thatswhywelovegermany: Marriage Charter of Empress Theophanu from 972 Otto I. “The Great&rdquo

thatswhywelovegermany:

Marriage Charter of Empress Theophanu from 972

Otto I. “The Great” undertook an intense diplomatic effort to improve the relationship with the Byzantine empire. One of these measures was to marry his son Otto II. with a Byzantine princess. After several failed attempts, he managed to convince Constantinople to send a bride. The girl who arrived in Germany was apparently a disappointment: Instead of the deceased Byzantine emperor Romanos II.’s daughter, a niece of his ousted predecessor was sent to Germany. Some advisors told him to send her back, but Otto I. decided to marry her anyway with his son, probably to avoid more diplomatic trouble.

In April 24, 972, the wedding took place. In this document, after a theological introduction, the political circumstances of the marriage are mentioned. After that, legal affairs are regulated. The empress obtained imperial rights for several provinces and courtyards scattered from Italy to today’s Netherlands, and income from these territories.

The parchment is soaked with a purple-red pigment mixture from lead red and madder root. The golden pigment of the ink is a pulverized alloy of silver and gold. It is largely written in calligraphic minuscles. The OTTO monograms near the bottom are very well recognizable, and by reading closely, you may actually find Theophanu’s name.

Theophanu apparently took a very active role during the reign of her husband, as many documents carrying her name prove. When he suddenly died, she took over the regency for her only five year old son, together with her mother-in-law until her death in 991.

The very well preserved 144.5 by 39.5 cm large document was forgotten in the library of the Gandersheim monastery for centuries. It was rediscovered around 1700; its importance was recognized by mathematician and scholar Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz. It is now on permanent public display in a darkened room under optimal air-conditioning at the State Library of Lower Saxony in Wolfenbüttel.