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- BIOGRAPHY
Christian was born about 1123, the younger son of Egilmar II, Graf im Lerigau, and Gräfin Eilika von Rietberg. First mentioned in 1148, he was Graf von Oldenburg until his death. He and his wife Kunigunde, who may have belonged to the house of Versfleht, had two sons, Moritz and Christian, of whom Moritz would have progeny.
After the death of his father, his inheritance was divided between Christian and his brother Heinrich. Heinrich founded the line of Oldenburg in Wildeshausen, Christian that of Oldenburg in Oldenburg.
Christian was a vassal of the Welf Heinrich 'the Lion', Herzog von Sachsen und Bayern. In 1153 he may have fought in Heinrich's defeat by the Frisians at the Battle of Östringsfelde (his uncle Christian was killed in the battle). However by 1166 he moved to oppose Heinrich. He participated in Emperor Friedrich I Barbarossa's first Italian campaign in 1154/1155, and in the campaign against Mecklenburg in 1164.
In 1167 he attempted to escape the influence of Heinrich 'the Lion' by drawing the Bremen citizenry to his side, but this did not help against the Welf attack, and Christian had to withdraw to Oldenburg. He and his brother died that year in the Welf siege of Oldenburg. As his children were still underage at the time it was Heinrich 'the Lion' who would control the fate of Oldenburg until his banishment in 1181.
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