Wilhelm II the Great ( him. Wilhelm II. Der Große ; ca. 940/945 - December 24, 1003 ) - Earl of Weimar , the eldest son of Count Wilhelm I and daughter of the margrave of the Sorbskoy brand Poppo II . Wilhelm was the first representative of the dynasty, the main residence of which was Weimar, because of which the property was named Weimar County .
| Wilhelm II the Great | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| him Wilhelm II. der große | |||||||
| |||||||
| Predecessor | Wilhelm I | ||||||
| Successor | Wilhelm III | ||||||
| Birth | OK. 940/945 | ||||||
| Death | December 24, 1003 | ||||||
| Burial place | Naumburg | ||||||
| Rod | Weimar-Orlamunde | ||||||
| Father | Wilhelm I | ||||||
| Mother | N Thuringian | ||||||
| Spouse | N von Grabfeld (?) | ||||||
| Children | sons : Wilhelm III , Poppo I Daughter : Agnes | ||||||
Content
Biography
After the death of his father in 963, William inherited possession in Thuringia , which formed the core of the county of Weimar. Also, from 965, Wilhelm is mentioned as a count in Helmegau , from 967 - as a count in Altgau, and from 974 - as a count in Visichgau . In addition, he owned land in Nabelgau (between Helm and Wipper), as well as in Omgebirg near Bleicherode . Wilhelm was the most powerful earl in Thuringia.
Despite the numerous gifts that emperors of the Saxon dynasty made to Wilhelm and his father, during the uprising of the Duke of Bavaria Henry II after the death in 983 of Emperor Otto II, Wilhelm supported the rebellious duke. Because of this, in 984, an army of supporters of the minor emperor Otto III besieged Weimar Castle.
After the death of the childless emperor Otto III in 1002, the struggle for the imperial throne began. One of the contenders was the Margrave of Meissen Eckhard I , who was Wilhelm’s most serious rival in Thuringia. In the same year 1002, Eckhard unsuccessfully besieged Weimar. The death of Eckhard significantly strengthened the position of Wilhelm, who supported the candidacy of the Bavarian Duke Henry IV , who was eventually elected Emperor under the name Henry II. In exchange, for his support, Wilhelm achieved the abolition of the so-called "pork tribute", which the inhabitants of Thuringia paid to the royal treasury from the 6th century.
Wilhelm died on December 24, 1003 in old age and was buried in Naumburg. He was succeeded by the eldest son Wilhelm III .
Marriage and Children
The name of the wife of William is unknown. Based on onomastic data, the historian D. Jackman suggested that Wilhelm’s wife could be the daughter of Count Grabfeld Ott [1] . Children:
- Wilhelm III (d. April 16, 1039), Earl of Weimar from 1003
- Poppo I (d. July 13 to 1044), Margrave of Istria from 1012, Margrave of Krajina from 1040
- Agnes ; Husband: Frederick I (d. 1042), Count von Gosek , county palatine of Saxony
Notes
- ↑ Jackman DC Criticism and Critique, sidelights on the Konradiner. - Oxford Unit for Prosopographical Research, 1997. - P. 69.
Links
- Grafen von Weimar (Eng.) . Foundation for Medieval Genealogy. The appeal date is December 13, 2011.
- Wilhelm II. der Große Graf von Weimar . Mittelalterliche Genealogie im Deutschen Reich bis zum Ende der Staufer. The appeal date is December 13, 2011. Archived September 27, 2008.