Burchard, Duke of Thuringia
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Burchard (died 3 August 908) was the Duke of Thuringia (and the Sorbian March)[1] from shortly after 892 until his death. He replaced Poppo as duke shortly after his appointment in 892, but the reasons for Poppo's leaving office are unknown. Burchard may have been a Swabian.[2]
Burchard led a large army in battle against the Magyars in 908. In Saxony on 3 August, he fought a pitched battle, was defeated, and died, along with Rudolf I, Bishop of Würzburg, and Count Egino.[3] After Burchard, no further dukes of the Thuringii are recoded, but they remained as a distinct people, eventually forming a landgraviate in the High Middle Ages.[4]
Burchard left two sons, Burchard and Bardo, who were expelled from Thuringia by Henry the Fowler in 913. According to fabpedigree.com, Burchard may be a direct patrilineal ancestor of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, but the site may be inaccurate.
[edit] Sources
- Reuter, Timothy. Germany in the Early Middle Ages 800–1056. New York: Longman, 1991.
