She was a member of the Udonids family as the daughter of Rudolf I, Margrave of the Nordmark and Richardis; and the sister of Hartwig, Count of Stade and Archbishop of Bremen, and Lutgard of Salzwedel, Queen consort of Denmark, Adelheid and Udo.
[3] Richardis spent many of her early years as the secretary and advisor to Hildegard von Bingen at the abbeys of Disibodenberg and Rupertsberg, where she edited, translated, and compiled Scivias, Hildegard's first publication of visionary writings.
Despite a long series of letters from Hildegard to increasingly important people, Richardis was eventually moved.
A year later, Count Hartwig sent a letter to Hildegard notifying her of Richardis' death.
[6] In Margarethe von Trotta's Vision (2009) Richardis was portrayed by Hannah Hertzsprung.