Dietrich, Count of Plötzkau
Dietrich (11th century), Count of Plötzkau', son of Bernhard
I von Kakelingen, Count of Harzgau and his wife Ida of Querfurt.
Little is known about Dietrich or his ancestors other than their familial relations.
Dietrich was the brother of Gebhard of Supplinburg, a Saxon count, who was the father of Lothair II, Holy Roman Emperor.
Ida, the mother of Dietrich, was niece of Saint Bruno of Querfurt.
Dietrich married Mathilde von Walbeck, daughter of Conrad, Count of Walbeck.
Dietrich and Mathilde had four children:
Upon his death, Dietrich was succeed as Count of Plötzkau by his son Helperich.
Helperich von Plötzkau, Margrave of the Nordmark
Helperich (Helferich) (d. 1118), Count of Plötzkau and Walbeck, and Margrave of the Nordmark, son of Dietrich, Count of Plötzkau, and Mathilde von Walbeck, daughter of Conrad, Count of Walbeck, and Adelheid of Bavaria.
The count's sister Irmgard was married to Lothair Udo III, Margrave of the Nordmark, and was the mother of Helperich's successor in ruling the margraviate, Henry II.
Helperich inherited the title Count of Plötzkau upon his father’s death and the title Count of Walbeck from his mother, although this title was mostly ceremonial at this point.
In 1112, Emperor Henry V deposed Rudolf I as Margrave of the Nordmark because of conspiracy against the crown in his alliance with Lothair of Supplinburg, then Duke of Saxony (and later Holy Roman Emperor).
The margraviate was given to Helperich as an interim measure until Henry II, nephew of Rudolf and heir to the title, was of age.
In 1106, Helperich married Adele, daughter of Kuno of Northeim and Kunigunde of Weimar-Orlamünde, widow of Dietrich III, Count of Katlenburg.
Helperich and Adele had four children:
Halperich died in 1118 and was buried at the Hecklingen Monastery.
Upon his death, he was succeeded as Count of Plötzkau by his son Bernhard.
Henry II assumed the role of Margrave of the Nordmark in 1114.
Henry II, Margrave of the Nordmark
Henry II( 1102 – 4 December 1128), Margrave of the Nordmark, also Count of Stade( as Henry IV), son of Lothair Udo III, Margrave of the Nordmark, and Irmgard, daughter of Dietrich, Count of Plötzkau, and Mathilde von Walbeck.
Henry assumed the title of Margrave of the Nordmark in 1114 from Helperich of Plötzkau, who was appointed margrave until Henry came of age.
The previous margrave in this dynasty was Henry ’s uncle Rudolf I, who was also his guardian.
Rudolf was deposed by Emperor Henry V because of conspiracy against the crown, and was replaced by Helperich as an interim measure.
Henry assumed the titles of Count of Stade and Margrave of the Nordmark in 1114.
Henry was married to Adelaide of Ballenstedt, a daughter of Otto, Count of Ballenstedt, and Eilika of Saxony.
Adelaide was therefore the sister of Albert the Bear.
There are no known children as a result of this union.
Henry was succeeded as margrave by the son of Helperich, Conrad of Plötzkau.
Lothair Udo III, Margrave of the Nordmark
Lothair Udo III( 1070- 1106), Margrave of the Nordmark and Count of Stade( as Lothair Udo IV), son of Lothair Udo II, Margrave of the Nordmark, and Oda of Werl, daughter of Herman III, Count of Werl, and Richenza of Swabia.
Brother of his predecessor Henry I the Long. Lothair Udo was betrothed to Eilika of Saxony, daughter of Magnus, Duke of Saxony, and Sophia of Hungary.
However, his attention was diverted to the House of Helperich, towards Count Helperich's enticing sister" Ermengardam".
He married this woman, the count's sister Irmgard, daughter of Dietrich, Count of Plötzkau, and Mathilde von Walbeck, daughter of Conrad, Count of Walbeck.
Eilika moved on and married
Otto the Rich, Count of Ballenstedt, and was mother to Albert the Bear, the last Margrave of the Nordmark and first Margrave of Brandenburg.
This provides an interesting twist in the history of the county of Stade.
Lothair Udo and Irmgard had four children:
Lothair Udo was succeeded by his brother Rudolf as margrave and count upon his death.
Rudolf II, Margrave of the Nordmark
Rudolf II( died 14 March 1144), Margrave of the Nordmark, and Count of Stade, Dithmarschen and Freckleben, son of Rudolf I, Margrave of the Nordmark, and Richardis, daughter of Hermann von Sponheim, Burgrave of Magdeburg.
Rudolf, the traditional heir to the margraviate assumed the title upon the death of his predecessor Conrad von Plötzkau.
A chronicle of the 15th century reported that Rudolf resided in Burg, Dithmarschen( Bökelnburg).
He ruled with a heavy hand and demanded his grain tithe even after several years of drought.
The Dithmarscher farmers used a ruse to get rid of their unpopular regent.
Hidden in sacks of corn were weapons.
As agreed, they opened the bags at the sound of the battle cry" Röhret de Hann, snidet de sac spell!"
( Shall ye touch hands, cuts the bag volumes).
They set the castle on fire, killed the count along with his wife, and so won their freedom.
