Rudolf von Rheinfelden Herzog von Schwaben

   Cause of his death was Killed in battle.

  General Notes:

RUDOLF von Rheinfelden, son of Graf KUNO & his wife --- (-killed in battle near Hohenmölsen near Merseburg [15/16] Oct 1080, bur Merseburg cathedral). A Habsburg genealogy records "Chono comes de Rinfelden" was father of "Rudolfum regem" He was installed as Duke of Swabia in 1057 by Agnes de Poitou, widow of Emperor Heinrich III. He became rector of Burgundy, entrusted with the administration of the kingdom, in 1060. He introduced the stricter monastic rules from Fruttuaria into the monastery of St Blasien in 1072. He was one of the nobles opposed to his brother-in-law King Heinrich IV. He was elected as RUDOLF King of Germany at Forcheim in Feb 1077 by the German nobility who were affronted by Pope Gregory VI's withdrawal of the order of excommunication against King Heinrich. The Pope remained neutral, but after the king's defeat near Flarcheim on the Unstrut 27 Jan 1080, he renewed the excommunication of the king and impliedly declared support for Rudolf as anti-king by granting remission to the sins of Rudolf's supporters. The Chronicon of Bernold records the death "1080 Id Oct" of "Roudolfus rex", and his burial "apud Merseburc". The necrology of St Peter im Schwarzwald records the death "XVII Kal Nov" of "Ruodolfus rex". The identification of this entry with Rudolf von Rheinfelden is rendered more probable by another entry referring to his daughter Agnes as "filia Ruodolfi regis de Arle".

m firstly (1059) MATHILDE of Germany, daughter of Emperor HEINRICH III King of Germany & his second wife Agnès de Poitou (1045-12 May 1060). The Annales of Berthold record the marriage in 1059 of "Roudolfus Alemmanorum dux" and "Mahthildam, Heinrici regis sororem" and the death in 1060 of "Mahthilt soror regis". The Annales Sancti Blasii record the marriage in 1059 of "Roudolfus dux" and "Mahtildam regis sororem" and the death of "Mahtilt uxor Roudolfi ducis" in 1060 .

m secondly ([1061/62]) ADELAIDE de Savoie, daughter of ODDON Comte de Chablais, Marchese di Susa & his wife Adelaida Marchesa di Susa ([1052/53]-[Schloß Twiel] early 1079, bur St Blasius). The Annales of Berthold, which record the death in 1079 of "uxor…regis Roudolfi…Adelheit, filia Adelheidæ marchionissæ, soror Berhtæ reginæ uxoris Heinrici", prove that she was the daughter of Adelaida di Susa. Her daughter Adelheid is named with "progenitoribus Rodolfo…rege et Adelheida…regina matertera Heinrici quarti inperatoris" in a charter dated [1079/10 Oct 1086]. Europäische Stammtafeln shows Adelaide's birth date as "after 1052", presumably based on the likelihood that she was born after her sister Berthe as Heinrich IV King of Germany would no doubt have married the older daughter. Concerning her marriage date, it is likely that the marriage took place after the marriage of her older sister. She is named "Adalheid coniux Ruodulfi ducis" in the Annales Weissemburgenses, which records that she was accused of being unchaste, was repudiated by her husband two years later, and found asylum at the court of Pope Alexander. The Annales of Berthold record that "rex…Roudolfus…uxor" was "in partes Burgundiæ a Turego divertens", suffering "iniurias" in "quodam castello suo". The wife of "Rudolfus rex de Arle" is named "Adelheidis" in a list of founders of the monastery of St Peter in Schwarzwald. The Annales Sancti Blasii record the death in 1079 of "Adelheit uxor Roudolfi regis" and her burial "apud Sanctum Blasium". The Annales of Berthold record the death in 1079 of "uxor…regis Roudolfi…Adelheit, filia Adelheidæ marchionissæ, soror Berhtæ reginæ uxoris Heinrici" and her burial "ad monasterium Sancti Blasii". According to Europäische Stammtafeln, Adelaide married firstly Guigues Comte d'Albon. Another table in Europäische Stammtafeln shows the first wife of Guigues Comte d'Albon as "Adelais (von Turin)" and their son Guigues II Comte d'Albon as co-heir of Adelaida Marchese di Susa in 1091. The basis for this alleged first marriage has not been found but it is unlikely to be correct considering Adelaide's likely birth date.

Rudolf & his second wife had six children: Adelheid, Berthold, Agnes, Bertha, Otto and Bruno. ¹

Rudolf married Mathilde, daughter of Heinrich III Römisch-deutscher König und Kaiser and Agnès de Poitou Römisch-deutsche Königin und Kaiserin, in 1059.¹ (Mathilde was born in 1045 ¹ and died on 12 May 1060 ¹.)

Rudolf next married Adélaïde de Savoie, daughter of Othon de Savoie Comte de Maurienne, Marchese di Susa and Adelaide di Susa Marchesa di Susa, about 1061-1062.¹ (Adélaïde de Savoie was born between 1052 and 1053,¹ died in 1079 in Festung Hohentwiel, Singen, Baden-Württemberg, 78224, DE ¹ and was buried in Kloster St. Blasien, St. Blasien, Baden-Württemberg, 79837, DE ¹.)