Family of Mieszko II + and Richeza + of LOTHARINGIA

Husband:	Mieszko II + (990-1034)
Wife:	Richeza + of LOTHARINGIA (994-1063)
Children:	Ryska + of POLAND (1015-1060)
	Casimir I + (1016-1058)
	Gertruda (1025-1108)
	Symbulla of POLAND (1030-1069)
Status:	Unmarried Couple
Marriage	1013	Merseburg, Sachsen-Merseburg, Thuringia, Germany

Husband: Mieszko II +

Wife: Richeza + of LOTHARINGIA

Child 1: Ryska + of POLAND

Child 2: Casimir I +

Child 3: Gertruda

Child 4: Symbulla of POLAND

Name:	Symbulla of POLAND
Sex:	Female
Spouse:	Gottschalk (1025-1066)
Birth	1030	Krakow, Poland
Death	1069 (age 38-39)	Venden, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany

Note on Husband: Mieszko II +

Mieszko II Lambert (ca. 990 – 10/11 May 1034) was King of Poland during 1025–1031, and Duke from 1032 until his death.

 

He was the second son of Boleslaw I the Brave, but the eldest born from his third wife Emmilda, daughter of Dobromir, possible ruler of Lusatia. He was probably named after his paternal grandfather, Mieszko I. His second name, Lambert, sometimes erroneously considered to be a nickname, was given to him as a reference to the cult of Saint Lambert. Also, it is probable that this name Lambert was chosen after Boleslaw I's half-brother Lambert. It is thought that the choice of this name for his son was an expression of warming relations between Boleslaw I and his stepmother Oda.[1]

 

He organized two devastating invasions to Saxony in 1028 and 1030. Then Mieszko II ran a defensive war against Germany, Bohemia and the Kievan princes. Mieszko II was forced to escape from the country in 1031 after an attack of Yaroslav I the Wise, who installed Mieszko's older half-brother Bezprym onto the Polish throne. Mieszko took refuge in Bohemia, where he was imprisoned by the Duke Oldrich. In 1032 he regained power in one of the three districts, then united the country, making good use of the remaining power structures. At this time, several Polish territorial acquisitions of his father were lost: Upper Lusatia (also known as Milsko), part of Lower Lusatia, Red Ruthenia, western and central part of Upper Hungary (now Slovakia) and probably Moravia.

 

Mieszko II was very well educated for the period. He was able to read and write, and knew both Greek and Latin. He is unjustly known as Mieszko II Gnusny (the "Lazy," "Stagnant" or "Slothful"). He received that epithet due to the unfortunate way his reign ended; but at the beginning he acted as a skillful and talented ruler.

 

Contents [hide]

1 Life

1.1 Early years

1.2 King of Poland

1.2.1 Coronation and Inheritance

1.2.2 Support to German opposition

1.2.3 Retaliatory expeditions

1.2.4 The situation in Poland

1.2.5 Attack of Yaroslav I the Wise. Deposition

1.2.6 Restoration to the Throne

1.2.7 Death

2 Marriage and issue

3 See also

4 Notes

 

[edit] Life[edit] Early yearsSince Mieszko II was politically active before his father's death, Boleslaw I the Brave appointed him as his successor. He participated mainly in German politics, both as a representative of his father and the commander of the Polish troops.

 

In 1013 Mieszko II went to Magdeburg, where he paid homage to the Emperor Henry II. A few months later Boleslaw I the Brave paid homage in person. The real purpose of Mieszko's visit is unclear, especially since soon after his father paid homage to the Holy Roman Empire. Presumably, the young prince paid homage for Milsko or Moravia and Lusatia. The relevant treaty stipulated that it was only a personal tribute, not entailing any legal obligations. Another hypothesis assumes that the territories were transferred by Boleslaw I to him, and as a result made Mieszko a vassal of the Empire.

 

The position of the young prince, at the both Polish and Imperial courts, became stronger in 1013 when he married Richeza (Ryksa),[2] daughter of Count Palatine Ezzo of Lotharingia and niece of Emperor Otto III. Ezzo was a prince of a considerable influence as a great leader of the opposition against Henry II. Through the marriage with his daughter Mieszko, he entered into the circle of the Imperial family and became a person equal to, if not higher than the Emperor himself. Probably after the wedding, and in accordance with prevailing custom, Boleslaw I gave a separate district to Mieszko II to rule: Kraków. One of his towns, Wawel (now part of the city), was chosen by the prince as his residence.