This event is still recounted today in performances at the castle.
Rudolf was married to Elisabeth, daughter of Leopold I the Strong, Margrave of Styria.
No children are recorded of this union.
With the death of Rudolf, the male line of the Margraves of the Nordmark died out.
After the death of Rudolf, his brother Hartwig transferred his inheritance to the Archbishopric of Bremen in return for a regrant of a life interest, presumably to obtain a powerful protector against the aggression of Henry the Lion.
The move was ineffective, as Henry took possession of the lands and captured both Hartwig and the archbishop Adelbero, releasing them only after they agreed to recognize his claim.
Rudolf ’s successor as Margrave of the Nordmark was Albert the Bear.
Upon Rudolf's death, his brother Hartwig succeeded him as Count of Stade.
William, Margrave of the Nordmark
William( died 10 September 1056) was the Margrave of the Nordmark from 1051 until his death.
He was the eldest son and successor of the Margrave Bernard by a daughter of Vladimir the Great.
He died fighting the Slavs in the Battle of Pritzlawa.
Upon his death, he was succeeded by his half- brother Otto as Margrave of the Nordmark.
Henry I the Long, Margrave of the Nordmark
Henry I the Long( c. 1065 – 27 June 1087), Margrave of the Nordmark, also Count of Stade( as Henry III), son of Lothair Udo II, Margrave of the Nordmark, and Oda of Werl, daughter of Herman III, Count of Werl, and Richenza of Swabia.
Henry married Eupraxia of Kiev, daughter of Vsevolod I, Grand Prince of Kiev, and his second wife Anna.
There were no children as a result of this marriage, and Eupraxia, widowed, married next Henry IV, then King of Saxony, who became Holy Roman Emperor.
Raffensperger suggests that Henry's motivation in marrying Eupraxia was to bring Saxony closer to Kiev.
In fact, the marriage may have been arranged by Oda of Stade, daughter of Lothair Udo I, Margrave of the Nordmark, who had married Sviatoslav II, Grand Prince of Kiev.
Oda is identified as a relative of Henry ’s father Lothair Udo II as well as a niece of Henry III, Holy Roman Emperor, and Pope Leo IX.
Upon his death, Henry was succeeded as margrave and count by his brother Lothair Udo III.
Rudolf I, Margrave of the Nordmark
Rudolf I( died 7 December 1124), Margrave of the Nordmark and Count of Stade, son of Lothair Udo II, Margrave of the Nordmark, and Oda of Werl, daughter of Herman III, Count of Werl, and Richenza of Swabia.
Rudolf was the brother of his predecessors Henry I the Long and Lothair Udo III.
In 1106 Rudolf became Margrave of Nordmark and Count of Stade after the death of his brother Lothair Udo III, as regent and guardian for Lothair's son Henry II.
The Count of Stade was effectively administered by Friedrich while Henry II was still underage.
In 1112, Rudolf allied himself with Lothair of Supplinburg, then Duke of Saxony( and later Holy Roman Emperor) in opposing Emperor Henry V, and as a result was deposed from his position.
He was replaced as margrave by Helperich von Plötzkau until 1114 when his nephew Henry became of age.
Rudolf was married to Richardis( Richgard), daughter of Hermann von Sponheim, Burgrave of Magdeburg, and granddaughter of Siegfried I, Count of Sponheim.
Rudolf and Richardis had five children: Rudolf was deposed as margrave in 1112 and replaced by Helperich until his nephew Henry reached the age of maturity.
Rudolf was succeeded as Count of Stade by Friedrich, not part of the House of Udonids, although it is unclear as to the precise dates of transition.
Conrad von Plötzkau, Margrave of the Nordmark
Conrad( died 1132), Margrave of the Nordmark and Count of Plötzkau, son of Helperich, Margrave of the Nordmark, and Adele, daughter of Kuno of Northeim and Kunigunde of Weimar- Orlamünde.
Conrad, called the Saxon flower, was born in Monza, Italy.
Conrad became Margrave of Nordmark upon the death of Udo IV, who died without a male heir.
At this point in time, the position of margrave had no real power.
Nevertheless, Conrad fought with Emperor Lothair II in his Italian campaign( Italienkriegszug) of 1132, and, on 25 December 1132, he was struck by an arrow in a battle with the Normans.
He died several days later and was buried in the Hecklingen Monastery.
Conrad was succeeded by the traditional heir to the margraviate, Rudolf II, son of Rudolf I.
Henry II, Margrave of Meissen
Henry II( 1103 – 1123) was the Margrave of Meissen and the Saxon Ostmark( as" Lusizensis marchio": margrave of Lusatia) from his birth until his death.
He was the posthumous son of Margrave Henry I and Gertrude of Brunswick, daughter of Egbert I of Meissen.
He was by inheritance also Count of Eilenburg.
He was the second Meissener margrave of the House of Wettin.
He was initially under the regency of his great uncle Thimo.
He died young and without children in 1123.
His lands were inherited by his half- sister Richenza of Northeim.
He left a widow, Adelaide, daughter of Lothair Udo III, Margrave of the Nordmark.
The succession to the marches was disputed after his death.

Question: Who is the uncle of Helperich Von Plötzkau, Margrave Of The Nordmark?
Answer: Gebhard of Supplinburg