Adelaide (Alice) of Burgundy 1 2

Born: ABT 895 in Bourgogne, France

Father: Richard I "The Justiciar" Duke of Burgundy b: ABT 860 in Ardennes, Champagne-Ardenne, France

Mother: Adelaide of Auxerre b: ABT 872 in Auxerre, Yonne, Bourgogne, France

Marriage 1 Regnier II Count of Hainault b: ABT 890 in Lorraine, France

Children:

Daughter of Hainault b: ABT 912 in Hainault, Lorraine, France

Regnier III "Long Neck" Count of Hainault b: ABT 928 in Hainault, Belgium

Sources:

Title: Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonists, 7th Edition, by Frederick Lewis Weis, additions by Walter Lee Sheppard Jr., 1999

Page: 155-18

Text: Adelaide of Burgundy

Title: The Plantagenet Ancestry, by William Henry Turton, 1968

Page: 19

Text: Alice of Burgundy -------------------- Saint Adelaide of Italy, also called Adelaide of Burgundy (931/932 – 16 December 999) was Holy Roman Empress and perhaps the most prominent European woman of the 10th century.

English Wikipedia

Wikipedia Francais

She was the daughter of Rudolf II of Burgundy and Bertha of Swabia. Her first marriage, at the age of fifteen, was to the son of her father's rival in Italy, Lothair II, the nominal King of Italy; the union was part of a political settlement designed to conclude a peace between her father and Hugh of Provence, the father of Lothair. They had a daughter, Emma of Italy.

The Calendar of Saints states that her first husband was poisoned by the holder of real power, his successor, Berengar of Ivrea, who attempted to cement his political power by forcing her to marry his son, Adalbert; when she refused and fled, she was tracked down and imprisoned for four months at Como. She escaped to the protection, at Canossa, of Adalbert Atto, where she was besieged by Berengar. She managed to send an emissary to throw herself on the mercy of Otto the Great of Germany. His brothers were equally willing to save the heiress of Italy, but Otto got an army into the field: they subsequently met at the old Lombard capital of Pavia and were married in 951; he was crowned Emperor in Rome, 2 February 962 by Pope John XII, and, most unusually, she was crowned Empress at the same ceremony. Among their children, four lived to maturity: Henry, born in 952; Bruno, born 953; Matilda, Abbess of Quedlinburg, born about 954; and Otto II, later Holy Roman Emperor, born 955.

In Germany, the crushing of a revolt in 953 by Liudolf, Otto's son by his first marriage, cemented the position of Adelaide, who retained all her dower lands. She accompanied Otto in 966 on his third expedition to Italy, where she remained with him for six years. [edit] Court of Otto III

When her husband Otto I died in 973 he was succeeded by their son Otto II, and Adelaide for some years exercised a powerful influence at court. Later, however, her daughter-in-law, the Byzantine princess Theophano, turned her husband Otto II against his mother, and she was driven from court in 978; she lived partly in Italy, and partly with her brother Conrad, king of Burgundy, by whose mediation she was ultimately reconciled to her son; in 983 Otto appointed her his viceroy in Italy. However, Otto died the same year, and although both mother and grandmother were appointed as co-regents for the child-king, Otto III, Theophano forced Adelaide to abdicate and exiled her. When Theophano died in 991, Adelaide was restored to the regency of her grandson. She was assisted by Willigis, bishop of Mainz. In 995 Otto III came of age, and Adelaide was free to devote herself exclusively to works of charity, notably the foundation or restoration of religious houses. [edit] Retirement

Adelaide had long entertained close relations with Cluny, then the center of the movement for ecclesiastical reform, and in particular with its abbots Majolus and Odilo. She retired to a monastery she had founded in c. 991 at Selz in Alsace. Though she never became a nun, she spent the rest of her days there in prayer. On her way to Burgundy to support her nephew Rudolf III against a rebellion, she died at Selz Abbey on December 16, 999, days short of the millennium she thought would bring the Second Coming of Christ. She had constantly devoted herself to the service of the church and peace, and to the empire as guardian of both; she also interested herself in the conversion of the Slavs. She was thus a principal agent—almost an embodiment—of the work of the Catholic Church during the Early Middle Ages in the construction of the religion-culture of western Europe. Her feast day, December 16, is still kept in many German dioceses. --------------------- http://www.berndjosefjansen.de/Tafel1/tafel1.htm#BM4395 -------------------- Euroopan huomattavimpia naisia 900-luvulla. Italian kuninkaan Lothar II:n myöhemmin keisari Otto Suuren puoliso ja itsekin keisarinnaksi kruunattu. Julistettiin pyhimykseksi 1097.