 

In the year 1014 Mieszko II was sent by his father to Bohemia as an emissary. He had to persuade Duke Oldrich to make an alliance against the Emperor Henry II. The mission failed as Oldrich imprisoned Mieszko. He was released only after the intervention of the Emperor, who, despite the planned betrayal of Boleslaw I, loyally acted on behalf of his vassal. As a result, Mieszko was sent to the Imperial court in Merseburg as a hostage. Henry II probably wanted to force the presence of Boleslaw I in Merseburg and make him explain his actions. The plan failed however, because, under pressure from his relatives, the Emperor soon agreed to release Mieszko.

 

A year later, Mieszko II stood at the head of Polish troops in the next war against the Emperor. The campaign wasn't favorable to Henry. His army needed over a month to reach the line of the Oder River, and once there, his troops encountered strong resistance led by Mieszko and his father. Henry II sent a delegation to the Polish rulers, in an effort to induce them to conclude a peace settlement. Mieszko II refused, and after the Emperor's failure to defeat his troops in battle, Henry decided to begin retreating to Dziadoszyce. The Polish prince went on pursuit, and inflicted heavy losses on the German army. When the Polish army advanced to Meissen, Mieszko II unsuccessfully tried to besiege the castle of his brother-in-law, Margrave Herman I (husband of his sister Regelinda). The fighting stopped in autumn and was resumed only in 1017 after the failure of peace talks. Imperial forces bypassed the main defensive site near Krosno Odrzanskie and besieged Niemcza. At the same time, at the head of ten legions, Mieszko went to Moravia and planned an allied attack together with Bohemia against the Emperor. This action forced the Emperor to give up on a plan of any frontal attack. A year later, the Peace of Bautzen (30 January 1018) was concluded, with terms extremely favorable to the Polish side.

 

Beginning in 1028, he successfully waged war against the Holy Roman Empire. He was able to repel its invading army, and later even invaded Saxony. He allied Poland with Hungary, resulting in a temporary Hungarian occupation of Vienna. This war was probably prompted by family connections of Mieszko's in Germany who opposed Emperor Conrad II.

 

Due to the death of Thietmar of Merseburg, the principal chronicler of that period, there is little information about Mieszko II's life from 1018 until 1025, when he finally took over the government of Poland. Only Gallus Anonymus mentions the then Prince on occasion of the description of his father's trip to Rus in 1018: "due to the fact that his son (...) Mieszko wasn't considered yet capable of taking the government by himself, he established a regent among his family during his trip to Rus". This statement was probably the result of the complete ignorance of the chronicler, since 1018 Mieszko II was 28 years old and was already fully able to exercise the power by himself.

 

[edit] King of Poland[edit] Coronation and InheritanceBoleslaw I the Brave died on 17 June 1025. Six months later, on Christmas Day, Mieszko II Lambert was crowned King of Poland by the Archbishop of Gniezno, Hipolit, in the Gniezno Cathedral. Contemporary German chroniclers considered this to be an abuse of power on the part of the Archbishop, which was made necessary by the existing political situation. After his father's death, Mieszko inherited a vast territory, which in addition to Greater Poland, Lesser Poland, Silesia and Gdansk Pomerania also included Western Pomerania, as well as Lusatia, Red Ruthenia and territory of present-day Slovakia. Whether Moravia was still under his reign or was lost earlier is disputed.[3] Once his solo reign had begun, as an important Central European ruler, he was now very important to the Holy Roman Empire.

 

Later developments during his reign had their source in dynastic and familial issues. His older half-brother Bezprym was the son of the Hungarian princess Judith, Boleslaw I's second wife. Mieszko also had a younger full-brother, Otto. According to Slavonic custom, a father was expected to divide his legacy among all his sons. However, since Boleslaw did not wish to break up the kingdom, Mieszko's brothers received nothing from their father's legacy.

