| Notes |
- He was the son of Hermann (d. c. 1000), also a count palatine in Lorraine who had possessions in the neighbourhood of Bonn.
Ezzo, sometimes called Erenfried, (born about 955; died March 21, 1034), Count Palatine of Lotharingia, was the son of Hermann I "Pusillus" (the Slender), also a Count Palatine in Lotharingia who governed in several counties along the Rhine (Bonngau, Eifelgau, Mieblgau, Zulpichgau, Keldachgau and Auelgau).
Having married Mathilda (died 1025), a daughter of Emperor Otto II and Theophanu, Ezzo became prominent during the reign of his brother-in-law, Emperor Otto III. His power was increased due to the liberal grant of lands in Thuringia and Franconia which he his wife received out of Ottonian possessions. Candidate to the imperial throne at the death of Otto III, he received huge territories (Kaiserswerth, Duisburg, and Saalfeld) for renouncing to the throne, making him the most powerful man in the empire after the emperor. Otto's successor, Emperor Henry II, was less friendly towards the powerful count, although there was no serious trouble between them until 1011. Some disturbances in Lotharingia quickly forced the emperor to come to terms, and Ezzo's assistance was purchased with additional imperial fiefs.
After this, the relations between Henry and his vassal appear to have been satisfactory. Very little is known about Ezzo's later life, but we are told that he died at a great age at Saalfeld on 21 March 1034.
Ezzo founded the Brauweiler Abbey near Cologne, the place where his marriage had been celebrated. It was dedicated in 1028 by Piligrim, archbishop of Cologne. Ezzo and his wife were buried at Brauweiler. (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
|
955 - 1034 (79 years)