-------------------- Adelheid von Burgund (931–999) Deutsche Wikipedia

„Weg der Ottonen“, Magdeburger Domplatz

Adelheid (* 931 oder 932 in Hochburgund; † 16. Dezember 999 im Kloster Selz im Elsass) war als Gemahlin Lothars von Italien von 947 bis 950 Königin von Italien und als Gemahlin Ottos des Großen von 951 bis 973 ostfränkische Königin und wieder Königin von Italien sowie von 962 bis 973 Kaiserin des Heiligen Römischen Reiches.

Adelheid von Burgund wird auch als Heilige verehrt. Inhaltsverzeichnis [Verbergen]

   * 1 Leben
   * 2 Regentschaft der Kaiserinnen (985–994)
   * 3 Spätere Bedeutung
   * 4 Die Darstellung Adelheids in der bildenden Kunst
   * 5 Literatur
   * 6 Weblinks

Leben [Bearbeiten]

Geburtstag und -ort Adelheids sind nicht bestimmt überliefert; wahrscheinlich ist das Jahr 931 oder 932 und ein Ort in der heutigen Westschweiz oder dem damaligen Hochburgund, wo ihre Eltern als „Wanderkönige“ lebten. Deshalb wird sie auch als „Adelheid von Burgund“ bezeichnet.

Adelheid war die Tochter von König Rudolf II. von Burgund und der Herzogstochter Berta von Schwaben. Noch als Kind wurde sie mit dem Bosoniden Lothar von Italien, dem Sohn Hugos von Arles verlobt und 947 vermutlich 16-jährig mit ihm vermählt. Die junge Adelheid galt schon bald als beispielhafte Christin: Sie kümmerte sich mit großem Einsatz um die armen und am Rande der Gesellschaft stehenden Menschen.

Im Jahr 950 wurde ihr Mann, nach nur drei Ehejahren, vergiftet. Markgraf Berengar von Ivrea wollte seinen Sohn Adalbert mit der jungen Witwe verheiraten, um über sie die italienische Krone zu erlangen. Adelheid lehnte jedoch ab, worauf Berengar sie auf seiner Burg in Garda gefangensetzte. Der jungen Frau gelang die Flucht und sie rettete sich mit ihrer Tochter Emma (der späteren Ehefrau von König Lothar von Frankreich) nach Canossa. Von dort aus rief sie König Otto I., der Adelheids Bruder Konrad erzogen hatte, zu Hilfe. Otto besiegte Berengar, heiratete Adelheid 951 in der lombardischen Königsstadt Pavia und übernahm die langobardisch-italienische Königswürde, setzte aber Berengar als seinen Stellvertreter ein.

Mit dieser Heirat legten Otto I. und Adelheid die Grundlage für die Verbindung des ostfränkischen und des lombardischen Königreiches, dem Kernstück des späteren Imperium Romanum des Mittelalters. Adelheid und Otto hatten vier gemeinsame Kinder:

   * Heinrich (* 952; † 954)
   * Bruno (* 953; † )
   * Mathilde (Äbtissin von Quedlinburg) (* 954 ; † 999)
   * Otto II. (später Kaiser des Heiligen Römischen Reiches) (* 955 ; † 983)

Adelheid war eine gebildete Frau, sie sprach vier Sprachen und war sehr belesen. Sie übte sowohl in Italien als auch in Deutschland großen Einfluss auf die Politik des Römischen Reiches aus. 962 wurden Otto I. und Adelheid zu Kaiser und Kaiserin gekrönt. Regentschaft der Kaiserinnen (985–994) [Bearbeiten]

Als Otto I. im Jahr 973 starb, verhinderte sie Erbstreitigkeiten unter den Söhnen und begründete so die Durchsetzung der Dynastie der Ottonen.

Ihre Freundschaft mit Theophanu, der Gemahlin ihres Sohnes, war rein politischer Natur. Nach dem frühen Tod Ottos II. ging es beiden Frauen darum, dem noch Minderjährigen Otto III. die Macht und die Krone des Reiches zu erhalten. Gemeinsam mit dem Erzbischof Willigis von Mainz führten die beiden Frauen die Regierungsgeschäfte für den minderjährigen Kaiser, bis Adelheid sich wegen Spannungen zu Theophanu aus der gemeinsamen Regentschaft zurückzog.

