Bernhard, Count of Anhalt
Bernhard, Duke of Saxony (* 1140, † February 9, 1212 in Bernburg ) was Duke of Saxony, Count of Askanien and Ballenstedt, Lord of Bernburg.
Life
Bernhard was the youngest son of Albert the Bear of the family of Ascanians and Sophie of Winzenburg. In 1157 he lived with his father and his brothers the funeral of Conrad the Great near. In 1159 Bernhard accompanied along with his brother Otto Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa on his Italian campaign. After the death of his father he received in 1170 as a later Anhalt Hausbesitzungen the District of Ascaria ( Aschersleben ) and the former Gau Serimunt between Saale, Mulde and Elbe.
After the death of his brother Adalbert ( Albert), he became Earl of Ballenstedt 1171. In the same year he was commissioned by Frederick Barbarossa at the Diet of Goslar the escheat right to rule Plötzkau ( Plötzke ), which passed into his possession in 1173. The county Plötzkau but was made to him by Henry the Lion in dispute. In a campaign against Bernhard Heinrich destroyed Aschersleben and Groningen and devastated Halberstadt. Nevertheless, Bernhard was able to maintain in this dispute.
Period of the fall of Henry the Lion
When Henry the Lion was outlawed in 1180 by the Emperor Frederick Barbarossa, he lost at the Diet of Würzburg his fief, the duchies of Bavaria and Saxony. Then Bernhard received on 13 April 1180 the court day to Gelnhausen Gelnhausen with the deed to the eastern part of the country, and the bishopric of Bremen Guelph with the Saxon duke.
The duchy of Saxony was, however, been previously divided, making it as country ownership accounted for only the land between the Mark Meissen and the Mark Brandenburg. The areas around Aken and Wittenberg and some other possessions such as Castle County Magdeburg him were transmitted. The once owned by Henry the Lion countries Engern and Westphalia together with the ducal sovereignty had the archbishop of Cologne gives. The Counts of Holstein were released from the suzerainty of the Saxon dukes, the county Stade came to the archbishopric of Bremen, Lübeck was imperial city, the county palatine of Saxony in 1179 went to Louis III. of Thuringia; also took the Saxon bishops back their fief. For Bernard 1181 had to support the Emperor in the Imperial Army drive against Henry the Lion. In November 1181 Heinrich submitted to the emperor at the Diet of Erfurt. Only at this point was Bernhard of Saxe also awarded the Saxon ducal title in addition to the territory. After the defeat of Henry he could save his allodial estates, from which later the Duchy of Brunswick was formed.
Bernhard's work as Duke of Saxony
In Nordalbingien and the territories between the Elbe and the Baltic Sea, the vassals refused soon against him. After this had returned, they found the lion in support Henry. Bernhard tried his claims to enforce and was assisted in this by his brothers, especially Otto I, Margrave of Brandenburg, and Siegfried, now Archbishop of Bremen. First, should the vassals of its territory, in a day-to Artlenburg, swear the oath of allegiance. There were the Counts of Ratzeburg, Dannenberg, Luckow and Schwerin. The most powerful but, Count Adolf of Holstein, did not come and was in consequence of his adversary first. Disputes over the Dithmar, the Western Holstein, flared, which he received from his brother Siegfried as Bremisches fief, who hoped it like to snatch from the power of the Counts of Holstein, but without success.
Bernhard now ordered the construction of Lauenburg ( Polabenburg ) on the lower Elbe, to have at least one fixed point on the right bank. Certain him hostile areas, he loaded with high taxes, which led to an attack against the Lauenburg and this was destroyed in 1182.
In 1183 Bernard's brother died Dietrich von Advertise without heirs, his property was for the most part to Bernhard.
The dispute now escalated into on the Slav countries. Heinrich Borwin I., son of Pribislaw, as his father was a supporter of Henry the Lion, also husband of his daughter Matilda, it therefore held with Bernhard's opponents. His cousin Nicholas I ( Niklot ), the son of Wratislaw of Mecklenburg, Heinrich 1164 in his castle stormed Malchow had let you down, took the side of Bernhard. In order to weaken the friends of Bernard were the rebellious vassals in Slavic areas and drove Niclot. Borwin allied himself with the Duke of Pomerania Bogislaw I. and Niclot with the princes of Rügen Jaromir I., who was a faithful vassal of the Danes. Bogislaw now had the secret order of the Emperor, the Danish King Canute VI. punishing him for his homage refusal, whereby the land between the Elbe and the Oder was split in a Danish and German party. Borwin was taken prisoner of the Danish king, and had, as Niclot, take his land from the Danish king as a fief. After devastating incursions of the Danes in Pomerania in the years 1184 and 1185 Bogislaw suffered the same fate.
Due to the success of the Danes urged the Emperor 1184 to a balance between Bernard and his vassals. Count Adolf III. of Holstein should retain the disputed land, but had to pay 700 marks to Bernhard and make the refused fealty. Count Bernhard von Ratzeburg and Count von Schwerin Gunzelin were also committed to payments. The destroyed Lauenburg should be built from all together again. At the latest after the second exile of Henry the Lion in 1188 it kept Graf Adolf with the new overlords, hoping to retrieve his lost country with him. After Henry's return in 1188 there were new clashes in which Bernhard Bardowick lost ( in Lüneburg ).
When Duke Bernhard of Saxe in 1190 participated in the election of Henry VI. in part, at whose coronation he first acted as Erzmarschall. Later he made his opposition by Henry naught plan, hereditary to bind the German crown at his house. In the double election of 1198 he was among the princes who chose to be king Philip of Swabia. After his assassination in 1208, however, he changed in the re- election to the side of Philip's rival Otto IV
Bernhard founded the Saxon coat of arms. These he put on the old sign of askanischen house the five black bars in the golden field, and as a sign of recent birth and the oblique line branch lilies bar. He received the later so-called diamond ring by Frederick Barbarossa at the Diet of Gelnhausen 1180th Through the acquired Saxon possessions Bernhard moved its headquarters and court of Vienna to Wittenberg, which was made in 1422 as the residence of Ascanians to extinction of askanischen line. There he also built the mint Wittenberg, where he could be prepared Bracteates and embossed on both sides denarii. He died on February 9, 1212 as the last of Albrecht's many sons, and was buried in the church of the Benedictine monastery in Ballenstedt.
Effect
With the investiture of Bernard by Emperor Frederick Barbarossa of the lifelong struggle of ten years before the late Albrecht the Bear for power in Saxony for the Ascanians was ultimately completed successfully. Albrecht himself was after the coronation of the Holy Roman Emperor Conrad III. been enfeoffed of this with the Duchy of Saxony, this office was only for four years 1138-1142 held and could not prevail against the claim to power of the Guelphs in the long run. Barbarossa, in turn, supported the Guelph Henry the Lion, forcing Albrecht to accept this. Only when Barbarossa Henry the Lion fell out in 1175, the way for a askanischen Duke of Saxe- Wittenberg was free.
Marriages and descendants
Bernhard was married to Judith of Poland, daughter of the Duke Mieszko III. , From before 1175 until her death in 1201/1202. Together they had the following children:
- Henry I, Prince of Anhalt
- Albrecht, Duke of Saxony
- Sophie, abbess to Gernrode
- Magnus
- Hedwig ∞ 1204 Count Ulrich I of Wettin
- John, provost in Halberstadt
Descent
Heritage
After the death of Bernard, the property was divided: Bernhard's son Albrecht I was Duke of Saxony. His son, Henry I, Prince of Anhalt, fell to the Anhalt family estates.