Ekbert (Saxony)

Coat of arms of Ekbert I.

Ekbert I. (* around 756 ; † after 811 ) was a Frankish count who built the Esesfeld fortress north of the Elbe on behalf of Charlemagne . He is considered to be the founder of the Ekbertiner noble family .

Although described in the sources as a Saxon count, Ekbert was probably more of a noble of Franconian origin. On the orders of Emperor Charlemagne , Ekbert occupied the place Esesfeld an der Stör with Saxon counts and fortified it. Presumably, therefore, his title as "Dux", which describes a military leader. However, this title can only be found in the report written in Corvey in 862–875 on the translation of the relics of Saint Pusinna to Herford. In the Annales regni Francorum , Ekbert is referred to as Count in 809. Ekbert owned a number of estates in southern Westphalia , between the Rhine and the Weser . According to the Vita Idae from around 980, he was married to the Frankish noble daughter Ida von Herzfeld .

According to assumptions of historical research, the Ekbertines are related to the Liudolfingers .

The Graf-Egbert-Ring street in Itzehoe , located near the former Esesfeld Castle, is named after the count .

progeny

On the basis of investigations into ownership and name property, the following descendants are suspected:

• Cobbo the Elder (* 800), Count in Westphalia approx. 825–850
• Warin , Abbot of Corvey
• Ida the younger, second wife of Count Asig (ESIKO) , of 839 and 842 as count in Saxon Hessengau is attested and namesake of Esikonen was
• Addila ; after the death of her husband Bunicho and her sons, she went to Herford and became abbess there .

literature

• Eduard Hlawitschka : To the origin of the Liudolfinger and to some Corveyer historical sources. in: Eduard Hlawitschka, Stirps Regia. Research on royalty and the like Leadership layers in the early Middle Ages, Verlag Peter Lang, Frankfurt am Main (et al.) 1988, pages 147–150, ISBN 3-631-41498-6
• Franz-Josef Jakobi: On the question of the descendants of St. Ida and the reorientation of the Saxon nobility in the Carolingian era. in: Géza Jaśzai (Ed.): Heilige Ida von Herzfeld, 980–1980, Festschrift for the millennial return of her canonization, Münster 1980, pages 53–63.
• Sabine Krüger: Studies on the Saxon county constitution in the 9th century. in: Publication of the Historical Commission for Hanover, Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 1950, pages 71–79.