Epistolæ

Beatrice of Lorraine, duke of Tuscany

duke of Tuscany

Beatrice who for many years ruled Tuscany was the daughter of Matilda of Swabia and Frederick, duke of Upper Lorraine. Her mother’s sister was the empress Gisela, wife of Conrad II, and Beatrice and her sister were brought up at the imperial court. Beatrice was descended from several royal families: her paternal grandfather Theoderic was the son of Hugh Capet’s sister Beatrice, countess of Upper Lorraine, who was herself the daughter of Hedwig, daughter of Henry I of Germany and sister of Otto I.(!1)
Duke Beatrice was first married to Boniface of Tuscany, who was killed in 1052. Of their three children, only one survived childhood, Matilda, who would be her father’s heir. The others died in 1055 while Beatrice and Matilda were prisoners of Henry III, as a result of her second husband’s activities. After the death of Boniface, Beatrice had married her cousin Godfrey, duke of Upper Lorraine (1054), whose son Godfrey was later briefly married to her daughter Matilda, but the marriage and Godfrey’s assumption of the title of Margrave of Tuscany had been without the emperor’s consent. Beatrice took an active part in the government of the Italian lands, since Godfrey was frequently absent. After the death of the elder Godfrey in 1069, Beatrice and Matilda ruled Tuscany together. After the death of the younger Godfrey the same year as her mother (1076), Matilda ruled both Tuscany and Lorraine alone.
Beatrice and Matilda both supported the reform papacy and Beatrice was praised by Bonizo in Liber ad amicum as a lone woman fighting the enemies of the church (in which he included empress Agnes). Gregory VII wrote to Erlembald of Milan about Beatrice and Matilda, “About countess Beatrice we think you should have no doubt that she and her daughter Matilda will act loyally towards us in those things that pertain to God and the religion of holy church,” (ep.1.25, September, 1073) and “You need have no great fear of the bishops who are trying to support your opponent, for Beatrice and her daughter Matilda, who are deeply attached to the Roman church, together with some of the greatest princes of the kingdom, are striving to bring about harmony between the king and ourself” (ep.1.26, dated 1073).(!2)

(!1) The earlier Beatrice corresponded with Adalbero of Rheims and Gerbert of Aurillac and was an important player in peace negotiations in the tenth century. (!2) Cited from translation by Ephraim Emerton, The Correspondence of Pope Gregory VII, Selected Letters from the Registrum (New York: Columbia University, 1932, repr.1990), Records of Civilisation, p.18.

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