With reluctance, the priest shrugged and stepped away from the door.
When everyone had found a space to stand, I studied each one. Closest to me was Abbess Ricburg and Mathilda. Several of the nuns from Nordhausen and numerous priests and bishops from nearby also attended me. “I am grateful you have come.” My voice was hoarse and weak, barely audible. “Serve the lord with fear and rejoice. Be obedient to God. Refrain from evil and do good deeds to cleanse your soul.” A brutal cough overtook me. Ricburg raised a cup of wine to my lips. When I recovered, I lay down exhausted and paused. “Please go now, pray for me. God bless each one of you.”
They left the room leaving Abbess Ricburg and Mathilda.
“Come and sit with me, Mathilda,” I whispered.
When she had settled, I opened my palm to reveal a golden key. “Please open the doors of the cupboard in the corner.”
Mathilda swung open the doors. Inside was a neat stack of vellum and beside that, a large wooden chest.
“To you I leave my most prized possession. Inside that chest are parchments and vellums where I have recorded the details of my life and of our kin—an entire lifetime of joy and sorrow, births and deaths, peace and bloody wars. I was a little older than you are now when my grandmother, Maud, gave it to me.” Each word I uttered was barely more than a whisper. “She made me promise to record the details of my life and all who shared it with me. I kept my word to her. Just as my grandmother asked this of me, so I ask it of you.”
Her tears flowed as she clutched my hand to her chest. “I would be honored, Grandmother.”
A severe ache struck my chest. I could not breathe until it subsided. “Then so it shall be. In the days of my youth, I longed to be an abbess, but God had other plans for me. Though you are my namesake, you are different. I have charged you with a great duty here. I know you will rise to the duties and responsibilities of abbess.”
At my words, Mathilda placed her head on my shoulder and wept.
I caressed her hair as I had done when she was a child. It used to soothe her then, but now had little effect.
“There is one more thing I would ask of you.”
Mathilda pulled back, wiping away her tears with her hand.
I pulled a scroll from beneath the bedcovers. “This is the calendar upon which I record our kin’s deaths to preserve their memory. I ask that when the time comes, you add my name to it.”
Abbess Ricburg, who sat in a nearby chair, fell to her knees at the end of my bed. She wept as she prayed.
I labored to take in a breath. The conversation between the three of us stilled until I recovered. “Please invite those who wait in the corridor to witness my final confession.”
Mathilda opened the door and with a wave of her hand, encouraged the somber-faced cluster of nuns and priests to re-enter. They listened in silence as I confessed my transgressions. Afterward, engulfed with serenity, I addressed the priests. “Please say Mass for me here in my chamber. I wish to receive the body of Christ to protect my journey into the afterlife.” At its completion, a sad silence ensued. One last duty awaited me. I turned to a young nun. “Please, fetch me a hair shirt,” I whispered. She stared at me, shocked. After a brief pause, she left the room to attend to my request. Within moments, she returned with the goat’s hair garment.
“Please spread it over the cold stone floor and then help me out of bed so that I may lie on it.”
No one moved.
“Please,” I whispered. ““I wish to die with a hair shirt and ashes. It is my last request.”
One of the priests stepped forward. He gestured to another to aid him. Together they lifted my shriveled body from the bed and lowered me onto the garment. With trembling hands, I removed a vial of ashes from my night-rail and uncorked it. With much effort, I poured the contents into my hand and managed to sprinkle them over my head and face. I shook with the effort, and had to pause to regain my breath. I let my hands fall to my sides.
Sobs erupted from those gathered.
“Charity and love know no measure, patience no limit, and desire cannot hold back. I beg you, sing psalms, and read the Gospels until my soul departs this world.” With great effort, I made the sign of the cross, and they sang.
Tranquility flowed through my body. Pain disappeared. The deep sleep of eternity awaited, and it made my heart sing. As if in a dream, the details of my life came alive in my mind - every deed, act, and word returned in a precious flood of remembrance. A voice from heaven recounted the words and stories I had recorded over my lifetime…
Epilogue
THE WORLD GRIEVED the death of my grandmother. I am more than proud to carry her name. My first task was to record her death among the papers she had left me. Nothing she ever prophesied went unfulfilled. God blessed her to the end of her life and beyond. She had given away all her burial clothes, so we dressed her in a simple nun’s habit. As we placed her in the coffin, messengers arrived from my aunt Gerberga in Francia. They brought a cloth woven with gold, a shroud fit for a queen, to replace the ones my grandmother had gifted to Wilhelm for his death. Her body rests here at the abbey in Quedlinburg, next to my grandfather, Heinrich.
