-674-91592-3
    . Retrieved 13 February 2022.
  13. ^ Schutz 2010, p. 82.
  14. ^ Thietmar 2001, p. 151.
  15. ISBN 978-0-19-818502-4
    . Retrieved 13 February 2022.
  16. ^ "Geschichte Mitteldeutschlands - Mathilde von Quedlinburg - Vom Mädchen zur Machtfrau, Documentary (Series), 2013 | Crew United". Retrieved 12 February 2022.
  17. ^ "Quedlinburger Geschichtszeugnisse im Geist der nationalen Einheit". khv-quedlinburg.de. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
  18. ISBN 9783928466233
    . Retrieved 16 July 2022.

Sources and further reading
Regnal titles
Office created
Princess-Abbess of Quedlinburg

966–999 		Succeeded by
Adelheid I
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