 

As Bezprym was the oldest son, there were some who felt that he should have succeeded Boleslaw I as king. Bezprym had, however, always been disliked by his father, as indicated by his name (the Piasts tended to give names such as Boleslaw, Mieszko and later Kazimierz, Wladyslaw and emperors' names, such as Otto, Konrad (Conrad), and Henryk (Heinrich). Bezprym was rather a commoner's name, which implied that Boleslaw I did not wish Bezprym to succeed him). For that reason, Bezprym was sent to a monastery.

 

According to some chroniclers, Mieszko II expelled his two brothers from the country. Otto took refuge in Germany and Bezprym escaped to the Kievan Rus.

 

In 1026 the German King Conrad II, went to Italy for his Imperial coronation. His absence increased the activity of the opposition centered around the Dukes Ernest II of Swabia and Frederick II of Upper Lorraine. Conrad II's opponents conspired to acquire the favor of the King of Poland. Historical evidence of these efforts is in the Prayer Book sent to Mieszko II by the Duchess Matilda of Swabia around 1027. The volume is entitled: officiorum Liber quem ordinem Romanum apellant. In it,a miniature showed the Duchess presenting the Book to Mieszko II while sitting on a throne. The gift was accompanied by a letter, wherein Matilda named him a distinguished King and a father of the model for the spread of Christianity. Also written was praise of the merits of Mieszko II in the building of new churches, as well his knowledge of Latin, very unusual in those times when Greek was more widely used. In this book were found the earliest records of the Kingdom of Poland: neume at the margins of the sequence Ad célèbres rex celica. The gift caused the expected effect, and Mieszko II promised to take military action. The preparations for the war began in the autumn of 1027. In the middle of that year, Conrad II returned to the Germany and began to fight the rebels. Soon he defeated Duke Ernest II, depriving him of his lands. Only when the rebel fight was nearly lost did Mieszko II arrive to their aid. In 1028 Polish troops invaded Saxony and took a number of prisoners. The devastation was so great that, according to Saxon sources where Mieszko II's troops put their feet grass never thence grew. The Emperor accused the Polish ruler of an illegal coronation as King and declared him a usurper. This invasion involved the lands of the Lutici tribe. In October 1028, the Emperor's opportunity came as the Lutici district of Pöhlde asked the Emperor to defend against the attacks of Mieszko II, promising support in the fight against the Polish ruler.

 

[edit] Retaliatory expeditionsDespite the treaty which secured peace between Poland and Germany, the Emperor soon armed a retaliatory expedition against Mieszko II. Conrad II's army arrived to Lusatia in the autumn of 1029 and began the siege of Bautzen; but the German troops did not receive the promised support of the Lutici tribe and the expedition failed. Threatened by the Hungarians, the Emperor was forced to retreat.

 

Probably in this same year the son of Oldrich, Bretislaus I, attacked and took Moravia.[4]

 

In 1030 Mieszko II secured an alliance with Hungary and once again invaded Saxony. In the meanwhile, his southern ally attacked Bavaria and temporarily occupied Vienna.

 

In response, the Emperor organized another expedition against the Polish King, this time by organizing a coalition against Mieszko II. Already in 1030 Yaroslav I the Wise began the offensive and conquered Red Ruthenia and some Belz castles.

 

The Emperor in 1031 concluded a peace with the Kingdom of Hungary. Probably in exchange for his support, Conrad II give to the King Stephen I the territories between the Leitha and Fischa Rivers, ceding them to Hungary. Now that the Emperor was less concerned about an attack from the south, in the autumn of 1031 he went on the offensive against Poland and besieged Milsko. The offensive ended with a complete success, and Mieszko II was forced to surrender some lands. As a result, the Polish King lost portions of the lands taken by his father Boleslaw I, who warred often against the Emperor Henry II.

 

[edit] The situation in PolandHistorians estimate that the reason for the rapid capitulation of Mieszko II was the bad internal situation in the country. Boleslaw I the Brave leave to his son a unstable Kingdom, who had to defended his autonomy and position among the neighbors rulers. Otherwise, the costs of an extensive war caused that Mieszko II's popularity declined among his subjects, despite the fact that on the invasion of Saxony the King only defended their territory. Furthermore, the final lost of the war against the Holy Roman Empire weakened the position of the King, who had to faced several rebellions among the opposition, who claimed that the previous war didn't produce the expected benefits. An additional problem was a dynastic crisis: Mieszko II's brothers continue their attempts to regain power with the help of foreign forces.

