Role As Regent
After her husband's death in 1056, Agnes served as regent during on behalf of young son, Henry IV. Despite being related to kings of Italy and Burgundy, Agnes was not known as a quality leader. During her rule, she would give away three duchies, Bavaria, Swabia, and Carinthia, to relatives.
Agnes opposed church reform, and took the side of Italian dissidents who did as well. Pope Stephen IX, who was unable to take actual possession of Rome due to the Roman aristocracy's election of an antipope, Benedict X, sent Hildebrand of Sovana and Anselm of Lucca (respectively, the future Popes Gregory VII and Alexander II) to Germany to obtain recognition from Agnes. Though Stephen died before being able to return to Rome, Agnes' help was instrumental in letting Hildebrand depose the Antipope and with Agnes' support replace him by the Bishop of Florence, Nicholas II.
In 1062, Henry was abducted by a group of men, including the Anno II, Archbishop of Cologne and the Otto of Nordheim, in a conspiracy to remove Agnes from the throne. Henry was brought to Cologne, and despite jumping overboard from a board to escape, he was recaptured again. Agnes resigned, as ransom, from the throne, and Anno took her place. After the dethroning, she moved to Rome and acted as a mediator and peacemaker between Henry IV and his enemies. She died in Rome on 14 December 1077 and is buried at St. Peter's Basilica.
Read more about this topic: Agnes Of Poitou
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—Alison Clarke-Stewart (20th century)