Agnes of Germany

One of the most interesting women in the Babenberg family can be found on the right wing of the family tree, in the middle row, second from the left. It’s Agnes of Germany, daughter of Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor and consort, in her second marriage, to Leopold III.

Agnes is 7 when she is betrothed to her first husband, Staufer Duke Frederick I. He is already over 30. When she reaches 14 the marriage is consummated and they have over 10 children, making her matriarch to one of the most famous ruling clans in the Middle Ages. One of the sons from her first marriage becomes Frederick I Barbarossa, Holy Roman Emperor.

Duke Frederick dies in 1105 and Agnes is remarried a year later. Her second husband, Babenberg Leopold III, earns the privilege with his support of Agnes’ brother, who becomes Emperor Henry V. Agnes must leave her children in Swabia behind and, at 34, begin a new life in the east of the empire. In her second marriage she again produces over 10 children.

Later chronicles say the fertile marriage is a holy blessing, of which Leopold has proven himself worthy with the many foundations and monasteries he establishes. One of the most famous is Klosterneuburg Monastery. According to legend the wind blows Agnes’ veil from the top of the Leopoldsberg and Leopold orders the monastery to be built on the spot it is found. Agnes is directly involved in establishing the nunnery there, as denoted by the model church she is holding in the picture. Despite the ravages of over 20 births, Agnes outlives her second husband too. She dies in 1143, at 71, and is laid to rest in Klosterneuburg.