Vortrag Exponat des Monats: „Wurden die Brunonen durch Frauenpower zur regionalen Macht?“ von Dirk Schaper

“Exhibit of the Month” is a lecture series organized by the volunteers at the Braunschweig City Museum. Every month, there is a lecture on an object on display at the Old Town Hall. The presentation takes place in the Kleine Dornse room of the Old Town Hall.

The fact that hardly anyone outside Braunschweig is familiar with the Brunonen today may well be due to the fact that their history from the 9th century through the end of the 10th century lacks clear written documentation, and that by the end of the 11th century, the male line had already died out—as had the female line through the mother of Henry the Lion, Gertrude of Saxony, by the middle of the 12th century. Although Henry the Lion, as Duke of Saxony, inherited the material legacy of the Brunonen, he always identified himself as a Welf.

The Saxon noble family of the Brunones played a central role in the founding of the city of Braunschweig. In the 10th century, the Brunones initially held extensive land holdings on the eastern bank of the Oker River, including the settlement of Villa Brunesquik—today’s Magniviertel—as well as areas to the east and south of it. Through vassal families, they were also indirectly responsible for the construction of the Magnikirche. The first documented mention of the city’s name thus can be traced back to the Brunones.

The Exhibit of the Month is a reproduction of the so-called Magni Document, the first written mention of Braunschweig. The reproduction is on display at the Old Town Hall. The original document containing this first mention has been preserved to this day in the Braunschweig City Archives.

Lecture by Dirk Schaper.