Adelheid blieb Statthalterin von Italien. 991 kehrte sie an den Kaiserhof zurück, als ihre Schwiegertochter Theophanu erst 35-jährig starb. Bis zur Volljährigkeit ihres Enkels Otto III. führte die Kaiserin die Regierungsgeschäfte selbständig.

Nachdem Otto III. die Regierung übernommen hatte, widmete sich Adelheid verstärkt karitativen Aufgaben und förderte Klostergründungen. Besonders am Herzen lag ihr die Reform von Cluny, die sie tatkräftig unterstützte. Schließlich zog sie sich in das von ihr gegründete Kloster Seltz im Nord-Elsass zurück, wo sie im Jahr 999 starb. Von ihrem Grab ist heute nichts mehr erhalten. Spätere Bedeutung [Bearbeiten]

Adelheid wurde wegen ihrer Mildtätigkeit vom Volk auch über ihren Tod hinaus verehrt. Papst Urban II. sprach sie im Jahr 1097 heilig (→ Heiligsprechung). Der Gedenktag der heiligen Adelheid ist im katholischen, reformierten und orthodoxen Kalender jeweils am 16. Dezember. Bis zur Reformation gab es einen regen Wallfahrtsbetrieb zum Grab der Adelheid in Selz, der aber mit dem Verschwinden der Reliquien endete.

In der deutschen Geschichtsschreibung wird Adelheid gerne übergangen. Die Rolle der starken Frauen während der ottonischen Dynastie wird häufig unterschätzt. Die Darstellung Adelheids in der bildenden Kunst [Bearbeiten] Kaiserin Adelheid neben ihrem Gemahl König Otto I. im Meißner Dom

Die Heilige Adelheid wird in der Regel in fürstlichem Gewand mit Zepter und Krone dargestellt. Ab dem 14. Jahrhundert wird ihr als Attribut auch ein Kirchenmodell oder ein Schiff (mit dem sie aus der Gefangenschaft geflohen sein soll) beigegeben.

Die bekannteste Darstellung in der deutschen Kunst gehört zu einer Gruppe von Sandsteinfiguren im Chor des Meißner Doms, die um 1260 entstand. Sie ist hier neben ihrem nicht heiliggesprochenen Gemahl abgebildet, da er gemeinsam mit ihr das Bistum Meißen gründete. Literatur [Bearbeiten]

   * Friedrich Wilhelm Bautz: Adelheid von Burgund (931–999). In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Band 1, Hamm 1975, Sp. 35–35.
   * Franz Staab, Thorsten Unger (Hgg.): Kaiserin Adelheid und ihre Klostergründung in Selz, Referate der wissenschaftlichen Tagung in Landau und Selz vom 15. bis 17. Oktober 1999 (Veröffentlichungen der Pfälzischen Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Wissenschaften 99), 1. Aufl. Speyer 2005, ISBN 3-932155-21-1.
   * Ernst Steindorff: Adelheid (Kaiserin). In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Band 1. Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1875, S. 75–77.
   * Stefan Weinfurter: Kaiserin Adelheid und das ottonische Kaisertum. In: Frühmittelalterliche Studien, Bd. 33 (1999), S. 1–19.
   * Walter Schlesinger: Adelheid. In: Neue Deutsche Biographie (NDB). Band 1. Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1953, S. 57 f. (Onlinefassung)

Weblinks [Bearbeiten]

Commons: Adelheid von Burgund – Sammlung von Bildern, Videos und Audiodateien

Wikisource Wikisource: Odilo von Cluny: Das Leben der Kaiserin Adalheid, übersetzt von Hermann Hüffer (1891) – Quellen und Volltexte Vorgänger Amt Nachfolger Willa von Burgund / Königin von Italien 947–950 / 951–973 / Theophanu Edgitha Königin des Ostfrankrenreiches 951–973 Theophanu Mathilde die Heilige Kaiserin des Heiligen Römischen Reiches 962–973 (vormundschaftlich 985–994)

Normdaten: PND: 118646974 – weitere Informationen | LCCN: n90679721 Diese Seite wurde zuletzt am 22. Juli 2010 um 15:53 Uhr geändert. -------------------- Saint Adelaide of Italy, also called Adelaide of Burgundy (931/932 – 16 December 999) was perhaps the most prominent European woman of the 10th century.

