St Adelaide

Adelaide was born a princess to the King and Queen of Upper Burgundy in France. When she was only 2 years old, her father promised that Adelaide would marry the Prince of Italy when she grew up; this promise brought peace between the two countries. As promised, when Adelaide turned 16 years old she was married to the Prince who had become the King of Italy. Sadly, the King died after only 3 years of being married. King Berengar took his place and was not kind to Adelaide. He wanted her to marry his son, but she refused because she believed that King Berengar had poisoned her husband so that he could become King. Since she would not marry his son, he had her thrown into prison. She was rescued by Otto the Great and they were married and then became the Holy Emperor and Empress of Rome. They ruled the Holy Roman Empire (which included countries like Germany, Bohemia, Italy and Bergundy) in union with the Church, helping to make the Church strong and helping the Church grow. Together they had 4 children; one of them later became Emperor of Rome, Otto II. She held a lot of power as the Holy Roman Empress for many years, helping her husband, then her son and then her grandson, rule. She was devoted to the Holy Empire and to the Church and helped bring many people closer to Jesus.