Hedwige of Saxony
| Hedwige of Saxony | |
|---|---|
Hedwig of Saxony, detail from the Chronica sancti Pantaleonis, 12th century
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| Born | c. 910 |
| Died | 10 May 965(?) |
| Spouse | Hugh the Great |
| Issue |
Hugh Capet Emma of Paris, Duchess of Normandy Otto, Duke of Burgundy Henry I, Duke of Burgundy |
| House | Ottonian dynasty (Liudolfings) |
| Father | Henry the Fowler |
| Mother | Matilda of Ringelheim |
Hedwige of Saxony (also Hedwig, German: Hadwig von Sachsen; c. 910 – May 10, 965), a member of the Ottonian dynasty, was Duchess consort of the Franks by her marriage to the Robertian duke Hugh the Great, a descendant of Emperor Charlemagne. Upon her husband's death in 956, she acted as a regent during the minority of their son Hugh Capet, the founder of the Elder House of Capet.
According to the medieval chronicler Widukind of Corvey, Hedwig was a younger daughter of the Saxon duke Henry the Fowler (c. 876 – 936), elected King of East Francia from 919, and his second wife Matilda of Ringelheim (c. 895 – 968). Her siblings were Otto I, who succeeded his father as king and was crowned Holy Roman Emperor in 962; Duke Henry I of Bavaria; Gerberga of Saxony, who married King Louis IV of France in 939; and Archbishop Bruno of Cologne.
After her brother Otto I came to power in 936, an alliance and marriage was arranged with the West Frankish duke Hugh the Great, who sought support in his struggles with King Louis IV. Hedwig was Hugh's third wife. They married probably in May 937. With Hugh, Hedwig had the following children:
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