Saint Matilda | |
|---|---|
 King Henry and Matilda, detail from theChronica sancti Pantaleonis, 12th century | |
| Born | c. 892 Enger,Saxony,East Francia |
| Died | 14 March 968 Quedlinburg, Saxony,Holy Roman Empire |
| Venerated in | Eastern Orthodox Church,Roman Catholic Church |
| Canonized | after 968 |
| Majorshrine | Quedlinburg Abbey, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany |
| Feast | 14 March |
Matilda of Ringelheim (c. 892 – 14 March 968[1]), also known asSaint Matilda, was aSaxon noblewoman who becamequeen of Germany. Her husband,Henry the Fowler, was the first king from theOttonian dynasty,[2] and their eldest son,Otto the Great, restored theHoly Roman Empire in 962.[3] Matilda founded several spiritual institutions and women's convents. She was considered to be extremely pious, righteous and charitable. Matilda's twohagiographical biographies andThe Deeds of the Saxons serve as authoritative sources about her life and work.
Matilda was born in around 892. She was a daughter of Reinhild andDietrich. He was count of theDuchy of Saxony in theKingdom of Germany, formed fifty years earlier after theTreaty of Verdun. Fighting againstCharlemagne at that time had been the Saxon dukeWidukind, from whom Dietrich was descended.
It was inHerford Abbey, in the Duchy of Saxony, that Matilda was raised by her grandmother (also called Matilda). She had three sisters; Amalrada, Bia andFridarun. Fridarun was to go on to marryCharles the Simple, king ofWest Francia. Matilda also had a brother, Beuve, who would eventually become Beuve II,Bishop of Châlons-sur-Marne.[1] Matilda was to have a niece called Fridarun, whose marriage to CountWichmann the Elder meant there was an alliance between the House ofBillung and the Ottonian family. This expanded their possessions to the west.[4]
When Matilda was seventeen, in 909, she marriedHenry, at the timeduke of Saxony. He subsequently became king ofEast Francia. Henry's first marriage toHatheburg of Merseburg had been annulled.[5][2][6]
Some twenty years later, in 929, Matilda received herdower, which Henry gave her in the so-calledHausordnung. This dower amounted to land inQuedlinburg,Pöhlde,Nordhausen, Grona (nearGöttingen) andDuderstadt.[1]
As queen, Matilda took an interest in women'smonasteries. Her influence on the king's reign is said to have been her strong sense of justice.[7]
Matilda bore the king five children:
Henry died in 936 inMemleben and was buried in Quedlinburg. It was here that Queen Matilda founded a convent in the same year.[9] She lived there during the following years and took care of the family's legacy. Thus,Quedlinburg Abbey became not only the most important centre of prayer in the kingdom, but also a place to commemorate its famous dead.[10]
As with other convents in the kingdom, Quedlinburg became a place for the education of noble families' daughters. Some became abbesses, securing a family's influence. One such was Matilda's own granddaughter,Matilda. She was the daughter of the above-mentioned Otto I andAdelheid of Burgundy. It was to this granddaughter that the queen, in 966, after 30 years' leadership, passed on responsibility for the convent. This Matilda thus became the first abbess of the convent in Quedlinburg.[11]
With her other resources, Queen Matilda founded more convents, one of them inEnger in 947.[12] Her last foundation was in 961, the convent of Nordhausen.[13]
Over the years 936–946, Matilda's handling of her dower was disputed by her son Otto. He claimed his mother's possessions. Eventually this led to her fleeing into exile. Otto's wife, QueenEadgyth, is said to have brought about a reconciliation: Matilda was to leave her wealth, and furthermore Otto was to be forgiven for his actions.[14]
The above feud remains controversial to this day: to protect her legacy in the lead up to her death early in 968, Matilda acquired for all monasteries in eastern Saxony papal privileges.[15] These were overridden after her death when Matilda's dower passed toTheophanu, the wife of Matilda's grandsonOtto II.[16]
Queen Matilda died in the convent ofQuedlinburg on 14 March 968, after a long illness.[17] She was buried inQuedlinburg Abbey, next to her late husband.[18] Throughout her life, Matilda had been dedicated to charity and her ecclesiastical foundations – as attested repeatedly in two hagiographies.[19][page needed] A commemorative plaque can be found in theWalhalla memorial nearRegensburg, Germany.[20]
Matilda is the patron of the St. Mathilde church inLaatzen (Germany), the St. Mathilde church inQuedlinburg (Germany), the Melkite church inAleppo (Syria), and the Mathilden-Hospital inHerford (Germany). Herfeast day is 14 March.
Matilda of Ringelheim Born:c. 894/97 Died: 968 | ||
| Royal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Duchess consort of Saxony 912–936 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | German Queen 919–936 | |