My father, the Holy Roman Emperor, was stricken with grief after receiving the news of her death. When he returned from Rome, he procured a papal letter of protection for the abbeys of Nordhausen and Quedlinburg, naming Sister Ricburg and I as abbesses, fulfilling the last promise he made to her.
To this day, my grandmother’s words still resound…
“Let your heart not be troubled. I may be absent in the flesh, but I will always be with you in love.”
For Readers
Thank you for taking the time to read my novel. It is my sincerest hope that I was able to keep you entertained and that you enjoyed it. As an author, feedback is of utmost important. I would be most grateful if you would consider leaving honest feedback at the online vendor of your choice to help guide me in writing future books.
For anyone who wishes to contact me directly with questions or feedback, I’d love to hear from you. Visit http://www.mirellapatzer.com to connect with me.
Author Notes
When it comes to history, especially during the Dark Ages and the Medieval era, much is written about the men who ruled. Far less information, however, is available regarding the women. What is available is often inaccurate with conflicting dates and events. To write about a woman from the 10th century Ottonian era, and strive to be as historically accurate as possible, was incredibly challenging. On and off, I worked on this novel for more than a decade. Along the way, many friends and acquaintances asked me why I chose to write about Matilde. The only true answer I can provide is that I believe it was she who chose me to tell her story.
Armed with numerous texts and tomes, many out of print, I set out to discover her life story. Slowly, painstakingly, I began to gather data about this fascinating, but lesser known woman of history. With each piece of information, her life slowly revealed itself. Throughout, as much as possible, I strove to be as accurate as possible and used real historical figures. Only minor characters like Brother Rufus are fictional.
Dates of birth and death often conflicted within my research material. The cause of Matilde’s death is not known, so I chose for her to die from breast cancer, a battle many courageous women have faced throughout history, and that is still relevant today.
Matilde dreams did often prove true. Namely, that her son Otto would rise to great glory, that she foresaw the death of her grandson Wilhelm, and that her descendants named after Heinrich would be face with numerous conflicts and troubles.
In the 10th century, Germany and Italy were not countries, but rather a set of states or duchies. There is evidence that the term Italia was used by Roman Emperor Augustus, hence I felt safe using it in places. The term Germany, however, I carefully avoided. Instead, I used the term kingdom to be as accurate as possible.
Matilde was a most beloved queen, known for her generous alms-giving and
devotion to prayer. She truly did leave her bed in the middle of the night to pray at the nearest chapel or church on a regular basis. She often forfeited her food to give to others, or waited for others to eat their fill before she began her meal. During her lifetime, she founded numerous monasteries and abbeys and churches. She was in the canonized a saint by the Catholic Church immediately after her death. Catholics in Germany and around the world celebrate her feast day on the 14th of March. She is the patron saint of children, those who are falsely accused, families, queens, marriages, widows, and those who are ridiculed for their piety.
Acknowledgements
The writing of this novel spanned nearly a decade and in so doing, I was afforded the help of numerous people and several critique groups along the way.
I am especially grateful to Margaret Scott Chrisawn, a brilliant historian and Professor of History at Tallahassee Community College, who ruthlessly wielded her mighty pen to zealously identify and annihilate historical inaccuracies. If any historical blunders can still be found, they are indubitably my own.
My gratitude to Dr. D.P. Lyle (http://www.dplylemd.com) for sharing his valuable advice on a possible poison that could be placed on the torc presented to Heinrich by Archbishop Hatto that would instantly kill him.
And then there’s Cori Van Housen. Who knew that in the small Alberta town in which I live, that I would find such a treasure. Her skillful edits and strong criticism truly helped shape this book. She has cared for me throughout the many turbulences in my life, as I have for her. May our friendship endure.
More than ten years ago, through an online critique group, I met an author named Lisa J. Yarde from Brooklyn. She is the brilliant author of The Sultana series of books. She has been my rock, my critique partner, and my mentor from the very start. Our friendship is already into its second decade and I would not be where I am today, with 6 books completed, without her caring counsel.
My eternal thanks to past and present members of the HisFic Critique Group:
(https://beta.groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/HisFicCritique/info). They are the longest standing historical fiction critique group in existence and helped me hone my writing skills with their patience and guidance.
