Adelaide was born in 931 in Burgundy, France, the daughter of King Rudolph II of Burgundy. At the age of two, she was engaged to Lothaire, the son and heir of his adversary, Hugh of Provence.

Lothaire was assassinated when she was still a small girl, and Adelaide would lead a turbulent existence that mirrored the era's struggle for political dominance, which she had come to represent. She requested assistance from Otho the Great of Germany.

Following Lothaire's passing, she was courted by many monarchs and nobles before being wed by Otho the Great of Germany, who had conquered Italy.

Adelaide exerted control over her son Otto II from Otto's death on May 7, 973, until their separation in 978, when she left the court and moved to Burgundy to live with her brother, King Conrad. She made amends with her son at Conrad's insistence, and Otto named her his regent in Italy before his passing in 983.

She supported Otto III, her three-year-old grandson, and his right to the German throne alongside her daughter-in-law, Empress Theophano. From 985 until 991, she resided in Lombardy; upon Theophano's passing, she returned to Germany to take on the role of sole regent (991).

Adelaide was appointed Regent of the Empire in 991. Using her position as an effective empress, she built numerous churches and monasteries, helped the impoverished, and increased evangelization efforts, particularly in northern Europe. She held power until 994 when Otto III reached adulthood. She then resigned from court life to focus on establishing churches, monasteries, and convents when he was crowned Holy Roman emperor in 996.

She passed away in 999 at the Seltz monastery in Alsace, and Pope Urban II canonized her in 1097. She is the patron of abuse victims, brides and parenthood.

Other Saints of the Day
St. Beoc
St. Albina
St. Valentine
St. Ado of Vienne
St. Nicholas Chrysoberges