Immilla of Turin

Immilla (also Emilia, Immula, Ermengard, or Irmgard) (born c. 1020; died January 1078)^[1] was a duchess consort of Swabia by marriage to Otto III, Duke of Swabia, and a margravine of Meissen by marriage to Ekbert I of Meissen. She was regent of Meissen during the minority of her son, Ekbert II.

Immilla was the daughter of Ulric Manfred II of Turin and Bertha of Milan and thereby a member of the Arduinici dynasty. Her older sister was Adelaide of Susa.

Her first husband was Otto III, Duke of Swabia, whom she married c. 1036.^[2] After Otto's death in September 1057,^[3] Immilla married again (c.1058). Her second husband was Ekbert I of Meissen.^[4]

In 1067, shortly before his death, Ekbert I attempted to repudiate Immilla in order to marry Adela of Louvain, daughter of Lambert II, Count of Louvain and the widow of Otto I, Margrave of Meissen.^[5] After Ekbert's death in 1068, Immilla spent some time at the imperial court with her niece Bertha, before returning to Italy.^[6] It is possible that she acted as regent for her young son, Ekbert II, at this time.^[7]

Immilla died in Turin on January 10, 1078. She is sometimes said to have become a nun before her death.^[8]

With her first husband, Otto, Immilla had five daughters:

• Bertha (or Alberada) (died 1 April 1103), married firstly Herman II, Count of Kastl, and married secondly Frederick, Count of Kastl
• Gisela, inherited Kulmbach and Plassenburg, married Arnold IV, Count of Andechs
• Judith (died 1104), married firstly Conrad I, Duke of Bavaria, and secondly Botho, Count of Pottenstein
• Eilika, abbess of Niedermünster
• Beatrice (1040–1140), inherited Schweinfurt, married Henry II, Count of Hildrizhausen and Margrave of the Nordgau

With her second husband, Ekbert I, Immilla had the following children:

• Ekbert II
• Gertrude

• H. Bresslau, Jahrbücher des Deutschen Reichs unter Konrad II., 2 vols. (1884), accessible online at: archive.org
• C.W. Previté-Orton, The Early History of the House of Savoy (1000-1233) (Cambridge, 1912), accessible online at: archive.org
• S. Hellmann, Die Grafen von Savoyen und das Reich: bis zum Ende der staufischen Periode (Innsbruck, 1900), accessible online (but without page numbers) at: Genealogie Mittelalter
• L. Fenske, Adelsopposition und kirchliche Reformbewegung im östlichen Sachsen. Entstehung und Wirkung des sächsischen Widerstandes gegen das salische Königtum während des Investiturstreites (1977).

• Epistolae: Medieval Women's Latin Letters: Immilla of Turin Archived 2016-12-21 at the Wayback Machine (brief biography and English translation of a legal document issued by Immilla)
• Irmgard von Turin, Gräfin von Braunschweig, Markgräfin von Schweinfurt (in German)