Edgitha

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Image of Queen Edgitha (grave slab in the Cathedral Museum Ottonianum Magdeburg )

Edgitha (also Eadgyth , Editha , Edgith or Edith ; * 910 in England, † January 29, 946 in Magdeburg ) was Queen of Eastern Franconia and the first wife of Otto the Great . Edgitha was the daughter of Edward the Elder of Wessex and Ælflaedas and half-sister of King Æthelstan . As the granddaughter of Alfred the Great and descendant of St. Oswald she came from the most respected Anglo-Saxon family.

Life

In 929 King Henry I sent a delegation to England with the request for a bride for Otto, who was first attested to as co-king around this time. The political goal of the wedding was to increase the legitimation of the still young royal rule of the Liudolfingers through the marital union with the Anglo-Saxon royal family. The East Franconian kingship also drew level with the West Franconian, whose King Karl had married an Anglo-Saxon princess ten years earlier. The Anglo-Saxon royal family of Wessex was blessed with a large number of princesses, Otto as heir to the throne of Eastern Franconia was an extremely attractive son-in-law, as both Eastern Franconia and Wessex had a common enemy in the Danes . So Æthelstan sent two of his half-sisters to Saxony, Edgitha and her older sister Edgiva, as possible brides to choose from . Otto decided in favor of Edgitha, who Hrotswit von Gandersheim described as "with a pure and noble forehead, a graceful nature and a truly regal figure". Edgiva traveled on with the Anglo-Saxon embassy to Burgundy , where she married the brother of King Rudolf II , which further strengthened the close ties between the Liudolfingers and the Rudolfingers . Edgitha received the income from areas around Magdeburg as a morning gift , which later formed the economic basis of the diocese of Magdeburg . Magdeburg was probably the couple's favorite place to stay. After the marriage, Edgitha and Otto did not appear in the sources until the death of Heinrich I. The births of their children Liudolf around 930 and Liutgard around 931 are estimated dates.

Heinrich I died in 936, and Edgitha's spouse Otto I was crowned king in Aachen . The report Widukind of Corvey not mention coronation Edgithas, Thietmar of Merseburg According to but it was after the coronation in a separate ceremony anointed . As queen, Edgitha fulfilled the traditional duties as the first woman in the empire: she intervened in documents, mostly in favor of imperial monasteries , and took care of the family's memoria . In this role she replaced Henry I's widow, Mathilde , who only appeared once in a royal document during Edgitha's lifetime. There was probably a rivalry between the Mauritius Monastery in Magdeburg, the Memorial Foundation newly established by Otto and Edgitha, and the Quedlinburg Monastery , the Mathilde and Heinrich I Memorial Foundation , which Mathilde was in charge of. Edgitha traveled with Otto when he was not on a campaign; during the fighting in 939 she was in Lorsch Abbey .

Edgitha died in 946, apparently unexpectedly and comparatively young. Otto is said to have mourned her very much. In fact, there is also earlier evidence that Otto held his queen in high esteem: When in 939 a count demanded the Lorsch monastery for his followers , in which Edgitha was staying, Otto replied - according to Liutprand of Cremona - by quoting Mt. 7.6: "You are not to give the holy things to the dogs and you are not to throw your pearls in front of the swine."

Tomb

Edgitha's tomb
Gothic statues of Edgitha and Otto I the Great

Edgitha was buried in the Mauritius Monastery in Magdeburg, but later reburied several times. In the Gothic Magdeburg Cathedral , which was built from 1209 , she was buried in 1510 in front of the eastern apex chapel in a stone tomb, which until the recent past was thought to be a mock grave . In November 2008, archaeologists found a 70 cm long lead coffin in this ornamental coffin, which, according to the inscription, contains the remains of Queen Editha:

“EDIT REGINE CINERES HIC SARCOPHAGVS HABET RECONDITOS SECVNDA
(IA) M RENOVACIONE HVIVS MONVMENTI FACTA SVB INCARNA / [TI]
… VERBI CVRRENTIBVS ANNIS MILLESIMO QVINGENTESIMO DE
CIMORV AD LAVDEML
REGIS”

“QUEEN EDITH'S RECOVERED REMAINS ARE IN THIS SARCOPHAGE,
AFTER 1510 THE SECOND RENOVATION OF THIS MONUMENT
HAS BEEN MADE IN THE DURING THE YEARS SINCE THE WORD INCORPORATION.
IN THE GLORY OF CHRIST,
THE KING OF ALL TIME "

In a comprehensive scientific investigation, the fragmented and incomplete bones could be assigned to Edgitha. On October 22, 2010, her bones were laid in a silver-plated titanium coffin and again buried in the stone sarcophagus from 1510 during a ceremony.

