Uta von Ballenstedt
| Uta of Ballenstedt | |
|---|---|
| Margravine of Meissen | |
 Naumburg Cathedral portrait | |
| Spouse(s) | Eckard II, Margrave of Meissen |
|
Issue | |
| Noble family | House of Ascania |
| Father | Adalbert of Ballenstedt (?) |
| Mother | Hidda (?) |
| Born |
c. 1000 Ballenstedt, Saxony |
| Died | 23 October before 1046 |
Uta von Ballenstedt (c. 1000 — 23 October before 1046), a member of the House of Ascania, was Margravine of Meissen from 1038 until 1046, the wife of Margrave Eckard II. She is also called Uta of Naumburg as the subject of a famous donor portrait by the Naumburg Master.
Life
Uta was probably the sister of the Saxon count Esico of Ballenstedt, who married Matilda, a sister of Empress Gisela, and became the progenitor of the Ascanians. One Count Adalbert of Ballenstedt and Hidda, a daughter of the Lusatian margrave Odo I (965-993), are commonly reckoned as their parents, however, these names are not recorded in contemporary sources.
About 1026, her father married Uta off to Eckard II, the younger brother of Margrave Herman I of Meissen, for political reasons in order to further promote the rise of the Ascanian dynasty. Eckard, a loyal supporter of the Salian king Henry III, succeeded his brother-in-law Theoderic II as Margrave of Lusatia and in 1038 also assumed the rule in Meissen upon the death of his elder brother. However, his marriage with Uta was without issue, resulting in the extinction of the Ekkeharding dynasty.
When Uta died, her husband donated large parts of her dowry to the convent of St. Cyriakus, Gernrode in Uta's home country, where her sister Hacheza was appointed abbess by King Henry III. The remaining estates fell to Empress Agnes of Poitou.
Portrait
Uta was among the donators of Naumburg Cathedral, therefore a painted statue was erected in her honour in the 13th century. Similar to the Bamberg Horseman, the individual depiction, part of a semicircle of twelve donor portraits, is today generally considered a masterpiece of Gothic art. From the 19th century onwards, the picture of Uta with the distinctive collar upturned was published in numerous art history and travel guides, becoming an icon of the "genuine" German character and culture — often contrasted with the Naumburg statue of Margravine Regelinda as the stereotypical "smiling Polish woman".
The statue possibly inspired the character of the Evil Queen in Disney's 1937 animated film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Uta von Ballenstedt. |
- Helmut Assing: Die frühen Askanier und ihre Frauen. Kulturstiftung Bernburg 2002, p. 6
- Michael Imhof and Holger Kunde, Uta von Naumburg, Michael Imhof Verlag, Petersberg, 2011
- Andreas Thiele: Erzählende genealogische Stammtafeln zur europäischen Geschichte Band I. Volume 1, R. G. Fischer Verlag, Frankfurt/Main 1993, Plate 217
- Hermann Wäschke: Geschichte Anhalts von den Anfängen bis zum Ausgang des Mittelalters. Otto Schulze Verlag, Cöthen 1912, pp. 67–69
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