Oda von Haldensleben (sometimes "Ote"; before 978 - 1023) was the daughter of the Margrave of the North March, Theoderich (or Dietrich). By most accounts, she was a nun who was abducted by Polans Duke Mieszko I from a cloister at Kolbe. Oda and Mieszko I, ruler of the Polans, were married in 980; they and their sons appear as Ote and Dago(me) in a document known as the Dagome iudex. There is no document itself, but a reference to it in a church book some 80 years later makes reference to this. It is thus assumed to be one of the earliest Polish legal documents, and is a principal source for this portion of the history of Poland under the Piast Dynasty. Shortly before his death Mieszko I gifted their territory to Pope John XV and received it as a fief of the pope in this Dagome iudex. This document indexes the lands of (Mieszko), referred to as "Dagome" in the document, and his wife "Ote" and her sons by him. Another son, Boleslaw I of Poland, is not mentioned, perhaps to insure Oda and her sons territory to them (by papal protection) because as it turned out, upon his fathers death Boleslaw did expel Oda and her sons in order to claim all territory for himself.
Children
Oda and Mieszko I had three known sons:
- Mieszko Mieszkowic - father of Dytryk Mieszkowic.
- Świętopełk Mieszkowic
- Lambert Mieszkowic
Sources
- Schwennicke, Detlev. Europäische Stammtafeln: Stammtafeln zur Geschichte der Europäischen Staaten. Marburg: Verlag von J. A. Stargardt, 1978.
