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28-529: In May 1017 Cunigunde was staying on the imperial estate of Kaufungen when, according to Thietmar of Merseburg , she became seriously ill and vowed to found a monastery if she recovered. She did so and her husband Henry endowed the new foundation in 1019. King Henry granted to the nuns of Kaufungen, the privilege to organize a weekly market each Saturday, and a fair on the Feast of John the Baptist , and another of

56-732: A balance was achieved; Siegfried became burgrave at Möckern and his brother Count Lothair of Walbeck served as margrave of the Northern March from 983 until his death in 1003. Baptized in Halberstadt , Thietmar prepared for an ecclesiastical career. He was educated at the St. Servatius chapter of Quedlinburg Abbey and from 987 onwards at the Benedictine abbey of Berge in Buckau near Magdeburg . From 1 November 990, he attended

84-746: A complete facsimile edition had been published by L. Schmidt (Dresden, 1905). Thietmar's statement that the Gero Cross in Cologne cathedral was commissioned by Archbishop Gero , who died in 976, was dismissed by art historians, who thought he meant another cross, until the 1920s, and finally confirmed as correct in 1976 by dendrochronology . Thietmari Merseburgensis episcopi Chronicon : Attribution: Burgrave Burgrave , also rendered as burggrave (from German : Burggraf [ˈbʊʁkˌɡʁaːf] , Latin : burgravius, burggravius, burcgravius, burgicomes, also praefectus ),

112-641: A historical source on the Saxony during the reigns of the emperors Otto III and Henry II. It contains a detailed history of the Bishopric of Merseburg , and of the wars against the Wends (Polabian Slavs) and the Poles. The original manuscript was moved in 1570 to Dresden . When the city was destroyed by bombing during World War II the manuscript was severely damaged, and only a few folios remain intact. Fortunately

140-486: The Annales Quedlinburgenses and others); the fourth book, comprising the reign of Otto III contains much original matter; while the remaining four books, which describe the reign of Henry II to the year 1018, are the independent narrative of Thietmar and, besides being the principal source for Saxon history during the reign of Henry II, contain valuable information, not to be found elsewhere regarding

168-664: The Anglo-Norman French " castellain " and Middle English " castellan " (from Latin : castellanus ). In the mid-12th century, King Conrad III of Germany created a new quality for the title of burgrave during the German eastward colonization . They became protectors and administrators of extensive royal territories near major imperial castles, such as Meissen , Altenburg and Leisnig , and received "judicial lordship" (German: Gerichtsherrschaft ). They also acted as colonizers and created their own dominions. Under

196-666: The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross . After the death of Henry in 1024, Cunigunde, who was later canonized as well as her husband, became a nun in the new Benedictine monastery, where she died around 1033. The abbey church was consecrated on 13 July 1025. In 1089, the nunnery became an Imperial abbey , territorially and judicially independent, subject only to the Holy Roman Emperor . The " Vögte " (advocates, or lords protectors) of Kaufungen Abbey were

224-552: The German noble title Burggraf (compounded from Burg : castle , fortress or equally fortified town and Graf : count ) from Middle High German burcgrâve. The feminine form is burgravine, in German Burggräfin (from Middle High German burcgrâvin ). From the early High Middle Ages , the German Burggraf (burgrave) was the military governor or commander of a castle, similar to that of

252-462: The King of Prussia . In Sweden, the burgrave ( Swedish : burggreve , earlier spelling burggrefve ) was the highest official in the cities of Gothenburg and Malmö during periods in the 17th and early 18th centuries. The title was first introduced by the king Gustavus Adolphus in the 1621 charter for Gothenburg, though it was not actually used until 1625. The burgrave of Gothenburg was to protect

280-656: The Protestant Reformation , Landgrave Philip I of Hesse appropriated it and gave it, together with Wetter Abbey, to the Hessische Ritterschaft (Hessian Knighthood, an association of noble families for the purpose of mutual help) for the care and shelter of female members of those families belonging to it. As the Ritterschaftliches Stift Kaufungen it still exists today. The abbey church, now known as

308-478: The emperor or king , or of a territorial imperial state —a prince-bishop or territorial lord . The responsibilities were administrative, military and jurisdictional. A burgrave, who ruled over a substantially large territory, might also have possessed the regality of coinage , and could mint his own regional coins (see silver bracteates ). Etymologically, the word burgrave is the English and French form of

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336-663: The "Stiftskirche", was dedicated on 13 July 1025. It is now used as the parish church and is counted as the most significant structure of the late Ottonian period in north Hesse. In the westwork the Imperial gallery ("Kaiserempore") was re-discovered in 1938. The church hosts regular classical music concerts. 51°16′48″N 9°38′03″E  /  51.2801°N 9.6343°E  / 51.2801; 9.6343 Thietmar of Merseburg Thietmar (also Dietmar or Dithmar ; 25 July 975 – 1 December 1018), Prince-Bishop of Merseburg from 1009 until his death in 1018,

364-405: The "highness, reputation and regalia" of the monarch and was appointed by him or her from a group of six candidates proposed by the city board. In Gothenburg, the title ceased to be used in 1683 but was briefly reintroduced by Charles XII between 1716 and 1719. Now appointed among three candidates, the burgrave was the executive of the city, keeping the city keys and supervising the board. Following

392-684: The Counts of Maden. During the 12th century, the abbey was transformed to house a community of secular canonesses , becoming a home for unmarried female members of the nobility ( Frauenstift ). It continued in this form until 1509, when, at the instigation of William II, Landgrave of Hesse , the abbey was returned to the Benedictine Order, under the authority of the Bursfeld Congregation . The canonesses were formed into Benedictines by nuns from Gehrden Abbey. In 1532, during