She was the daughter of Rudolf II of Burgundy and Bertha of Swabia. Her first marriage, at the age of fifteen, was to the son of her father's rival in Italy, Lothair II, the nominal King of Italy; the union was part of a political settlement designed to conclude a peace between her father and Hugh of Provence, the father of Lothair. They had a daughter, Emma of Italy.

The Calendar of Saints states that her first husband was poisoned by the holder of real power, his successor, Berengar of Ivrea, who attempted to cement his political power by forcing her to marry his son, Adalbert; when she refused and fled, she was tracked down and imprisoned for four months at Como. She escaped to the protection, at Canossa, of Adalbert Atto, where she was besieged by Berengar. She managed to send an emissary to throw herself on the mercy of Otto the Great of Germany. His brothers were equally willing to save the heiress of Italy, but Otto got an army into the field: they subsequently met at the old Lombard capital of Pavia and were married in 951; he was crowned Emperor in Rome, 2 February 962 by Pope John XII, and, most unusually, she was crowned Empress at the same ceremony. Among their children, four lived to maturity: Henry, born in 952; Bruno, born 953; Matilda, Abbess of Quedlinburg, born about 954; and Otto II, later Holy Roman Emperor, born 955.

In Germany, the crushing of a revolt in 953 by Liudolf, Otto's son by his first marriage, cemented the position of Adelaide, who retained all her dower lands. She accompanied Otto in 966 on his third expedition to Italy, where she remained with him for six years.

When her husband Otto I died in 973 he was succeeded by their son Otto II, and Adelaide for some years exercised a powerful influence at court. Later, however, her daughter-in-law, the Byzantine princess Theophano, turned her husband Otto II against his mother, and she was driven from court in 978; she lived partly in Italy, and partly with her brother Conrad, king of Burgundy, by whose mediation she was ultimately reconciled to her son; in 983 Otto appointed her his viceroy in Italy. However, Otto died the same year, and although both mother and grandmother were appointed as co-regents for the child-king, Otto III, Theophano forced Adelaide to abdicate and exiled her. When Theophano died in 991, Adelaide was restored to the regency of her grandson. She was assisted by Willigis, bishop of Mainz. In 995 Otto III came of age, and Adelaide was free to devote herself exclusively to works of charity, notably the foundation or restoration of religious houses.

Adelaide had long entertained close relations with Cluny, then the center of the movement for ecclesiastical reform, and in particular with its abbots Majolus and Odilo. She retired to a monastery she had founded in c. 991 at Selz in Alsace. Though she never became a nun, she spent the rest of her days there in prayer. On her way to Burgundy to support her nephew Rudolf III against a rebellion, she died at Selz Abbey on December 16, 999, days short of the millennium she thought would bring the Second Coming of Christ. She had constantly devoted herself to the service of the church and peace, and to the empire as guardian of both; she also interested herself in the conversion of the Slavs. She was thus a principal agent—almost an embodiment—of the work of the Catholic Church during the Early Middle Ages in the construction of the religion-culture of western Europe. Her feast day, December 16, is still kept in many German dioceses. -------------------- Adelaide of Italy From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Saint Adelaide of Italy, also called Adelaide of Burgundy (931/932 – 16 December 999) was perhaps the most prominent European woman of the 10th century. She was the daughter of Rudolf II of Burgundy and Bertha of Swabia. Her first marriage, at the age of fifteen, was to the son of her father's rival in Italy, Lothair II, the nominal King of Italy; the union was part of a political settlement designed to conclude a peace between her father and Hugh of Provence, the father of Lothair. They had a daughter, Emma of Italy. The Calendar of Saints states that her first husband was poisoned by the holder of real power, his successor, Berengar of Ivrea, who attempted to cement his political power by forcing her to marry his son, Adalbert; when she refused and fled, she was tracked down and imprisoned for four months at Como. She escaped to the protection, at Canossa, of Adalbert Atto, where she was besieged by Berengar. She managed to send an emissary to throw herself on the mercy of Otto the Great of Germany. His brothers were equally willing to save the heiress of Italy, but Otto got an army into the field: they subsequently met at the old Lombard capital of Pavia and were married in 951; he was crowned Emperor in Rome, 2 February 962 by Pope John XII, and, most unusually, she was crowned Empress at the same ceremony. Among their children, four lived to maturity: Henry, born in 952; Bruno, born 953; Matilda, Abbess of Quedlinburg, born about 954; and Otto II, later Holy Roman Emperor, born 955. In Germany, the crushing of a revolt in 953 by Liudolf, Otto's son by his first marriage, cemented the position of Adelaide, who retained all her dower lands. She accompanied Otto in 966 on his third expedition to Italy, where she remained with him for six years. When her husband Otto I died in 973 he was succeeded by their son Otto II, and Adelaide for some years exercised a powerful influence at court. Later, however, her daughter-in-law, the Byzantine princess Theophano, turned her husband Otto II against his mother, and she was driven from court in 978; she lived partly in Italy, and partly with her brother Conrad, king of Burgundy, by whose mediation she was ultimately reconciled to her son; in 983 Otto appointed her his viceroy in Italy. However, Otto died the same year, and although both mother and grandmother were appointed as co-regents for the child-king, Otto III, Theophano forced Adelaide to abdicate and exiled her. When Theophano died in 991, Adelaide was restored to the regency of her grandson. She was assisted by Willigis, bishop of Mainz. In 995 Otto III came of age, and Adelaide was free to devote herself exclusively to works of charity, notably the foundation or restoration of religious houses. Adelaide had long entertained close relations with Cluny, then the center of the movement for ecclesiastical reform, and in particular with its abbots Majolus and Odilo. She retired to a monastery she had founded in c. 991 at Selz in Alsace. Though she never became a nun, she spent the rest of her days there in prayer. On her way to Burgundy to support her nephew Rudolf III against a rebellion, she died at Selz Abbey on December 16, 999, days short of the millennium she thought would bring the Second Coming of Christ. She had constantly devoted herself to the service of the church and peace, and to the empire as guardian of both; she also interested herself in the conversion of the Slavs. She was thus a principal agent—almost an embodiment—of the work of the Catholic Church during the Early Middle Ages in the construction of the religion-culture of western Europe. Her feast day, December 16, is still kept in many German dioceses.

