The Liesgau was a shire (''
Gau'') of the
Duchy of Saxony
The Duchy of Saxony () 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 CE and incorporated into the Carolingian Empire (Francia) by 804. Upon the 84 ...
in the early medieval period, roughly corresponding to the former
Osterode district of Lower Saxony. It was situated on the south-west side of the
Harz Mountains
The Harz (), also called the Harz Mountains, is a Mittelgebirge, highland area in northern Germany. It has the highest elevations for that region, and its rugged terrain extends across parts of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia. The nam ...
in what is now the German state of
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony is a States of Germany, German state (') in Northern Germany, northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ' of the Germany, Federal Re ...
. Its southern bound was near the town of
Duderstadt
Duderstadt () is a city in southern Lower Saxony, Germany, located in the district of Göttingen.
It is the centre and the capital of the northern part of the Eichsfeld ("Untereichsfeld"). It was once the private wealth of the Roman Catholic ar ...
and its northern bound near
Osterode, and its western bound near the River
Leine
The Leine (; Old Saxon ''Lagina'') is a river in Thuringia and Lower Saxony, Germany. It is a left tributary of the Aller and the Weser and is long.
The river's source is located close to the town of Leinefelde in Thuringia. About downriver ...
. Its eastern boundary corresponds to the present-day eastern border of Lower Saxony.
The Liesgau is mentioned under the name ''Hlisgo'' in several documents from the 9th to 11th centuries. It was bordered by the following counties (list may be incomplete):
Salzgau,
Harzgau,
Helmengau,
Eichsfeld The Eichsfeld ( or ; 'Oak-field') is a historical region in the southeast of the state of Lower Saxony (which is called , 'lower Eichsfeld') and northwest of the state of Thuringia (, 'upper Eichsfeld') in the south of the Harz mountains in Germany ...
,
Lochne,
Suilberge. Its most important town was
Pöhlde Pöhlde is a village in southern Lower Saxony in Germany. It is part of the town Herzberg am Harz. It has a population of 2207 (1 October 2006). Archaeological excavation has revealed traces of settlement dating to the 2nd through 4th centuries AD. ...
. In the 13th century, the Liesgau became part of the
Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg
The Duchy of Brunswick and Lüneburg (), commonly known as the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg or Brunswick-Lüneburg, was an imperial principality of the Holy Roman Empire in the territory of present day Lower Saxony.
In 1235, Otto I, Duke of ...
, and later closely corresponded to the
Grubenhagen subdivision of this duchy.
References
The documents of Arnolf (Arnolfi Diplomata) King
Arnulf of Carinthia
Arnulf of Carinthia ( – 8 December 899) was the duke of Carinthia who overthrew his uncle Emperor Charles the Fat to become the Carolingian king of East Francia from 887, the disputed king of Italy from 894, and the disputed Holy Roman Emperor, ...
, 6 July 889,
Monumenta Germaniae Historica
The (Latin for "Historical Monuments of Germany"), frequently abbreviated MGH, is a comprehensive series of carefully edited and published primary sources, both chronicle and archival, for the study of parts of Northwestern, Central and Souther ...
The deeds of Otto II and Otto of the III. (Ottonis II. et Ottonis III. Diplomata) King
Otto III
Otto III (June/July 980 – 23 January 1002) was the Holy Roman emperor and King of Italy from 996 until his death in 1002. A member of the Ottonian dynasty, Otto III was the only son of Emperor Otto II and his wife Theophanu.
Otto III was c ...
, 10 August 990, Monumenta Germaniae Historica
Hand-Atlas in the History of the Middle Ages and Modern Times ''Gaue'' of Saxony and Northern Thuringia
Historical regions in Germany
Former states and territories of Lower Saxony
Carolingian counties
{{Germany-hist-stub