Also in Magdeburg Cathedral are the Gothic seated figures of a couple enthroned, which are viewed as images of Edgitha and Otto. Edgitha was venerated like a saint for a long time because of her pious gifts .

In Magdeburg's old town is the Editha monument , which was created around 1937 . In the Dommuseum Ottonianum Magdeburg , which opened on November 4, 2018, one of the main focuses is dedicated to Edgitha.

progeny

Edgitha had two children with Otto I, King of Eastern Franconia:

(both were buried in the St. Alban Abbey near Mainz )

See also

swell

  • Thietmar von Merseburg, chronicle . Retransmitted and explained by Werner Trillmich . With an addendum by Steffen Patzold . (= Freiherr vom Stein memorial edition. Vol. 9). 9th, bibliographically updated edition. Scientific Book Society, Darmstadt 2011, ISBN 978-3-534-24669-4 .
  • Widukind von Corvey : The Saxon history of Widukind von Corvey. In: Sources for the history of the Saxon imperial era (= selected sources for the German history of the Middle Ages. Freiherr vom Stein-Gedächtnisausgabe. Vol. 8). Translated by Albert Bauer, Reinhold Rau. 5th edition extended by a supplement compared to the 4th. Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft, Darmstadt 2002, ISBN 3-534-01416-2 , pp. 1–183.

literature

  • Edith Schmidt: What remains of beetles reveal about the grave story of Queen Editha. In: Wilfried Rosendahl, Burkhard Madea (Ed.): Crime scenes of the past. Archeology and forensics. Theiss, Darmstadt 2017, ISBN 978-3-8062-3645-3 , pp. 21-26.
  • Amalie Fößel : The Queen in the Medieval Empire. Exercise of power, rights of power, scope for action (= Middle Ages research. Volume 4). Thorbecke, Stuttgart 2000, ISBN 978-3-7995-4256-2 ( digitized version ).
  • Winfrid Glocker: The relatives of the Ottonians and their importance in politics. (= Dissertations on medieval history. Volume 5). Böhlau, Cologne et al. 1989, ISBN 3-412-12788-4 .
  • Ludger Körntgen : Ottonen and Salier. 3rd revised and bibliographically updated edition. Scientific Book Society, Darmstadt 2010, ISBN 978-3-534-23776-0 .
  • Harald Meller , Wolfgang Schenkluhn, Boje E. Hans Schmuhl: Queen Editha and her burial places in Magdeburg (= archeology in Saxony-Anhalt. Special volume 18). State Office for Monument Preservation and Archeology Saxony-Anhalt - State Museum for Prehistory, Halle 2012, ISBN 978-3-939414-84-1 .
  • Stephan Freund , Gabriele Köster (Ed.): Dome - Graves - Excavations. Winchester and Magdeburg. Two cultural landscapes of the 10th century in comparison. (= Series of publications by the Center for Medieval Exhibitions Magdeburg. Volume 2). Schnell + Steiner, Regensburg 2016, ISBN 978-3-7954-3067-2 .

Web links

Commons : Queen Editha  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Suspected coffin of Queen Editha discovered. In: Archaeologie-Online.de. January 28, 2009, accessed May 22, 2020 .
  2. ↑ Queen Editha's identity confirmed. In: Website of the State Office for Monument Preservation and Archeology Saxony-Anhalt. June 15, 2010, accessed May 22, 2020 .
  3. ^ Queen Editha is buried in Magdeburg Cathedral. In: Spiegel.de. October 22, 2010, accessed May 22, 2020 .


predecessor Office Successor
Mathilde the saint Roman-German queen
after 929 until January 26, 946 		Adelheid of Burgundy
personal data
SURNAME Edgitha
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Eadgyth; Edgith; Edgitha; Edith
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Anglo-Saxon princess, as wife of Otto the Great Queen of Eastern Franconia
DATE OF BIRTH 910
PLACE OF BIRTH England
DATE OF DEATH January 29, 946
Place of death Magdeburg