Matilda, Abbess of Quedlinburg

[1] In April 966, in a splendid ceremony requested by her father, the eleven-year-old granddaughter and namesake of Saint Matilda was elected suae metropolitanae sibi haereditariae.

The book, that described the history of the Saxons' struggle against the Magyars up to the death of Otto I in 973, also served as a kind of manual for ruling, including advices on how to deal with deceit and betrayal.

Matilda successfully defeated his claims and secured the election of her nephew as Holy Roman Emperor, therefore "holding the empire together".

[4][8] In 997, as Otto III increasingly shifted his focus to Italy (she accompanied him there in his first trip), he handed over the rulership of Germany to her, overriding the authority of all bishops and dukes.

[14] Hoc opus eximium gemmis auroque decorum Mathildis vovit, Theophanu quod bene solvit Regi dans regum Mathildt haec crysea dona Abbatissa bona; quae rex deposcit in aevum Spiritus Ottonis pauset caelestibus oris.