| Agnes of Poitou | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Agnes at Mary's throne,Speyer Evangeliary, 1046 | |
| Empress of the Holy Roman Empire | |
| Tenure | 1046–1056 |
| Coronation | 25 December 1046 |
| Queen consort of Germany | |
| Tenure | 1043–1056 |
| Born | c. 1025 |
| Died | (1077-12-14)14 December 1077 Rome |
| Spouse | Henry III, Holy Roman Emperor |
| Issue more... | Adelaide II, Abbess of Quedlinburg Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor Conrad II, Duke of Bavaria Judith, Queen of Hungary Matilda, Duchess of Swabia |
| House | Ramnulfids |
| Father | William V, Duke of Aquitaine |
| Mother | Agnes of Burgundy |
Agnes of Poitou (c. 1025 – 14 December 1077) was thequeen of Germany from 1043 andempress of the Holy Roman Empire from 1046 until 1056 as the wife ofEmperor Henry III. From 1056 to 1061, she ruled theHoly Roman Empire asregent during the minority of their sonHenry IV.
After the death of her husband, she proved an inexperienced regent unable to effectively assert her power and secure loyal allies[opinion][citation needed]. In Germany, she is still remembered as a sympathetic historical figure, even if a flawed politician.[1][2]
Agnes was the daughter of theRamnulfid DukeWilliam V of Aquitaine (d. 1030)[3] andAgnes of Burgundy and as such a member of theRamnulfid family.[4]
Agnes married KingHenry III of Germany in November 1043[Note 1] at theImperial Palace Ingelheim.[5] She was his second wife[3] afterGunhilda of Denmark, who had died, possibly frommalaria, in 1038.[6] This marriage helped to solidify the Empire's relationships with the princely houses in the west.[3] King Henry was able to improve his position versus theFrench royal dynasty and to exert his influence in theDuchy of Burgundy. Agnes, like her husband, was of profound piety; her family had foundedCluny Abbey and AbbotHugh the Great was godfather of her son Henry IV.
After her husband's death on 5 October 1056, Empress Agnes served as regent on behalf of her young son Henry IV.[7] Henry III had secured theelection of his son asKing of the Romans on his deathbed. Aided by Abbott Hugh of Cluny andPope Victor II, alsobishop of Eichstätt, Agnes tried to continue her husband's politics and to strengthen the rule of theSalian dynasty. However, despite being related to kings of Italy and Burgundy, she gained little respect as a leader.[8] The loss of some of her family's ancestral lands later weakened her son's position tremendously.[2]
After Henry's death, Agnes was placed in a difficult position between secular and religious powers.[2] She had support from her retinue and territories she had brought from France upon her marriage, and she wanted to follow the example ofEmpress Adelheid. She was however more restricted than the Ottonian queen-empresses.[9]
To win allies, she gave away three Germanduchies:[3] already on Christmas 1056, theEzzonid scionConrad III, a nephew of Count palatineEzzo of Lotharingia, received theDuchy of Carinthia. The next year she enfeoffedRudolf of Rheinfelden withSwabia, appointed him administrator ofBurgundy and offered him the hand of her daughter Matilda. According to the medieval chroniclerFrutolf of Michelsberg, Rudolf had possibly abducted Matilda and extorted the betrothal. However, Agnes' late husband had promised the Swabian duchy toBerthold of Zähringen, who in turn had to be compensated with Carinthia upon Conrad's death in 1061.
At the same time, while German forces interfered in the fratricidal struggle of KingAndrew I andBéla I of Hungary, Agnes ceded theDuchy of Bavaria to CountOtto of Nordheim. He reached a settlement with Hungary by enforcing the coronation of Andrew's sonSolomon but later became a bitter rival of her son Henry IV.
Though initially a follower of theCluniac Reforms, Agnes opposed the contemporary papal reform movement, and took the side of Italian anti-reform party.[3] Things had worsened after the death of Pope Victor II in 1057: his successorStephen IX was unable to take actual possession of Rome due to the Roman aristocracy's election of antipopeBenedict X, and Stephen sent Anselm of Lucca (future PopeAlexander II) and Hildebrand ofSovana (future PopeGregory VII) to Germany to obtain the support of Agnes as regent.
Though Stephen died before being able to return to Rome, Agnes' help was instrumental in enabling Hildebrand to depose the antipope[10] and to replace him by thebishop of Florence,Nicholas II. Thereafter, on Easter 1059 Nicholas issued the momentous papal bullIn nomine Domini establishing thecardinals as the sole electors of the pope, denying this power to the emperor and all temporal rulers, including Agnes herself.
When Pope Alexander II was elected on 30 September 1061, Empress Agnes refused to acknowledge him and hadHonorius II elected. Thisschism did not end until Pentecost 1064. The empress' candidate could not prevail against the Roman Curia; in consequence, Agnes retired from politics, leaving the regency to her confidant BishopHenry II of Augsburg.
Bishop Henry did not receive wide acceptance due to his awkward and haughty manners, as well as scandalous rumours about his relationship with the empress, as recorded byLambert of Hersfeld[citation needed]. Moreover, the fact that the heir to the throne was raised by commonministeriales provoked anger among theprinces. In 1062, young Henry IV was abducted by a group including ArchbishopAnno II of Cologne and Otto of Nordheim, in a conspiracy to remove Agnes from the throne, referred to as theCoup of Kaiserswerth. Henry was brought toCologne, and despite jumping overboard to escape, he was recaptured. From this point, the power shifted to Rome, as the pope elected the emperor.[2]
Defeated, Agnes resigned as regent and was replaced by Anno together with the archbishopsSiegfried of Mainz andAdalbert of Bremen.[3]
According to Frutolf of Michelsberg, Agnes retired toFruttuaria Abbey after the coup. When Henry IV reached the age of majority, Agnes moved to Rome, where her arrival in 1065 is documented byPeter Damian. Agnes went on to act as a mediator and peacemaker between her son and the papacy.[3] She died in Rome on 14 December 1077 and is buried atSt. Peter's Basilica.
Agnes was a reserved and gentle woman, lacking the sternness and imposing qualities that characterized successful Ottonian and Salian queen-empresses likeMatilda,Adelaide,Theophanu,Kunigunde andGisela.[2][11]
Agnes is a featured figure onJudy Chicago's installation pieceThe Dinner Party, being represented as one of the 999 names on theHeritage Floor.[12][13]
Agnes and Henry's children were:
Media related toAgnes of Aquitaine, Holy Roman Empress at Wikimedia CommonsAgnes of Poitou Born:c. 1025 Died: 14 December 1077 | ||
| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Queen consort of Germany 1043–1054 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Queen consort of Burgundy 1043–1056 | |
| Holy Roman Empress 1046–1056 | ||
| Queen consort of Italy 1043–1056 | ||
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| People | |
| Other | |
