Thietmar (IV) (born ca. 990; died 10 January 1030) was the Count of the

Schwabengau The Schwabengau (modernized name; originally: Suavia, Suevon, Nordosquavi) was an early medieval shire ('' Gau'') in the Eastphalia region of the medieval Duchy of Saxony. Ruled by the House of Ascania, it became the nucleus of the later Princip ...

and

Nordthüringgau The Nordthüringgau was a medieval county (german: Gau) in the Eastphalian region of the German stem duchy of Saxony. Geography The county was located on both sides of the upper Aller river in present-day Saxony-Anhalt. It was bounded by the ...

from 1010 and the Margrave of the Saxon Ostmark from 1015 until his death. He was the son and successor of Margrave Gero II. His mother was Adelaide. In 1028, the Ostmark, with the rest of the eastern marches of the

Duchy of Saxony The Duchy of Saxony ( nds, Hartogdom Sassen, german: Herzogtum Sachsen) was originally the area settled by the Saxons in the late Early Middle Ages, when they were subdued by Charlemagne during the Saxon Wars from 772 and incorporated into the C ...

fell under attack from

Mieszko II of Poland Mieszko II Lambert (; c. 990 – 10/11 May 1034) was King of Poland from 1025 to 1031, and Duke from 1032 until his death. He was the second son of Bolesław I the Brave, but the eldest born from his third wife Emnilda of Lusatia. He was proba ...

. The

Emperor Conrad II Conrad II ( – 4 June 1039), also known as and , was the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire from 1027 until his death in 1039. The first of a succession of four Salian emperors, who reigned for one century until 1125, Conrad ruled the kingdoms ...

rushed from central Saxony and trekked over very wild terrain to besiege the Poles in

Bautzen Bautzen () or Budyšin () is a hill-top town in eastern Saxony, Germany, and the administrative centre of the district of Bautzen. It is located on the Spree river. In 2018 the town's population was 39,087. Until 1868, its German name was ''Budi ...

. Meanwhile, Bretislaus, son of Oldrich of Bohemia, invaded and conquered the March of Moravia, which had been lost to Bohemia since 1003. Conrad, however, failed to take Bautzen (1029) and returned to the

Rhineland The Rhineland (german: Rheinland; french: Rhénanie; nl, Rijnland; ksh, Rhingland; Latinised name: ''Rhenania'') is a loosely defined area of Western Germany along the Rhine, chiefly its middle section. Term Historically, the Rhinelands ...

by wintertime, leaving the defences of the realm in the hands of Dietrich II of Wettin and Thietmar, who died early in January. On his death, Mieszko attacked and destroyed some hundred German villages. The setback was severe: the east of the Ostmark was lost. He was buried in Helmarshausen. Thietmar was succeeded by his son Odo II. He left a daughter, Oda, who married William III of Weimar and then Dedo II of Wettin, who succeeded her brother Odo.

References

* Thompson, James Westfall. ''Feudal Germany, Volume II''. New York: Frederick Ungar Publishing Co., 1928.

Margraves of the Saxon Ostmark 990s births 1030 deaths {{Germany-margrave-stub