The Origins of Quedlinburg

Abstract The foundation of a new convent at Quedlinburg fundamentally altered the history of Saxon female monasticism. However, the early years of the convent, from its establishment in 936 down to the accession of its first Ottonian abbess in 966, have often been overlooked. This chapter moves beyond seeing the convent as the pet project of the widowed Queen Mathilda to instead set the monastery back into the context of Otto I’s early reign. It argues that Quedlinburg was founded by Otto I himself over his father’s body as an aggressive attempt to prevent his brothers from claiming royal power for themselves. The monastery immediately became a place of incredible memorial significance within Ottonian politics. Its rule by Ottonian abbesses was not, however, a feature of its early history. Rather, it was only the result of a broader reorientation of the Ottonian family from 955 onwards that we see Ottonian daughters first enter convents to become their rulers.