Agnes of Poitou, Agnes of Aquitaine or Empress Agnes (c. 1025 – 14 December 1077) was Holy Roman Empress and regent of the Holy Roman Empire from 1056 to 1062.
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She was the daughter of William V, Duke of Aquitaine[1] and Agnes of Burgundy. She was the sister of Duke William VI, Duke Eudes, Duke William VII, and Duke William VIII. Her maternal grandparents were Otto-William, Duke of Burgundy and Ermentrude of Rheims.
Agnes married Henry III, Holy Roman Emperor in November 1043 at Ingelheim.[Note 1][2] She was his second wife[1] after Gunhilda of Denmark, who had died in 1038. This marriage, helped to solidify the Holy Roman Empire's relationships with the west.[1]
Their children were:
After her husband's death in 1056, Agnes served as regent during on behalf of young son, Henry IV.[3] Despite being related to kings of Italy and Burgundy, Agnes was not known as a quality leader. During her rule, she would give away three duchies, Bavaria, Swabia, and Carinthia, to relatives.[1]
Agnes opposed church reform, and took the side of Italian dissidents who did as well.[1] Pope Stephen IX, who was unable to take actual possession of Rome due to the Roman aristocracy's election of an antipope, Benedict X, sent Hildebrand of Sovana and Anselm of Lucca (respectively, the future Popes Gregory VII and Alexander II) to Germany to obtain recognition from Agnes. Though Stephen died before being able to return to Rome, Agnes' help was instrumental in letting Hildebrand depose the Antipope [4] and with Agnes' support replace him by the Bishop of Florence, Nicholas II.
In 1062, Henry was abducted by a group of men, including the Anno II, Archbishop of Cologne and the Otto of Nordheim, in a conspiracy to remove Agnes from the throne. Henry was brought to Cologne, and despite jumping overboard from a board to escape, he was recaptured again. Agnes resigned, as ransom, from the throne, and Anno took her place.[1] After the dethroning, she moved to Rome and acted as a mediator and peacemaker between Henry IV and his enemies.[3] She died in Rome on 14 December 1077 and is buried at St. Peter's Basilica.
Agnes is a featured figure on Judy Chicago's installation piece The Dinner Party, being represented as one of the 999 names on the Heritage Floor.[3][5]
| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Gunhilda of Denmark |
Queen consort of Germany 1043–1054 |
Succeeded by Bertha of Savoy |
| Preceded by Gisela of Swabia |
Queen of Burgundy 1043–1056 |
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| Empress consort of the Holy Roman Empire 1046–1056 |
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| Queen consort of Italy 1043–1056 |
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| Preceded by Adelaide of Susa |
Duchess consort of Swabia 1043–1045 |
Succeeded by Matilda of Poland |