Uta von Ballenstedt
| Uta von Ballenstedt | |
|---|---|
| Margravine of Meissen | |
Naumburg Cathedral portrait
|
|
| Spouse(s) | Eckard II, Margrave of Meissen |
| Issue | |
| Noble family | House of Ascania |
| Father | Adalbert of Ballenstedt (?) |
| Mother | Hidda (?) |
| Born |
c. 1000 Ballenstedt, Saxony |
| Died | 23 October before 1046 |
Uta von Ballenstedt (c. 1000 — 23 October before 1046), a member of the House of Ascania, was Margravine of Meissen from 1038 until 1046, the wife of Margrave Eckard II. She is also called Uta of Naumburg as the subject of a famous donor portrait by the Naumburg Master.
Little is known of Uta's descent. She probably was the sister of the Saxon count Esico of Ballenstedt, who became the progenitor of the Ascanian dynasty. One Count Adalbert of Ballenstedt and Hidda, a daughter of the Lusatian margrave Odo I (965-993), are commonly reckoned as their parents, however, these names are not recorded in contemporary sources.
According to 13th century Naumburg chronicles, Uta's father about 1026 married her off to Eckard II, the younger brother of Margrave Herman I of Meissen—presumably for political reasons in order to further promote the rise of the Ascanian dynasty. Eckard, a loyal supporter of the Salian king Henry III, succeeded his brother-in-law Theoderic II as Margrave of Lusatia and in 1038 also assumed the rule in Meissen upon the death of his elder brother. However, his marriage with Uta remained without issue, resulting in the extinction of the Ekkeharding dynasty.
When Uta died, her husband donated large parts of her dowry to the convent of St. Cyriakus, Gernrode in Uta's home country, where her sister Hacheza had been appointed abbess by King Henry III in 1043. The remaining estates fell to Empress Agnes of Poitou.
...
Wikipedia