And of course, there is my family: husband Richard Patzer, daughters and sons-in-law Amanda and Brad Braaksma and Genna and Jeff Hawryluk. I am blessed to have your love and encouragement. And of course, I must gush about my greatest treasures of all, my grandchildren Joseph, Gabriella, and Chloe Hawryluk. They are my greatest joy and my greatest distractions.
About the Author
First generation Italian-Canadian, Mirella was born in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, but grew up in Calgary, a city famous for the Calgary Stampede, oil companies, and the wild west. She attended the University of Calgary where she specialized in leadership and human resources. She has worked as an Italian-English bilingual secretary, police radio operator, and administrative manager.
She writes sweeping historical novels set in exciting periods of history. From the medieval eras to the early 18th century, her novels feature intriguing characters and fascinating heroines. Her favourite setting is Italy, for that's where the root of her passion lies, the roots of her strong Italian heritage, but she has also written about early Canada and medieval Germany.
Mirella lives in Cochrane, Alberta, with her husband and family.
Bibliography
In the writing of this novel, and in piecing together the life of Queen Matilde, I relied heavily on numerous books and tomes, both commonly found and rare:
Duckett, Eleanor Shipley, “Death and Life in the Tenth Century”
Ann Arbor Paperbacks
Fichtenau, Heinrich, “Living in the Tenth Century”
The University of Chicago Press
Gilsdorf, Sean, “Queenship and Sanctity – The Lives of Mathild and the Epitaph of Adelheid”
Catholic University of America Press
Hill, Boyd H., “The Rise of the First Reich – Germany in the Tenth Century”
John Wiley & Sons Inc.
Larrington, Carolyne, “Women and Writing in Medieval Europe”
Routledge (A Sourcebook)
Leyser, Henrietta, “Medieval Women – A History of Women in England 450 – 1500”
Phoenix Press
Leyser, K.J., “Rule and Conflict in an Early Medieval Society – Ottonian Saxony”
Edward Arnold Publishers Ltd.
MacLellan, Alec, “The Secret of the Spear – The Mystery of the Spear of Longinus”
Souvenir Press
Smith, Jerry E. and Piccard, George, “Secrets of the Holy Lance – The Spear of Destiny in History and Legend”
Adventures Unlimited Press
Toy, Sidney, “Castles – Their Construction and History”
Dover Publications Inc
Violett-le-Duc, Eugene-Emmanuel, “Castles and Warfare in the Middle Ages”
Dover Publications
Warner, David A., “Ottonian Germany – The Chronicon of Tietmar of Merseburg”
Manchester University Press
Table of Contents
Chapter One A.D. 909
Chapter Two A.D. 910
Chapter Three A.D. 911
Chapter Four A.D. 912
Chapter Five A.D. 913
Chapter Six A.D. 914
Chapter Seven A.D. 916
Chapter Eight A.D. 917
Chapter Nine A.D. 918
Chapter Ten A.D. 919
Chapter Eleven A.D. 921
Chapter Twelve A.D. 922
Chapter Thirteen A.D. 923
Chapter Fourteen A.D. 924
Chapter Fifteen A.D. 925
Chapter Sixteen A.D. 925
Chapter Seventeen A.D. 926
Chapter Eighteen A.D. 927
Chapter Nineteen A.D. 928
Chapter Twenty A.D. 929
Chapter Twenty-One A.D. 932
Chapter Twenty-Two A.D. 933
Chapter Twenty-Three A.D. 935
Chapter Twenty-Four A.D. 936
Chapter Twenty-Five A.D. 937
Chapter Twenty-Six A.D. 938
Chapter Twenty-Seven A.D. 939
Chapter Twenty-Eight A.D. 940
Chapter Twenty-Nine A.D. 941
Chapter Thirty A.D. 941
Chapter Thirty-One A.D. 942
Chapter Thirty-Two A.D. 946
Chapter Thirty-Three A.D. 948
Chapter Thirty-Four A.D. 948
Chapter Thirty-Five A.D. 950
Chapter Thirty-Six A .D. 952
Thirty-Seven A.D. 954
Chapter Thirty-Seven A.D. 955
Chapter Thirty-Eight A.D. 956
Chapter Thirty-Nine A.D. 957
Chapter Forty A.D. 961
Chapter Forty-One A.D. 963
Chapter Forty-Two A.D. 964
Chapter Forty-Three A.D. 965
Chapter Forty-Four A.D. 966
Chapter Forty-Five A.D. 967
The Prophetic Queen (Women's Biographical Historical Fiction): The Tumultuous Life of Matilde of Ringelheim Page 55