 

[edit] Attack of Yaroslav I the Wise. DepositionProbably the brother who caused the first problems to Mieszko II was Bezprym, who allegedly with the support of Otto won the alliance of Kiev in order to take the power. When Mieszko II was busy defending Lusatia from the troops of Conrad II, the Kievan expedition started from the east with Yaroslav I the Wise as a leader. In 1031 Poland was complete invaded and then Bezprym was settled in the throne. Mieszko II and his family were forced to flee the country. Queen Richeza and her children found refuge in Germany. The King couldn't escape to Hungary, because during his way he was stopped by Rus' troops, and King Stephen I wasn't favorable to accepted him in his country. Without alternatives, Mieszko II went to Bohemia. Duke Oldrich once again imprisoned him, but that this time the King wasn't count with the Imperial support. Mieszko II was not only imprisoned but also castrated, which was to be a punishment to Boleslaw I the Brave, who blinded Duke Boleslaus III the Red (Oldrich's brother) thirty years before. Mieszko II and his wife never reunited again; according to some sources they were either officially divorced or only separated.

 

[edit] Restoration to the ThroneThe new Duke Bezprym probably made bloody persecutions against the followers of Mieszko II. At the time the power was exercised to the mutiny and the people known as the "Pagan Reaction". Have degraded the structure of power, the Duke's authority collapsed, and he was forced to sent to the Emperor the Royal crown and regalia. After only one year of reign, Bezprym was murdered (1032), probably thanks to the instigations of his brothers.

 

After the death of Bezprym, the Polish throne remained vacant. Mieszko II was still imprisoned in Bohemia and Otto probably in Germany. German sources report that the Emperor has organized an expedition in order to invade Poland. It is unknown what happened after this, but certainly Mieszko II was released by Duke Oldrich and he could return to the country. After his recent opponent could regain the power, the Emperor immediately reacted and began the preparations for the expedition against Poland. Mieszko II wasn't prepared for the confrontation, so he used his influence in the German court in order to resolve the conflict.

 

On 7 July 1032, in Merseburg a meeting took place between Conrad II and the surviving heirs of the Piast dynasty. Without alternatives, Mieszko II was forced to surrendered the Royal crown and agreed to the division of Poland between him and the other two competitors: his brother Otto and certain Dytryk (German: Thiedric) —cousin, grandson of Duke Mieszko I and his third wife Oda—.

 

Mieszko II probably received Lesser Poland and Masovia, Otto obtained Silesia, and Dytryk took Greater Poland.[5] Another proposal involves that Mieszko II received Greater Poland, and other neighborhoods were given to Otto and Dytryk.[6]

 

Although the distribution was uncertain, this division was short-lived: in 1033 Otto was killed by one of his own men, and Mieszko II took his domains. Shortly after, he could have expelled Dytryk and thus was able to reunited the whole country in his hands.

 

Mieszko II regained the full power, but he still had to fight against the nobility and his own subjects. It should be noted that in Poland his renunciation to the Royal crown wasn't count, and after 1032, in the chronicles he was still called King.

 

[edit] DeathMieszko II died suddenly between 10 and 11 July 1034, probably in Poznan. The Polish chronicles clearly stated that he died of natural causes; the information that he was murdered by a swordfish, given by the chronicles of Gottfried of Viterbo, refers to Bezprym. However, the historians now think that he was killed in a plot hatched by the aristocracy. He was buried in the Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul.

 

After Mieszko II's death, Poland's peasants revolted in a "pagan reaction." The exact reasons and date are unknown. Mieszko II's only son and heir, Casimir I, was either expelled by this insurrection, or the insurrection was caused by the aristocracy's expulsion of him.

 

Some modern historians argue that the insurrection was caused more by economic than by religious issues, such as new taxes for the Church and the militarization of the early Polish polity. Priests, monks and knights were killed; cities, churches and monasteries were burned.

 

The chaos became still greater when unexpectedly the Czechs invaded Silesia and Greater Poland from the south (1039). The land became divided among local rulers, one of whom is known by name: Mieclaw, ruler of Masovia. Greater Poland was so devastated that it ceased to be the core of Polish Kingdom. The capital was moved to Kraków in Lesser Poland.

