Bernard II, Duke of Saxony
Bernard II (c.
990 –
29 June 1059) was the
duke of Saxony (
1011 –
1059), the third of the
Billung dynasty, a son of
Bernard I and Hildegard. He had the rights of a count in
Frisia.
Like his father, Bernard expanded the powers of the duke in Saxony and is regarded as the greatest of the Billungers. He was originally a supporter of
Emperor Henry II and he accompanied him into
Poland and negotiated the treaty of
Bautzen of
1018. In
1019-
1020, he revolted and gained the recognition of the tribal laws of Saxony, something his father had just failed to do. He returned then to war with the
Slavs and drew them into his sphere of power and influence through their leader,
Godescalc (Gottschalk).
He supported
Conrad II in
1024 and his son
Henry III, though he began to fear the latter for his closeness to the Archbishop
Adalbert of Bremen, an inveterate enemy of the dukes of Saxony. Though he was a critical ally of the Danes, so fundamental to Henry's wars in the
Netherlands, Bernard was on the brink of rebellion until the death of Adalbert. The remainder of his reign, however, was quiet.
In
1045, he erected the Alsterburg in
Hamburg. He died in 1059 and was succeeded without incident by his son
Ordulf. He is buried in the Church of
Saint Michael in
Lüneburg.
