Eadgyth facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Eadgyth |
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Detail from a Gothic statue in Magdeburg Cathedral assumed to represent Edith
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| Queen consort of Germany | |
| Tenure | 936–946 |
| Born | c. 910 |
| Died | 946 (aged 35–36) Magdeburg, Saxony |
| Burial | Cathedral of Magdeburg |
| Spouse | Otto I of Germany (m. 930) |
| Issue | Liutgarde, Duchess of Lorraine Liudolf, Duke of Swabia |
| House | Wessex |
| Father | Edward the Elder |
| Mother | Ælfflæd |
Edith of England, also known as Eadgyth or Ædgyth (born around 910, died 946), was an important queen in German history. She was a member of the House of Wessex, a powerful royal family in England. Edith became the German queen in 936 when she married King Otto I.
Contents
Early Life and Family Background
Edith was born around the year 910. Her father was Edward the Elder, who was the King of England. Her mother was Ælfflæd, Edward's second wife. This means Edith was the granddaughter of the famous King Alfred the Great. She also had an older sister named Eadgifu.
Edith likely spent her early years in Wessex, a kingdom in England. She moved often with the royal court. Later, she might have lived in a monastery with her mother for some time.
Marriage to Otto I
King Henry the Fowler of the East Frankish kingdom (which later became Germany) wanted to form a strong alliance with England. He asked Edith's half-brother, King Æthelstan of England, to send his sisters to Germany. King Henry's son, Otto, was told to choose the sister he liked best.
Otto chose Edith and they married in 930. A writer named Hrotsvitha described Edith as a woman with a "pure noble countenance, graceful character and truly royal appearance." In 929, before their marriage, King Otto I gave the city of Magdeburg to Edith as a dower. A dower was a gift of property given to a wife for her use. Edith loved Magdeburg and often lived there.
Queen of Germany
In 936, King Henry the Fowler died. His eldest son, Otto, who was Edith's husband, became the new king. Otto was crowned king at Aachen Cathedral. While the records don't mention Edith being crowned at the same time, she was anointed as queen in a separate ceremony.
As queen, Edith had important duties. She often helped with gifts to monasteries and memorials for holy people. She seemed to be very dedicated to these tasks. Edith and Otto founded the Benedictine Monastery of St Maurice in Magdeburg in 937.
Edith traveled with her husband, King Otto, but she did not go with him to battles. For example, when Otto fought against rebellious dukes in 939, Edith stayed safely at Lorsch Abbey. In 941, she even helped her husband and his mother, Queen Matilda, make peace after they had a disagreement.
Edith also helped bring the worship of her ancestor, Saint Oswald of Northumbria, to Germany. Because of her, some monasteries and churches in Saxony were named after this saint.
Children of Edith and Otto
Edith and Otto had two children:
- Liudolf, Duke of Swabia (born 930, died 957)
- Liutgarde (born 931, died 953). She married Duke Conrad the Red in 947.
Both of their children were buried in St. Alban's Abbey, Mainz.
Death and Burial
Edith died unexpectedly in 946 when she was about 36 years old. King Otto was very sad to lose his beloved wife. He later married Adelaide of Italy in 951.
Edith was first buried in the St Maurice monastery. Since the 16th century, her tomb has been in Magdeburg Cathedral. For a long time, people thought her tomb was just a memorial, not her actual burial place.
However, in 2008, archaeologists working at the cathedral found a lead coffin inside a stone tomb. It had Edith's name on it! An inscription said that it was Edith's body, reburied in 1510. The bones inside were carefully examined in 2009. They were then taken to Bristol, England, for more tests in 2010.
Scientists used special tests on the tooth enamel from the bones. These tests showed that the person buried in Magdeburg had spent time as a young person in the chalky uplands of Wessex. This matched what historical records said about Edith's early life in England. These bones are the oldest remains of an English royal family member ever found.
After the tests, Edith's bones were placed back into a new titanium coffin. They were re-interred in her tomb at Magdeburg Cathedral on October 22, 2010.
Images for kids
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View inside the lead coffin
See also
In Spanish: Edith de Inglaterra para niños
