Siegfried (died 3 December 937) was the Count and
Margrave
Margrave was originally the Middle Ages, medieval title for the military commander assigned to maintain the defence of one of the border provinces of the Holy Roman Empire or a monarchy, kingdom. That position became hereditary in certain Feudal ...
of
Merseburg from an unknown date before 934 until his death. He does not appear with the title of margrave in contemporary royal charters and diplomas, so the title was informal and never official.
Siegfried was probably the son of
Thietmar, the tutor of
Henry I of Germany. He was made
procurator 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 936.
Otto I put his younger brother
Henry under the "protective custory" of Siegfried (or perhaps in Bavaria) during his coronation festivities. At that time, Siegfried was "second after the king," according to
Widukind of Corvey.
When Siegfried died, his march was disputed between
Thankmar, his cousin (through their mothers) and the king's brother, and
Gero
Gero I ( 900 – 20 May 965), sometimes called the Great (),Thompson, 486. Also se was a nobleman from East Francia who ruled an initially modest march centred on Merseburg in the south of the present German state of Saxony-Anhalt, which he ...
, his own brother and the king's appointee.
Siegfried's first wife was Ermenburg (Irminburg), daughter of
Otto I, Duke of Saxony
Otto ( – 30 November 912), called the Illustrious () by later authors, was a notable member of the Ottonian dynasty and Duke of Saxony from 880 until his death in 912. He played an important role in early medieval history of Germany during the ...
, and Hathui. His second wife (936) was Guthia (Guhtiu), who as a widow became the foundress and first abbess of
Gröningen.
Notes
Sources
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Margraves of Merseburg
937 deaths
Year of birth unknown
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