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Birth:          ABT  960 
Death:          30 Apr 1002 Pohlde
Burial:         Grossjena

Notes
competitor for the German throne
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eckard_I,_Margrave_of_Meissen
Eckard I (Ekkehard;[Note 1] c.?960 – 30 April 1002) was Margrave of Meissen from 
985 until his death. He was the first margrave of the Ekkehardinger family that ruled 
over Meissen until the extinction of the line in 1046.
Life[edit]

Eckard was of noble east Thuringian stock, the eldest son of Margrave Gunther of 
Merseburg (d. 982). He followed his father into exile from 976 to 979 and took part in 
the 982 Battle of Stilo against the Emirate of Sicily, where Gunther was killed. Back in 
Germany, Eckard upon the death of Emperor Otto II in 983 supported his minor son 
King Otto III of Germany. At the Hoftag diet of Rohr in June 984, he together with 
Archbishop Willigis of Mainz and several German princes enforced the release of the 
four-year-old king by his rivaling cousin Duke Henry II of Bavaria.

In 985 Otto III appointed him to succeed Margrave Rikdag in Meissen, following 
severe Saxon setbacks against the Slavic Lutici tribes during the Great Slav Rising. 
Eckard remained a vital support for the king and his mother Empress Theophanu. His 
military responsibilities consisted primarily of securing the Milceni lands as well as the 
containment of the neighbouring Polish and Bohemia duchies. Duke Boleslaus II of 
Bohemia had allied with Duke Henry and had taken the occasion to occupy the 
Albrechtsburg residence, he nevertheless had to withdraw by 987, after Eckard's 
forces had prevailed. According to the chronicles of Thietmar of Merseburg, he was 
later elected Duke of Thuringia by the magnates of the region, an event which has 
been taken as evidence of the principle of tribal ducal election.[1]

When the Boleslaus II allied with the Lutici and entered into war with Mieszko I of 
Poland in 990, Margrave Eckard led the united German-Polish forces against Bohemia. 
Margrave Eckard had to restore Thiadric, Bishop of Prague to his see after his 
expulsion by Boleslaus II of Bohemia.[2] In 996 he accompanied Otto III on his 
campaign to Rome, where the king was crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Pope 
Gregory V. Two years later, Eckard's forces helped to suppress the revolt of 
Crescentius the Younger in 998 by storming Castel Sant'Angelo. Eckard was high in 
the favour of Otto III, who rewarded him handsomely by converting many of his 
benefices (fiefs) into proprietas (allods).[3]

When in January 1002 Otto III died without issue and the German princes met at 
Frohse (today part of Schönebeck) to elect a new king, Eckard even aimed at the 
German crown, because the late emperor's Ottonian relative Henry of Bavaria, son of 
rebellious Duke Henry II, who was the preeminent candidate, met with strong 
opposition. Eckard was at that time the most obvious Saxon candidate, but the nobles 
were opposed to him.[4][Note 2] They only agreed to meet again at the Kaiserpfalz of 
Werla and to support no candidate before then. The Werla meeting took place in April 
and Henry, through his cousins, Abbess Sophia I of Gandersheim and Adelheid I of 
Quedlinburg, the sisters of deceased Otto III, succeeded in having his election 
confirmed, at least in part by hereditary right. Nevertheless, Eckard received enough 
support to commandeer the closing banquet of the Werla assembly and dine in state 
with Duke Bernard I of Saxony and Bishop Arnulf of Halberstadt. He was subsequently 
honoured as royalty by Bishop Bernward when he arrived at Hildesheim. Within days, 
however, he had been assassinated by agents of his Saxon opposition in Pöhlde.[5] 
Among these rivals were Count Henry III of Stade, his brother Udo, and Count 
Siegfried II of Northeim.

Eckard was initially buried at his family's castle in Kleinjena near Naumburg, but his 
remains were transferred to the Benedictine monastery of Saint George in Naumburg in 
1028. He was remembered by Bishop Thietmar of Merseburg as decus regni, solatium 
patriae, comes suis, terror inimicis et per omnia perfectissimus.[6] Meissen fell into 
dispute on his death. Duke Boleslaw I Chrobry of the Polans, who had supported 
Eckard for the throne, laid claim to it as his relative by marriage.[7][8] Henry, now 
king, allotted to Boleslaw the March of Lusatia (which had been attached to Meissen), 
but Meissen itself was granted to Gunzelin, Eckard's younger brother.[8]

Marriage and children[edit]

Eckard left behind his wife Schwanehilde (Suanhild), daughter of Hermann Billung, 
regent of Saxony. She died on 26 November 1014, having given him seven children, 
though he was her second husband, she being the widow of Margrave Thietmar, 
Margrave of Meissen:
1.Liutgard (d. 1012), married Margrave Werner of the Northern March
2.Herman I, Margrave of Meissen (d. 1038), married Regelinda, daughter of King 
Boleslaw I Chrobry of Poland
3.Eckard II, Margrave of Meissen (d. 24 January 1046), married Uta, sister of Count 
Esico of Ballenstedt
4.Gunther (d. 1025), Archbishop of Salzburg
5.Eilward (d. 1023), Bishop of Meissen
6.Matilda, married Dietrich II, Margrave of Lower Lusatia
7.Oda (d. after 1018), married King Boleslaw I Chrobry of Poland

Parents
VON MERSEBURG Gunter (ABT  930 - 13 Jul  982)
____ Daubravka (ABT  931 -  977)

Siblings
____ Ekkhard I (ABT  960 - 30 Apr 1002)

Marriage To ____ Swanhilde (ABT  945 - 26 Nov 1014)
    m. ABT  979 

Notes

Parents
BILLUNG OF SAXONY Hermann (ABT  902 - 27 Mar  973)
OF WESTERBOURG Hildegarde (Hildegardis) (ABT  907 - )

Children by ____ Swanhilde ABT  945 - 26 Nov 1014
VON MEISSEN Mathilda (ABT  980 - )

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