Oda of Meissen
Oda of Meissen (Polish: Oda Miśnieńska, German: Oda von Meißen; born c. 996 – died after 1025[1]), was a German noblewoman member of the Ekkehardiner dynasty and by marriage firstly Duchess and later the first Queen of Poland.
| Oda of Meissen | |
|---|---|
| Duchess consort of the Polans | |
| Tenure | 1018 – 17 June 1025 |
| Predecessor | Emnilda of Lusatia |
| Successor | Richeza of Lotharingia |
| Queen consort of Poland | |
| Tenure | 18 April 1025 – 17 June 1025 |
| Successor | Richeza of Lotharingia |
| Born | c. 996 |
| Died | After 1025 |
| Spouse | Bolesław I Chrobry |
| Issue | Matilda of Poland |
| Dynasty | Ekkehardiner dynasty (by birth) Piast dynasty (by marriage) |
| Father | Eckard I, Margrave of Meissen |
| Mother | Swanehilde of Saxony |
She was the youngest daughter of Eckard I, Margrave of Meissen by his wife Suanhilde, daughter of Hermann Billung, Margrave of Saxony.
Life
On 30 January 1018 the Peace of Bautzen was signed between Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor and Bolesław I the Brave. The Polish ruler was the clear winner of this conflict, as he was able to maintain his sovereignty over the contested marches of Lusatia and Sorbian Meissen, not as fiefs but as part of Polish territory, and also received from the Emperor military aid in his expedition against Kievan Rus.
During the peace negotiations in the Ortenburg Castle, was decided that Bolesław I (then a widower) reinforced his dynastic bonds with the German nobility through a marriage. The chosen bride was Oda, daughter of the late Margrave Eckard I, a former ally of the Polish Duke. The wedding took place four days later after the formal signing of the peace treaty, on 3 February in the castle of Cziczani (also Sciciani, at the site of either modern Groß-Seitschen[2] or Zinnitz or Zützen[3]).
The marriage (which only produced one known child, a daughter named Matilda (b. aft. 1018 – d. aft. 1036) after Oda's sister, by marriage Margravine of Lower Lusatia) probably wasn't happy. The main reasons of the failure of the union were the almost thirty years of difference between the spouses and the Bolesław I's affair with Predslava, daughter of Grand Prince Vladimir I of Kiev. Another possible factor was the apparently dissolute life of Oda before her wedding.[4]
According to the chronicler Jan Długosz, Oda was crowned along with her husband as Queen of Poland on 18 April 1025. However, this is only a conjecture noted by medieval sources. Oda's further fate and place of burial are unknown.
References
- K. Jasiński, Rodowód pierwszych Piastów, Wrocław - Warszawa 1992.
- Digitales historisches Ortsverzeichnis von Sachsen
- Elke Mehnert, Sandra Kersten, Manfred Frank Schenke, Spiegelungen: Entwürfe zu Identität und Alterität ; Festschrift für Elke Mehnert, Frank & Timme GmbH, 2005, p.481, ISBN 3-86596-015-4
- Cawley, Charles, MEISSEN, Medieval Lands database, Foundation for Medieval Genealogy,
Oda of Meissen Ekkehardiner dynasty Born: ca. 996 Died: aft. 1025 | ||
| Royal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Emnilda of Lusatia as duchess |
Duchess consort of the Polans queen from 18 April 1025 1018 – 17 June 1025 |
Succeeded by Richeza of Lotharingia as queen |