 

[edit] Marriage and issueIn Merseburg ca. 1013, Mieszko II married with Richeza (b. bef. 1000 - d. Saalfeld, 21 March 1063), daughter of Count Palatine Ezzo of Lotharingia. They had three children:

 

Casimir I the Restorer (b. 25 July 1016 - d. 19 March 1058).

Ryksa (b. ca. 1018 - d. aft. 1060), married by 1039/42 to King Béla I of Hungary.

Gertruda (b. 1025 - d. Kiev, 4 January 1108), married by 1043 to Grand Prince Iziaslav I of Kiev.

Note on Wife: Richeza + of LOTHARINGIA

Richeza of Lotharingia (also called Richenza, Rixa, Ryksa; b. ca. 995/1000 – d. Saalfeld, 21 March 1063), was a German noblewoman by birth a member of the Ezzonen dynasty and by marriage Queen of Poland. Married to Mieszko II Lambert, King of Poland, commonly referred to as Mieszko II in Poland. After she returned to Germany following the deposition of her husband in 1031, she became later a nun and today is reverenced as Blessed Richeza of Lotharingia.

 

Through her three known children, she became in the direct ancestress of the eastern rulers of the Piast, Rurikid and Árpád dynasties. Four of her Árpád descendants were Saints: Elisabeth, Landgravine of Thuringia, Kinga, Duchess of Kraków and Princess Margaret of Hungary, Irene of Hungary, Saint of Eastern Orthodox Church, and one was Beatificated like her: Jolanta Helena, Duchess of Greater Poland.

 

She was the daughter of Ezzo (also called Ehrenfried), Count Palatine of Lotharingia by his wife Mathilde, daughter of Emperor Otto II. She was probably the eldest of the ten children born during the marriage of her parents.[1][2] Through her mother, Richeza was a niece of Emperor Otto III (who was instrumental to her betrothal), Adelheid I, Abbess of Quedlinburg and Sophia I, Abbess of Gandersheim.

 

Probably already in 1000 during the Congress of Gniezno, was made an agreement between Boleslaw I the Brave and Emperor Otto III. Among the usual political talks, was decided to close ties through a marriage. Due to the childlessness of Otto III, the seven daughters of his sister Mathilde (the only of Otto II's daughters who married and produced children), were the only potential brides for Mieszko, Boleslaw I's son and heir; the oldest of Otto III's nieces, Richeza, was the chosen one. However, the unexpected death of Otto III in 1002 and the reorientation of the Holy Roman Empire politics by his successor Henry II, the wedding is delayed until 1012, when Boleslaw I demanded the wedding and sent his son to Germany with gifts to his bride's family, who at that time quarreled with Henry II for Mathilde's dowry.

 

The Emperor took the opportunity of a settlement with the Ezzonen family and in Merseburg he negotiated a temporary peace with Poland. The marriage between Mieszko and Richeza took place in Merseburg, probably during the Pentecost festivities. Among those present were Emperor Henry II and Boleslaw I.

 

After the final peace agreement between the Holy Roman Empire and Poland, which was signed in 1018 in Bautzen, Richeza and Mieszko maintained close contacts with the German court. In 1021 they participated in the consecration over part of the Bamberg Cathedral.

 

Boleslaw I the Brave died on 17 June 1025. Six months later, on Christmas Day, Mieszko II Lambert and Richeza were crowned King and Queen of Poland by the Archbishop of Gniezno, Hipolit, in the Gniezno Cathedral.

 

The reign of Mieszko II Lambert, however, was short-lived: in 1031, the invasion of both German and Kievan troops against Poland forced him to escape to Bohemia, where he was imprisoned and castrated by orders of Duke Oldrich. Mieszko II's half-brother Bezprym took the government of Poland and began a cruel persecution against the followers of the former King.

 

The Brauweiler Chronicle indicated that soon after the escape of her husband, Richeza and her children fled to Germany with the Polish royal crown and regalia, which were given to Emperor Conrad II and she subsequently played an important role in mediating a peace settlement between Poland and the Holy Roman Empire. However, modern historians believe that these facts are not credible.

