Magnus, Duke of Saxony

Magnus
Duke of Saxony
Reign	1072–1106
Born	1045
Died	1106
Predecessor	Ordulf
Successor	Lothair II

Magnus (c. 1045 – 23 August 1106) was the duke of Saxony from 1072 to 1106. Eldest son and successor of Ordulf and Wulfhild of Norway, he was the last member of the House of Billung.

Rebellion

In 1070, before he was duke, he joined Otto of Nordheim, duke of Bavaria, in rebellion against the Salian Emperor Henry IV. Otto was accused of being privy to a plot to murder the king, and it was decided he should submit to the ordeal of battle with his accuser. The duke asked for safe-conduct to and from the place of meeting. When this was refused he declined to appear, and was consequently deprived of Bavaria, while his Saxon estates were plundered. The rebellion was put down in 1071, and Magnus was captured. Magnus was imprisoned in the castle of Harzburg, the imposing imperial fortress which so inflamed the Saxon freemen. He was not released upon his accession to the Saxon duchy until seventy Swabians captured in Lüneburg were released.

First Battle of Langensalza

In 1073, Harzburg was destroyed and the anger of Henry aroused. He renewed the conflict with Saxony once more. At the First Battle of Langensalza in 1075, Magnus was captured again. After being released again, he joined Rudolf von Rheinfeld, duke of Swabia and antiking, and was present at the Battle of Mellrichstadt (7 August 1078), where he saved Rudolf's life. However, he and the Saxons never fully supported the Swabian Rudolf and he reconciled with Henry, even fighting the Slavs with the royal forces.

Legacy

Magnus was an embittered enemy of the archbishop of Bremen, Adalbert, whose see he afflicted with repeated plundering raids. In 1106, the same year as Henry IV, he died. His duchy was given to Lothair of Supplinburg and his lands were split between his daughters by Sophia (married 1071), daughter of Béla I of Hungary, going thus to the houses of Welf and Ascania, for Wulfhilde (1075 – 1126) married Duke Henry IX of Bavaria and Eilika (1080 – 16 January 1142) married Count Otto of Ballenstedt.

Preceded by Ordulf

Duke of Saxony 1072–1106

Succeeded by Lothair II

Ancestry

Ancestors of Magnus, Duke of Saxony

16. Hermann Billung

8. Bernard I, Duke of Saxony

17. Oda

4. Bernard II, Duke of Saxony

18. Henry I the Bald of Stade

9. Hildegard of Stade

2. Ordulf, Duke of Saxony

20. Berthold of Schweinfurt

10. Henry of Schweinfurt

21. Eilika of Walbeck

5. Eilika of Schweinfurt

22. Otto of Henneberg

11. Gerberga of Henneberg

1. Magnus, Duke of Saxony

24. Gudrød Bjørnsson

12. Harald Grenske

6. Olaf II of Norway

26. Gudbrand Kula

13. Åsta Gudbrandsdatter

3. Wulfhild of Norway

28. Eric the Victorious

14. Olof Skötkonung

29. Sigrid the Haughty

7. Astrid Olofsdotter

15. Edla

Persondata
Name	Magnus, Duke Of Saxony
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Date of death	1106
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