Eilika von Lengenfeld and 'related' questions

Friday, 4 August, 2006

Dear Leo, et al.,

In comparing my database to Genealogics, two questions arose
which I hope can be readily reconciled.

1. The pedigree below giving a line of descent from Ulrich,
markgraf of Carniola and his wife Sofia of Hungary gives
Ekkehard I von Scheyern as the husband of their daughter
Richardis. This conflicts with Genealogics, which gives
Otto (son of Ekkehard and Richardis in my account) as
the husband of Richardis.

Which version is borne out by ES? And, if the ES version
has solid dates provided, which version appears more likely
(if either) from a chronological view?

Peter Stewart...

This has got into a tangle - the Otto who married Richardis is generally
held to have been Otto II, count of Scheyern & advocate of Freising (died 14
November ca 1110). He was son of Otto I (died 4 December, probably 1072) by
his (second?) wife Haziga of Diessen.

Ekkehard I of Scheyern, advocate of Freising, was an elder (? full- or
half-)brother of Otto II, perhaps by their father's first wife, a lady from
Saxony whose name is not recorded. Ekkehard I's eldest son was Otto III,
count of Scheyern (died 22 August in or son after 1140).

The Historia Welforum, written in the late 12th century, says that a
daughter of Sofia of Hungary by her second husband, Magnus Billung, duke of
Saxony, was abducted from a nunnery in Regensburg by Ekkehard of Scheyen and
became mother by him of Otto IV of Scheyern, count palatine of Bavaria - but
this may be wrong. Some historians follow it in part (none I think in full),
most hold that Richardis was daughter of Sofia by her first husband, Ulrich,
and some that she married Otto II of Scheyern not his brother Ekkehard. She
is recorded as in a contemporary document as "Richkart palatini mater", and
the count palatine Otto IV was almost certainly a son of Otto II rather than
Ekkehard I. The evidence, as with many important German families, is vague
enough to allow genealogists to play with it like a Rubic's cube where most
of the colours are missing.

2. Perhaps more interestingly, Eilika von Lengenfeld (wife
of Otto, generation 1.1.1.1 below) is given by Alan
B. Wilson ["Andechs,Meran,Rochlitz,Swabia," SGM, Dec 20,
1997] as the daughter of Friedrich III von Lengenfeld
by Heilika of Swabia, alleged sister of Conrad III, King
of Germany (d. 1152) and aunt of the Emperor Frederick
Barbarossa. Heilika/Eilika of Swabia does not currently
appear on Genealogics.

If the mysterious Eilika of Swabia was correctly
identified (by Alan Wilson or a predecessor), that would give
another interesting Imperial descent for the many descendants
(Meran, Wittelsbach & c.) of this marriage.

Peter Stewart...

Otto IV's wife was named as "Heilika palatina" and she was heiress of
Lengenfeld, daughter of Friedrich who is usually called "von Pettendorf" but
this is not certain. If correct, his wife was named Heilwig or Heilbirg and
does not appear to be identical with Friedrich I of Swabia's daughter
Heilika who was more probably wife of his namesake uncle. Again, the pieces
of evidence can be, and have been, sorted and assembled in various ways. The
countess palatine Heilika had a sister named Heilwig, wife of Gebhard I of
Leuchternberg.

Peter Stewart

Any clarification/correction will be appreciated.

Cheers,

John *

1 Ulrich von Weimar