References

John Coulson, editor. The Saints: A Concise Biographical Dictionary. Hawthorn Books, 1960. Genealogie-Mittelalter: "Adelheid von Burgund". This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain. Attwater, Donald and Catherine Rachel John. The Penguin Dictionary of Saints. 3rd edition. New York: Penguin Books, 1993. ISBN 0-140-51312-4.

-------------------- Saint Adelaide of Italy, also called Adelaide of Burgundy (931/932 – 16 December 999) was Holy Roman Empress and perhaps the most prominent European woman of the 10th century.

Life She was the daughter of Rudolf II of Burgundy and Bertha of Swabia. Her first marriage, at the age of fifteen, was to the son of her father's rival in Italy, Lothair II, the nominal King of Italy; the union was part of a political settlement designed to conclude a peace between her father and Hugh of Provence, the father of Lothair. They had a daughter, Emma of Italy.

Marriage to Otto I The Calendar of Saints states that her first husband was poisoned by the holder of real power, his successor, Berengar of Ivrea, who attempted to cement his political power by forcing her to marry his son, Adalbert; when she refused and fled, she was tracked down and imprisoned for four months at Como. She escaped to the protection, at Canossa, of Adalbert Atto, where she was besieged by Berengar. She managed to send an emissary to throw herself on the mercy of Otto the Great of Germany. His brothers were equally willing to save the heiress of Italy, but Otto got an army into the field: they subsequently met at the old Lombard capital of Pavia and were married in 951; he was crowned Emperor in Rome, 2 February 962 by Pope John XII, and, most unusually, she was crowned Empress at the same ceremony. Among their children, four lived to maturity: Henry, born in 952; Bruno, born 953; Matilda, Abbess of Quedlinburg, born about 954; and Otto II, later Holy Roman Emperor, born 955.

In Germany, the crushing of a revolt in 953 by Liudolf, Otto's son by his first marriage, cemented the position of Adelaide, who retained all her dower lands. She accompanied Otto in 966 on his third expedition to Italy, where she remained with him for six years.

Court of Otto III When her husband Otto I died in 973 he was succeeded by their son Otto II, and Adelaide for some years exercised a powerful influence at court. Later, however, her daughter-in-law, the Byzantine princess Theophano, turned her husband Otto II against his mother, and she was driven from court in 978; she lived partly in Italy, and partly with her brother Conrad, king of Burgundy, by whose mediation she was ultimately reconciled to her son; in 983 Otto appointed her his viceroy in Italy. However, Otto died the same year, and although both mother and grandmother were appointed as co-regents for the child-king, Otto III, Theophano forced Adelaide to abdicate and exiled her. When Theophano died in 991, Adelaide was restored to the regency of her grandson. She was assisted by Willigis, bishop of Mainz. In 995 Otto III came of age, and Adelaide was free to devote herself exclusively to works of charity, notably the foundation or restoration of religious houses.

