Conclusion

This concluding chapter elucidates the larger points which emerged over the preceding chapters. Memorial centres like Gandersheim and Quedlinburg were able to embody and articulate concepts of identity, dynasty, and legitimacy to a broad audience. In an environment where various members of a new dynasty were trying to assert their claim to royal power, the centres tied to the family of Henry I and Queen Mathilda were positioned at the heart of political conflicts amongst their descendants. The women of Gandersheim and Quedlinburg were not passive figures in these conflicts, but instead carefully deployed new historical texts to shape their relationships with Ottonian rulers and external patrons for their own benefit.