Dedi III, Margrave of Lusatia
Dedi III, Margrave of Lusatia | |
|---|---|
 Tomb of Dedo, with his wife Matilda next to him, on the left | |
| Born | c. 1130 |
| Died | 16 August 1190 |
| Buried | Wechselburg Priory |
| Noble family | House of Wettin |
| Spouse(s) | Matilda of Heinsberg |
| Father | Conrad I, Margrave of Meissen |
| Mother | Luitgard of Ravenstein |
Dedo III, Margrave of Lusatia, nicknamed the Fat (c. 1130 – 16 August 1190) was Count of Wettin as Dido V. From 1144, he was Lord of Groitzsch. From 1156, Count of Groitzsch and also Count of Rochlitz, and from 1185 also Margrave of Lusatia and Count of Eilenburg and Landsberg.
Life
Dedo was the son of Margrave Conrad I of Meissen and his wife Luitgard of Ravenstein. From 1144, he administered Groitzsch as heir apparent of the Counts of Groitzsch, and also as younger son of Margrave Conrad and adopted son of his aunt Bertha, the heiress of Groitzsch. When she died in 1156, the County of Groitzsch was divided and Dedi recevied the Lordship of Rochlitz, with jurisdiction of the Bishopric of Naumburg.
Dedi participated in five campaigns of Emperor Frederick Barbarossa. In 1177, he was Fredericks envoy to Pope Alexander III and swore, on Frederick's behalf, to uphold the Treaty of Venice, which ended the schism. In the succession dispute in Meissen in 1190, Dedi and his sons sided with Albert the Proud.
Dedi appears to have spent most of his life in Rochlitz. Like his brother Otto, he encouraged the settlement of ethnic Germans in his territory. He founded Wechselburg Priory, where he and his descendants were buried.
His brother Theodoric I, who styled himself "Margrave of Landsberg", died in 1185. Dedi inherited his possessions, and styled himself "Margrave of Lusatia".
In order to get into shape for participating in the Third Crusade, Dedi had his doctors attempt a liposuction. The operation was botched, and as a result, Dedi died on 16 August 1190.
Marriage and issue
Dedi marred Matilda of Heinsberg and had six children with her:
- Dietrich (before 13 September 1159; – 13 June 1207), Count of Sommerschenburg and Groitzsch and later provost of Magdeburg
- Philip, provost of Xanten (1182-1190)
- Conrad II (after 13 September 1159 – 6 May 1210), Margrave of Lusatia
- Henry (d. 1174)
- Goswin (d. 1174)
- Agnes (c. 1160/1165 – 24/26 March 1195)
Dedi was the grandfather of Saint Hedwig of Silesia and great-grandfather of the French prince Philip Hurepel. He was also a great-grandfather of Elizabeth of Hungary via Gertrude of Merania.
References
- Heinrich Theodor Flathe (1877), "Dedo", Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (in German), vol. 5, Leipzig: Duncker & Humblot, p. 17