Retirement Adelaide had long entertained close relations with Cluny, then the center of the movement for ecclesiastical reform, and in particular with its abbots Majolus and Odilo. She retired to a monastery she had founded in c. 991 at Selz in Alsace. Though she never became a nun, she spent the rest of her days there in prayer. On her way to Burgundy to support her nephew Rudolf III against a rebellion, she died at Selz Abbey on December 16, 999, days short of the millennium she thought would bring the Second Coming of Christ. She had constantly devoted herself to the service of the church and peace, and to the empire as guardian of both; she also interested herself in the conversion of the Slavs. She was thus a principal agent—almost an embodiment—of the work of the Catholic Church during the Early Middle Ages in the construction of the religion-culture of western Europe. Her feast day, December 16, is still kept in many German dioceses.

-------------------- Saint Adelaide of Italy, also called Adelaide of Burgundy (931/932 – 16 December 999) was perhaps the most prominent European woman of the 10th century.

She was the daughter of Rudolf II of Burgundy and Bertha of Swabia. Her first marriage, at the age of fifteen, was to the son of her father's rival in Italy, Lothair II, the nominal King of Italy; the union was part of a political settlement designed to conclude a peace between her father and Hugh of Provence, the father of Lothair. They had a daughter, Emma of Italy.

The Calendar of Saints states that her first husband was poisoned by the holder of real power, his successor, Berengar of Ivrea, who attempted to cement his political power by forcing her to marry his son, Adalbert; when she refused and fled, she was tracked down and imprisoned for four months at Como. She escaped to the protection, at Canossa, of Adalbert Atto, where she was besieged by Berengar. She managed to send an emissary to throw herself on the mercy of Otto the Great of Germany. His brothers were equally willing to save the heiress of Italy, but Otto got an army into the field: they subsequently met at the old Lombard capital of Pavia and were married in 951; he was crowned Emperor in Rome, 2 February 962 by Pope John XII, and, most unusually, she was crowned Empress at the same ceremony. Among their children, four lived to maturity: Henry, born in 952; Bruno, born 953; Matilda, Abbess of Quedlinburg, born about 954; and Otto II, later Holy Roman Emperor, born 955.

In Germany, the crushing of a revolt in 953 by Liudolf, Otto's son by his first marriage, cemented the position of Adelaide, who retained all her dower lands. She accompanied Otto in 966 on his third expedition to Italy, where she remained with him for six years.

When her husband Otto I died in 973 he was succeeded by their son Otto II, and Adelaide for some years exercised a powerful influence at court. Later, however, her daughter-in-law, the Byzantine princess Theophano, turned her husband Otto II against his mother, and she was driven from court in 978; she lived partly in Italy, and partly with her brother Conrad, king of Burgundy, by whose mediation she was ultimately reconciled to her son; in 983 Otto appointed her his viceroy in Italy. However, Otto died the same year, and although both mother and grandmother were appointed as co-regents for the child-king, Otto III, Theophano forced Adelaide to abdicate and exiled her. When Theophano died in 991, Adelaide was restored to the regency of her grandson. She was assisted by Willigis, bishop of Mainz. In 995 Otto III came of age, and Adelaide was free to devote herself exclusively to works of charity, notably the foundation or restoration of religious houses.

Adelaide had long entertained close relations with Cluny, then the center of the movement for ecclesiastical reform, and in particular with its abbots Majolus and Odilo. She retired to a monastery she had founded in c. 991 at Selz in Alsace. Though she never became a nun, she spent the rest of her days there in prayer. On her way to Burgundy to support her nephew Rudolf III against a rebellion, she died at Selz Abbey on December 16, 999, days short of the millennium she thought would bring the Second Coming of Christ. She had constantly devoted herself to the service of the church and peace, and to the empire as guardian of both; she also interested herself in the conversion of the Slavs. She was thus a principal agent—almost an embodiment—of the work of the Catholic Church during the Early Middle Ages in the construction of the religion-culture of western Europe. Her feast day, December 16, is still kept in many German dioceses. -------------------- http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/BURGUNDY%20KINGS.htm#AdelaisBurgundydied999