 

Richeza and Mieszko II never reunited again; according to some sources, they were either officially divorced or only separated. After Bezprym was murdered in 1032, Mieszko II was released from captivity and returned to Poland, but was forced to divide the country into three parts: between him, his brother Otto and their cousin Dytryk. One year later (1033), after Otto was killed and Dytryk expelled from the country, Mieszko II finally reunited all Poland under his domain. However, his sole rule lasted only one year: between 10/11 July 1034, Mieszko II died suddenly, probably killed as consequence of a conspiracy.

 

Richeza's son Casimir was at that time at the court of his maternal uncle Hermann II, Archbishop of Köln. Only in 1037 the young prince returned to Poland in order to recover his rights over the throne; apparently Richeza also returned with him, although this fact is disputed among historians. Soon after, a barons' rebellion—coupled with the so-called "Pagan Reaction" of the commoners—forced both Casimir and Richeza to flee to Germany again. The Queen never returned to Poland.

[edit] After returning to the Holy Roman Empire

Image of Richeza in Cologne Cathedral.

 

The return of Richeza to Germany forced a redistribution of his father's inheritance, because at the previous arrangement it wasn't contemplated that Richeza would need a place to live. Richeza received Saalfeld, a possession that didn't belong to the Lower Rhine area in which the Ezzonen dynasty tried to build a coherent dominion. Richeza still called herself Queen of Poland, a privilege that was given to her by the Emperor. In Saalfeld Richeza led the Polish opposition which supported her son Casimir, who in 1039, with the help of Conrad II, finally obtain the Polish throne. During the years 1040-1047 Richeza lived in the Klotten state in Moselle.

 

On 7 September 1047 Richeza's brother Otto, the last male representative of the Ezzonen dynasty who remained, died and with him, the territorial and political objectives of his family. Richeza now inherited large parts of the Ezzonen possessions.

 

Otto's death seems to have touched Richeza; apparently, they were very close (Otto named his only daughter after her). At his funeral in Brauweiler, according to Bruno of Toul (later Pope Leo IX), she put her fine jewelry on the altar and declared that she devote the rest of her life as a nun and to preserved the memory of the Ezzonen dynasty. Another goal was probably to secure the remaining Ezzonen rights.

 

By a charter dated on 17 July 1051 is noted that Richeza participated in the reorganization of the Ezzonen properties. She, her sister Theophanu, Abbess of Essen, and her brother, Hermann II, Archbishop of Köln, transferred the Abbey of Brauweiler to the Archdiocese of Köln. This originated a dispute with the Emperor, as this transfer had already been done under the reign of Ezzo. This was successfully challenged by Ezzo's surviving children. The reason for the transfer was likely that the future wasn't secured to the descendants of the Ezzonen: From Ezzo's ten children only Richeza and Otto had children. None of these children was in a position of real power over the Ezzonen inheritance. The transfer to the diocese, headed by Hermann II with one of the younger Ezzonen, ensured the cohesion of the property. In 1054 in connection with some donations to the Abbey of Brauweiler, Richeza expressed her desire to be buried there beside her mother. This reorganization, which apparently emanated from the fact that Hermann II would survive his siblings failed, because he died in 1056. The Archbishop of Köln, Anno II, trying to increase the power of his diocese at the expense of the Ezzonen.

 

Richeza responded to Anno II's ambitions with the formal renunciation of her possessions in Brauweiler to the monastery of Moselle, while reserving the lifelong use of the lands. Brauweiler was the center of Ezzonen memory and should be assured regardless of the powerful economic position of the family. Then Richeza went to Saalfeld, where she met similar arrangements in favor of the Diocese of Würzburg. Anno II protested against these regulations unsuccessfully. At the end Richeza only maintain her direct rule over the towns of Saalfeld and Coburg, but retained the right to use until her death seven other locations in the Rhineland with their additional incomes, and 100 silver pounds per year by the Archdiocese of Köln. Richeza died on 21 March 1063 in Saalfeld.

[edit] Controversy over Richeza's heritage

Richeza's grave in Köln Cathedral.

 

Richeza was buried in Köln's church of St. Maria ad Gradus and not, as she had wished, in Brauweiler. This was prompted by Archbishop Anno II, who appealed to an oral agreement with Richeza. The Klotten estate donated the Richeza's funeral arrangements to St. Maria ad Gradus, whose relationship with Richeza, Hermann II and Anno II is unclear. Maybe St. Maria ad Gradus was an unfinished work of Richeza's brother and completed by Anno II, who wanted to secured part of the Ezzonen patrimony in this way. The Brauweiler Abbey claimed the validy of the 1051 charter and demanded that Klotten given to them the remains of the Polish Queen.