420-626: The Empire), obtained a quasi-royal significance. Like other officials of the feudal state , some burgraves became hereditary rulers. There were four hereditary burgraviates ranking as principalities within the Holy Roman Empire, plus the burgraviate of Meissen : In the Crown of the Kingdom of Bohemia , the title of burgrave was given by the King of Bohemia to the chief officer, or

448-474: The Magedeburg cathedral school , together with his relative Bruno of Querfurt . He was familiar with the works of Augustine of Hippo , but even more with classical authors like Virgil , Horace , Lucan , and Macrobius . Thietmar witnessed the struggles of the young Ottonian king Otto III and his mother Theophanu to secure their reign. He took some part in some political events of the time; in 994 he

476-615: The Merseburg diocese, which had been re-established by King Henry II in 1004. Thietmar was concerned with the full restitution of his bishopric. A loyal supporter of the German kingship, he rarely interfered in political affairs. He died on 1 December 1018 and was buried in Merseburg cathedral . Between 1012 and 1018 Thietmar, while Bishop of Merseburg, composed his chronicle Chronicon Thietmari , which comprises eight books, that cover

504-698: The Older of Walbeck (died 990) and his wife Kunigunde (died 997), daughter of Henry I the Bald , Count of Stade ( House of Udonids ). His father fought with Margrave Odo against Duke Mieszko I of Poland at the 972 Battle of Cedynia . At the time of Thietmar's birth, his family sided with the Ottonian duke Henry II of Bavaria ("the Wrangler") in his uprising against his cousin Emperor Otto II . Later,

532-448: The appointment was usually for life. After the reforms of Maria Theresa (reign 1740–1780) and her son Joseph II (reign 1780–1790), the title of highest burgrave gradually lost its de facto power. The title of highest burgrave was still granted, however, and its holder remained the first officer of the kingdom. It was abolished in 1848. In the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland , the burgrave (Polish: burgrabia , earlier also murgrabia )

560-487: The contemporary history and civilization of the Slavic tribes east of the river Elbe , as well as Poles , Hungarians and Bulgarians . The surviving manuscript shows ongoing amendments and insertions by Thietmar after the text's completion. The 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia criticizes the style and composition of the writing, as well as the indiscriminate inclusion of unimportant events, but nevertheless recommends it as

588-721: The period between 908 and 1018, the Saxon Emperors Henry the Fowler , the three Ottos, and Henry II the Saint . As counsellor of the Emperor and participant in many important political transactions he was well equipped for writing a history of his times. The first three books, covering the reigns of Henry I and the first two Ottos ( Otto I and Otto II ) are largely based on previous chronicles most of which are still extant (e.g. Widukind of Corvey 's Res gestae Saxonicae ,

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616-405: The regal official whose command is equivalent to a viceroy 's. From the 14th century, the burgrave of Prague—the highest-ranking of all burgraves, seated at Prague castle , gradually became the state's highest-ranking official, who also acted as the king's deputy; the office became known as the high or supreme burgrave of the Kingdom of Bohemia (Czech: Nejvyšší purkrabí  [ cz ] );

644-546: The reign of King Rudolf I of Germany , their dignity was considerably advanced. Before his time, burgraves were ranked only as counts ( Graf ), below the princes ( Fürst ), but during his reign, they began to receive the same esteem as princes. In the Kingdom of Germany , owing to the distinct conditions of the Holy Roman Empire , the title, borne by feudal nobles having the status of Reichsfürst (princes of

672-557: Was a hostage in the hands of the Norsemen , and he was not unfamiliar with the actualities of war. Upon the death of his parents, he inherited large parts of the Walbeck estates and in 1002 became provost of the family monastery, established by his grandfather Count Lothair II. On 21 December 1004, he was ordained as a priest by Archbishop Tagino of Magdeburg . In 1009, through the intercession of Archbishop Tagino, he became Bishop of

700-544: Was also chief judge of the supreme court of Magdeburg law (Polish: Sąd wyższy prawa niemieckiego ) erected in Kraków in lieu of Magdeburg . The burgrave of Kraków also collected an income from the royal Wieliczka Salt Mine , run by the Royal Salt Mines company Żupy krakowskie since the 13th century. In the Kingdom of Prussia , the burgrave was one of the four chief officers of a province , delegated by

728-513: Was also of senatorial rank (i.e. held a seat in the upper chamber of the Senate of Poland ). Ranking first among them was the "Burgrave of Kraków " (Polish: Burgrabia krakowski ) of the former capital of Poland and Wawel Castle , who was appointed directly by the King of Poland . The royal office was originally created during the reign of Casimir III the Great . At that time, Kraków's burgrave

756-617: Was an important chronicler recording the reigns of German kings and Holy Roman Emperors of the Ottonian ( Saxon ) dynasty. Two of Thietmar's great-grandfathers, both referred to as Liuthar, were the Saxon nobles Lothar II, Count of Stade , and Lothar I, Count of Walbeck . They were both killed fighting the Slavs at the Battle of Lenzen . Thietmar was a son of the Saxon count Siegfried I

784-467: Was since the medieval period in Europe (mainly Germany) the official title for the ruler of a castle , especially a royal or episcopal castle, and its territory called a Burgraviate or Burgravate (German Burggrafschaft also Burggrafthum , Latin praefectura ). The burgrave was a " count " in rank (German Graf , Latin comes ) equipped with judicial powers, under the direct authority of

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