Bruno II (died 26 June 1057) was the

count of Brunswick The County of Brunswick was a county in the medieval Duchy of Saxony. It existed from about the 9th century until 1235, when it was raised to a duchy, the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg. The County developed out of the possessions of the Brunone ...

. He belonged to the

Brunonen The Brunonids (or Brunonians, , , i.e. "Brunos") were a Saxon noble family in the 10th and 11th centuries, who owned property in Eastphalia (around Brunswick) and Frisia. The Brunonids are assumed to be descendants of Brun, Duke of Saxony (d. 8 ...

family. In 1038 he succeeded his father

Liudolf, Margrave of Frisia Liudolf of Brunswick ( 1003 – 23 April 1038) was Margrave of Frisia, Count of Brunswick, Count in the Derlingau and the Gudingau. Liudolf was a descendant of the Duchy of Saxony, Saxon family of the Brunonen. He was a son of Bruno I, Count ...

. His mother was Gertrude the daughter of Count Hugo and brother of

Pope Leo IX Pope Leo IX (, , 21 June 1002 – 19 April 1054), born Bruno von Egisheim-Dagsburg, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 12 February 1049 to his death in 1054. Leo IX is considered to be one of the most historica ...

. In 1057, Bruno and his brother Ekbert, who were cousins of King Henry IV, were involved in a dispute with

Otto, Margrave of the Nordmark Otto (–26 June 1057) was an illegitimate son of Bernard, Margrave of the Nordmark, and a Slav mistress whose name is unknown. He was exiled to Bohemia during his youth. Following the death of his half-brother William on 10 September 1056, Otto ...

. When Otto was persuaded by the

Saxons The Saxons, sometimes called the Old Saxons or Continental Saxons, were a Germanic people of early medieval "Old" Saxony () which became a Carolingian " stem duchy" in 804, in what is now northern Germany. Many of their neighbours were, like th ...

aim for the kingship and depose Henry, his army was met near

Merseburg Merseburg () is a town in central Germany in southern Saxony-Anhalt, situated on the river Saale, and approximately 14 km south of Halle (Saale) and 30 km west of Leipzig. It is the capital of the Saalekreis district. It had a diocese ...

on26 June by Bruno and Ekbert. In the ensuing skirmish, both Otto and Bruno were killed. In the words of

Lampert of Hersfeld Lambert of Hersfeld (also called Lampert or Lampert of Aschaffenburg; – 1082/85) was a medieval chronicler. His work represents a major source for the history of the German kingdom of Henry IV and the incipient Investiture Controversy in the ...

, "thus the commonwealth was delivered from the greatest danger and, once deprived of the standardbearer of the rebellion, the Saxons attempted no further hostilities against the king." He was succeeded by his brother.

Notes

Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bruno 02 Counts of Frisia Year of birth unknown Brunonids Counts of Brunswick 1057 deaths