 

The dispute was only ended in 1090 when the current Archbishop of Köln, Hermann III, ruled in favor of the monastery of Brauweiler. However, Richeza's grave remained in St. Maria ad Gradus until 1816, when was transferred to the Köln Cathedral. Her grave was placed in the chapel dedicated to St. John the Baptist in a classic wooden sarcophagus. Besides the coffin, hang two medieval portraits of Richeza and Anno II, who dated from the medieval grave in St. Maria ad Gradus.

 

Her grave was opened multiple times after the transfer to the Köln Cathedral. The last opening was in 1959 and showed her bones. According to witnesses, Richeza had a small and graceful stature; her collarbone showed traces of a fracture, which may have been caused by falling from a horse. The skull was brownish and skinless, her head wrapped up in her face in substance, and the skull was also a golden dome with a cross grid pattern. Because the skull was praying on a red cushion, was made an exhibition of the late Queen. Richeza's relics are located since then in St. Nicholas church in Brauweiler and since 2002 in the Klotter parish church.

[edit] Foundation Activities

[edit] Brauweiler Abbey

St. Nikolaus, church of the former Brauweiler Abbey.

 

The most important of Richeza's foundations was the re-building of the Abbey of Brauweiler. Her parents had founded Brauweiler, but the original church was modestly furnished, a fact who was incompatible with the territorial objectives of the Ezzonen dynasty. After the death of his brother Otto, Richeza decided that Brauweiler became in the center of Ezzonen memory. This purpose wasn't enough of the original building so Richeza built a new Abbey, which is substantially conserved until today. When the construction began was planned a three-aisled pillared basilica with projecting transept to the east apse across a crypt. The aisles were groined vaults with flat ceilings in the central nave. Inside, the nave had five Pfeilerjoche, each of which was half as large as the square crossing. In all the Abbey could see the cross-vaulted ceiling (for example in the aisles, pillars or the crypy) which can be found in many Ezzonen buildings. The crypt was consecrate on 11 December 1051. The consecration of the rest of the construction was on 30 October 1063, seven months after Richeza's death.

 

The building has distinct references to the Church of St. Maria im Kapitol in Köln, founded by Richeza's sister Ida. Both crypts are laid out identically, the two bays in Brauweiler, however, was shorter. Also in the upper church, there are clear implications. Also, Brauweiler is reduced as a copy of the Köln Cathedral, probably thanks to the influence of Richeza's brother Hermann II, who in 1040 consecrated the Abbey of Stablo (Stavelot).

 

Richeza planned to made Brauweiler as the Ezzonen family crypt, so in 1051 she placed there the remains of her sister Adelaide, Abbess of Nivelles, and in 1054 transferred the remains of her father from Augsburg to be buried next to her sister.

[edit] Richeza's Gospel Book

 

The Gospel Book of Queen Richeza (today is in possession of the Hessische Landes-und Darmstadt University), comes from St. Maria ad Gradus, where Richeza (due to large donations of land) had a reserved space in the central nave occupied, normally occupied by the Donors. Whether this was done at the behest of Anno II, or whether it may have made by Richeza, isn't clarified. An indication of the latter thesis, however, is the Gospel Book. The manuscript is in the format of 18 x 13.5 cms is made from 153 pages at the pergamin style. In 150 of the 152 pages of the book the prayer is recorded, which suggests a high-born owner. The following pages contain entries about the Ezzonen memorial. Among these, in addition to Richeza were named Anno II and her parents. The entries can be count with drawns like the Codex style recognized around 1100. The Codex itself is built around 1040, probably in Maasland, and incomplete in its ornamentation: the Evangelists Mark and Luke are complete drawned, but only in a preliminary sketch. The evangelist Matthew wasn't draw. Possibly can be more precisely from the condition of the Codex date: After 1047, when Richeza assumed her clerical vows, she had no need for a personal representative signature. Whether they remained in their possession and was used together with other relics of Anno II from her estate for St. Maria ad Gradus, or already has been donated to her brother, is unknown.