What's all this about Gertrud and who is she?
You will certainly ask yourself that. I came across it by chance, after an extensive tour of the VW plants in Wolfsburg, of all places. There was still some time left and we wanted to do something "nice". So we visited an old church nearby in Königslutter with an emperor's grave. Lothar III was buried there. "Nice!" I thought. "Once I'm retired, I'll go and see who that was."
Now I am retired, I looked. Emperor Lothar III is buried here with his wife and son-in-law. So I asked myself, "Where is the daughter buried?". If you could ask Emperor Lothar III, his wife Richenza and his son-in-law Henry the Proud: " Where is the daughter, the wife?", you would learn that her name is Gertrud, but the three would have no idea themselves where she is buried. I set out to find out. There I came across strange connections and, fascinated, I researched further, bought books, surfed the Internet and travelled around Europe in her footsteps to come to the realisation: Without Gertrud and her tragic death, I wouldn't even exist!
You will be amazed!
Embark on a historical voyage of discovery into the Middle Ages and find the place where Gertrud von Supplinburg is buried. She was the only daughter of the German Emperor Lothar III and his wife Richenza and was born on 18.4.1115. At the age of ten she was betrothed to Henry the Proud and on 29.5.1127 at the tender age of 12 she married her father's chosen bridegroom at Gunzenle near Augsburg. The celebration lasted six days. On her 28th birthday on 18.4.1143 she died under tragic circumstances. But where is she now? In August 2007, I photographed her gravestone and almost crushed a tear.
On to the search for Gertrud
There is almost nothing about her in the history books. She is really lost. That is a pity. The woman without a childhood has achieved incredible
things and has remained so unknown. Her descendants living today certainly know her.
She is also called Gertrud von Süpplingenburg and later Gertrud von Braunschweig. Most of the places mentioned in the quiz are connected with her fate.
"She travelled a lot, the little one."
What she really looked like, we do not know. But Heinrich Jasomirgott, son of Leopold III, said: "She looks good" !
One more request
Place a digital rose on her grave. She will be happy, because where she is now, the digital rose counts just as much as a real one.
You will find her complete story once you have found her final resting place.
