Leopold II von Babenberg (Margrave) of AUSTRIA

Leopold II (1050 - October 12, 1095) was a Babenberg Margrave of Austria ruling from 1075 onwards. He was known as Leopold the 'fair'. He was the son of Ernest the Brave and Adelheid, the daughter of Margrave Dedi (or Dedo) II of Meissen. In the Investiture Dispute, he first sided with Emperor Henry IV, but in 1081 at the Diet of Tulln switched sides under the influence of his wife Itha and Bishop Altmann of Passau. Subsequently, he was deposed by the Emperor, who gave the fief to Vratislav II of Bohemia, who defeated Leopold in the Battle of Mailberg. Ultimately, Leopold managed to retain his position, but he lost some territory in Southern Moravia. Leopold resided in Gars am Kamp. In 1089 Leopold II helped pay for the construction of Melk Abbey in eastern Austria by donating the land for the new Abbey. A few miles away from Melk Abbey, in eastern Austria, are the ruins of Thunau a Kamp castle, once a summer residence of Leopold II. Marriage In 1065 Leopold married Itha (Ida of Cham), countess of Cham (1060-1101), in Cham, Oberphalz, Bavaria. Ida was the daughter of Rapoto IV, Count of Cham, and Mathilde. Ida is said to have died on a crusade. The two had a son, Leopold III, as well as seven daughters who married Dukes and Counts from Carinthia, Bohemia and Germany. References The Royal Ancestry Bible, Royal Ancestors of 300 Colonial American Families Vol. 3 (chart 2180) by Michel L. Call ISBN 1-933194-22-7 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The House of Babenberg was the Austrian ruling house in the 10th-13th century. Leopold I of Babenberg became margrave of Austria in 976. The Babenbergs' power was modest, however, until the 12th century, when they came to dominate the Austrian nobility. With the death of Duke Frederick II in 1246, the male line of the Babenbergs ended, and the family's power declined rapidly. http://en.wikipedia.org

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