Gero, Count of Alsleben facts for kids

Gero (died August 11, 979) was a powerful noble known as a Count in a place called Alsleben. He might have been the grandson of a very famous person named Gero the Great. If so, his mother was Hedwig. Gero also had a sister named Tetta. She started a special religious place, a monastery, in Alsleben in his honor.

A historian named Thietmar of Merseburg wrote about Gero. He said Gero was a Count in areas like Northern Thuringia and Morzani. Gero was married to a woman named Adela. They had one daughter, also named Adela, who later married Siegfried II, Count of Stade. After Gero, there aren't any records of other Counts of Alsleben until much later, in the 1100s.

A Difficult Accusation

Gero faced a serious problem when a Saxon warrior named Waldo made an accusation against him. This happened before Emperor Otto II, who was the ruler at the time. We don't know exactly what Waldo accused Gero of, or even much about Waldo himself.

However, two important leaders, Archbishop Adalbert of Magdeburg and Margrave Dietrich of the Northern March, pushed for action against Gero. Because of their influence, Gero was captured in a place called Sömmering. He was then put under the care of Siegfried I, Count of Walbeck, and Lothair I, Margrave of the Nordmark. These men were the father and uncle of the historian Thietmar.

The Trial by Combat

In those times, people sometimes settled big disagreements with a "trial by combat." This meant two people would fight, and the winner was believed to be in the right. Gero and Waldo met for such a duel on August 11, 979.

During their fight, Gero landed two strong blows to Waldo's neck. But Waldo fought back, hitting Gero hard on the head. Gero became too dizzy to continue the fight. Waldo then left the fighting area and put down his weapons. Sadly, Waldo suddenly died from his injuries.

A Surprising Outcome

Even though Gero clearly won the fight, he was declared guilty. The emperor ordered that Gero be put to death at sunset. It seemed that only Archbishop Adalbert and Margrave Dietrich were happy with this decision.

Later that day, Otto I, Duke of Swabia and Bavaria, and Berthold, Count of the Radenzgau, arrived. They were very upset with Emperor Otto II. They told him he was wrong to condemn such a person for what they saw as a small matter. This unusual outcome of the duel was remembered for a long time in medieval Germany.