Judith (Fausta) of FLANDERS

Judith of Flanders, was the Countess of Northumbria, and later Duchess of Bavaria. She was first married to of Tostig Godwinson, Earl of Northumbria, and secondly of Welf I, Duke of Bavaria. Her niece was Matilda of Flanders, Queen consort of William the Conqueror, who was Judith's cousin. She was the owner of many books and illuminated manuscripts, which she bequeathed to Weingarten Abbey. Judith was born in 1033 in Bruges, the only child of Baldwin IV, Count of Flanders by his second wife, Eleanor of Normandy, the daughter of Richard II of Normandy and Judith of Brittany. Judith had an older half-brother, Baldwin V, Count of Flanders, who succeeded their father upon his death which had occurred when Judith was about two years old. Judith was described as having been a "pious and inquisitive woman"; her piety was expressed in the many gifts and donations she made to the Church of St. Cuthbert in Durham, which included landed estates and an ornate crucifix. The latter allegedly was a present to appease the saint after she challenged St. Cuthbert's ruling that forbade women to enter the cathedral which housed his relics. Judith, angered that women were not permitted to set foot inside the church and wishing to worship at his tomb, had decided to put Cuthbert's prohibition to the test by ordering her serving woman to go inside to see what repercussions would follow for breaking the holy decree (Judith had planned to go herself upon the latter's safe return); when the woman was about to enter the churchyard, she was stricken by a sudden, violent force of wind that left her infirm and eventually killed her. Judith, as a result of fear, had the crucifix especially made for St. Cuthbert's shrine. Judith died on 5 March 1094 and was buried at St. Martin Monastery Family links: Spouses: Tostig Godwinson (1025 - 1066) Welf IV Duke Of Bavaria (1032 - 1101) Burial: Weingarten Abbey Weingarten Karlsruher Landkreis Baden-Württemberg, Germany Created by: Kat Record added: Feb 09, 2012 Find A Grave Memorial# 84750861

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