Gisela of Swabia

Gisela of Swabia ( 990 – 15 February 1043), a member of the Conradiner dynasty, was Queen consort of Germany from 1024 to 1039 and Empress consort of the Holy Roman Empire from 1027 to 1039 by her third marriage with Emperor Conrad II. She was the mother of Emperor Henry III. She was regent of Swabia for her minor son Duke Ernest II of Swabia in 1015.

Life

Gisela was the daughter of Duke Herman II of Swabia and Gerberga of Burgundy, daughter of King Conrad the Peaceful. Both her parents were descendants of Charlemagne. According to a plate found when her tomb was unearthed, she was born on 11 November 999, but that date cannot be reconciled with the records of her marriages.

She first married the Saxon count Brun I of Brunswick, about 1002. Upon Brun's death, her second marriage was ca. 1012 with the Babenberg scion Ernest, who had been enfeoffed with the Duchy of Swabia by King Henry II at the death of Gisela's brother, Duke Herman III and aimed at legitimising himself as his heir. After Ernest's early death in 1015, Gisela became regent for their minor son Duke Ernest II of Swabia (Herzog Ernst). Her third marriage, which took place before January 1017, was to Conrad II, who was elected King of the Romans in 1024 and became Holy Roman Emperor in 1027. According to Thietmar of Merseburg, Archbishop Aribo of Mainz refused to crown her Queen of Germany, as he stated Gisela and Conrad were too closely related (both of them being direct descendants of Henry the Fowler). Nevertheless, thirteen days after his coronation, Archbishop Pilgrim of Cologne crowned her instead.

For the same reason, Henry II replaced her as her son's regent with Poppo of Trier, which became the source of conflict between Conrad and Henry.

Gisela played an active part in politics, attending Imperial councils and having her uncle King Rudolph III of Burgundy transfer the succession of his Arelat realm to her husband Conrad. Also, she participated in several synods of the church. She took care of her sister Matilda's daughters Sophie and Beatrice, who would both go on to play political roles as Countess of Bar and regent in the Italian March of Tuscany respectively. After Conrad's death in 1039, she and her son Henry III led the mourning progression.

The empress died of dysentery at the Imperial Palace of Goslar in 1043. She is interred in the grotto of Speyer Cathedral, Germany along with several emperors and other members of the imperial family.

Her tomb was opened in 1900 and Gisela's mummified body was found to be 172 cm (5' 8") tall, with long blond hair.

Children

Gisela and Brun I, Count of Brunswick had:
Liudolf, Margrave of Frisia (c. 1003 – 24 January 1038)
Daughter (c. 1004 – ?), married Count Thiemo II of Formbach
Gisela (c. 1005 – c. 1052), married Count Berthold of Sangerhausen

Gisela and Ernest I, Duke of Swabia had:
Ernest II, Duke of Swabia (c. 1013 – 17 August 1030)
Herman IV, Duke of Swabia (c. 1015 – 28 July 1038)

Gisela and Conrad II, Holy Roman Emperor had:
Henry III, Holy Roman Emperor (28 October 1017 – 5 October 1056)
Matilda (1027 – January 1034), betrothed to Henry I of France
Beatrix (c. 1030 – 26 September 1036)

Notes

References

"Women in power 1000-1100" from Guide2womenleaders.com, last accessed January 15, 2007
 Braunschweigisches Biographisches Lexikon, Appelhans 2006, 

Category:Salian dynasty
Category:Holy Roman Empresses
Category:Duchesses of Swabia
Category:11th-century women rulers
Category:Women of medieval Germany
Category:Burials at Speyer Cathedral
Category:990 births
Category:1043 deaths
Category:11th-century women of the Holy Roman Empire