, Agnes Of Poitou

Agnes of Poitou, Agnes of Aquitaine or Empress Agnes (c.?1025 – 14December 1077) was Holy Roman Empress and regent of the Holy Roman Empirefrom 1056 to 1062.

She was the daughter of William V, Duke of Aquitaine[1] and Agnes ofBurgundy. She was the sister of Duke William VI, Duke Eudes, Duke WilliamVII, 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 atIngelheim.[Note 1][2] She was his second wife[1] after Gunhilda ofDenmark, who had died in 1038.[citation needed] This marriage, helped tosolidify the Holy Roman Empire''s relationships with the west.[1]

Their children were:
Adelaide II (1045, Goslar – 11 January 1096), abbess of Gandersheim from1061 and Quedlinburg from 1063
Gisela (1047, Ravenna – 6 May 1053)
Matilda (October 1048 – 12 May 1060, Pöhlde), married 1059 Rudolf ofRheinfelden, duke of Swabia and antiking (1077)
Henry, his successor[1]
Conrad (1052, Regensburg – 10 April 1055), duke of Bavaria (from 1054)
Judith (1054, Goslar – 14 March 1092 or 1096), married firstly 1063Solomon of Hungary and secondly 1089 Ladislaus I Herman, duke of Poland

After her husband''s death in 1056, Agnes served as regent during onbehalf of young son, Henry IV.[3] Despite being related to kings of Italyand Burgundy, Agnes was not known as a quality leader. During her rule,she would give away three duchies, Bavaria, Swabia, and Carinthia, torelatives.[1]

Agnes opposed church reform, and took the side of Italian dissidents whodid as well.[1] Pope Stephen IX, who was unable to take actual possessionof Rome due to the Roman aristocracy''s election of an antipope, BenedictX, sent Hildebrand of Sovana and Anselm of Lucca (respectively, thefuture Popes Gregory VII and Alexander II) to Germany to obtainrecognition from Agnes. Though Stephen died before being able to returnto Rome, Agnes'' help was instrumental in letting Hildebrand depose theAntipope [4] and with Agnes'' support replace him by the Bishop ofFlorence, 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 removeAgnes from the throne, referred to as the Coup of Kaiserswerth. Henry wasbrought to Cologne, and despite jumping overboard from a board to escape,he was recaptured again. Agnes resigned, as ransom, from the throne, andAnno took her place.[1] After the dethroning, she moved to Rome and actedas a mediator and peacemaker between Henry IV and his enemies.[1] Shedied in Rome on 14 December 1077 and is buried at St. Peter''s Basilica.