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Matilda of Flanders (c. 1031 – 2
November 1083) was the wife of William the Conqueror
and, as such, Queen consort of the Kingdom of England.
She bore William eleven children, including two kings,
William II and Henry I.
Matilda, or Maud, was the
daughter of Baldwin V, Count of Flanders and Adèle
Capet, herself daughter of Robert II of France.
According to legend, when Duke William II of Normandy
(later known as William the Conqueror) sent his
representative to ask for Matilda's hand in marriage,
she told the representative that she was far too
high-born, to consider marrying a bastard. After hearing
this response, William rode from Normandy to Bruges,
found Matilda on her way to church, and dragged her off
her horse by her long braids, threw her down in the
street in front of her flabbergasted attendants, and
rode off. Another version of the story states that
William rode to Matilda's father's house in Lille, threw
her to the ground in her room (again, by the braids),
and hit her (or violently battered her) before leaving.
Naturally, Baldwin took offense at this but, before they
drew swords, Matilda settled the matter by agreeing to
marry him, and even a papal ban on the grounds of
consanguinity did not dissuade her. They were married in
1053.
There were rumors that Matilda had been in
love with the English ambassador to Flanders, a Saxon
named Brihtric, who declined her advances. Whatever the
truth of the matter, years later when she was acting as
Regent for William in England, she used her authority to
confiscate Brihtric's lands and throw him into prison,
where he died.
Some doubt exists over how many
daughters there were. This list includes some entries
which are obscure.
1.Robert Curthose (c. 1054–1134),
Duke of Normandy, married Sybil of Conversano, daughter
of Geoffrey of Conversano
2.Adeliza (or Alice) (c.
1055 – ?), reportedly betrothed to Harold II of England
(Her existence is in some doubt.)
3.Cecilia (or
Cecily) (c. 1056–1126), Abbess of Holy Trinity, Caen
4.William Rufus (1056–1100), King of the English
5.Richard, Duke of Bernay (1057 – c. 1081), killed by a
stag in New Forest
6.Adela (c. 1062–1138), married
Stephen, Count of Blois
7.Agatha(c. 1064 – c. 1080),
betrothed to (1) Harold of Wessex, (2) Alfonso VI of
Castile
8.Constance (c. 1066–1090), married Alan IV
Fergent, Duke of Brittany; poisoned, possibly by her own
servants
9.Maud (very obscure, her existence is in
some doubt)
10.Henry Beauclerc (1068–1135), King of
England, married (1) Edith of Scotland, daughter of
Malcolm III, King of Scotland, (2) Adeliza of Louvain
Gundred (c. 1063–1085), wife of William de Warenne
(c. 1055–1088), was formerly thought of as being yet
another of Matilda's daughters, with speculation that
she was William I's full daughter, a stepdaughter, or
even a foundling or adopted daughter. However, this
connection to William I has now been firmly debunked.
Matilda was a seventh generation direct descendent of
Alfred the Great. Her marriage to William strengthened
his claim to the throne. All sovereigns of England,
Great Britain and the United Kingdom have been descended
from her, as is the present Queen Elizabeth II.
Adela Capet,
Adèle of France or Adela of Flanders[1], known also as
Adela the Holy or Adela of Messines; (1009 – 8 January
1079, Messines) was the second daughter of Robert II
(the Pious), and Constance of Arles. As dowry to her
future husband, she received from her father the title
of Countess of Corbie.
Adèle’s influence lay
mainly in her family connections. On the death of her
brother, Henry I of France, the guardianship of his
seven-year-old son Philip I fell jointly on his widow,
Ann of Kiev, and on his brother-in-law, Adela's husband,
so that from 1060 to 1067, they were Regents of France.
Adèle had an especially great interest in Baldwin
V’s church-reform politics and was behind her husband’s
founding of several collegiate churches. Directly or
indirectly, she was responsible for establishing the
Colleges of Aire (1049), Lille (1050) and Harelbeke
(1064) as well as the abbeys of Messines (1057) and
Ename (1063). After Baldwin’s death in 1067, she went to
Rome, took the nun’s veil from the hands of Pope
Alexander II and retreated to the Benedictine convent of
Messines, near Ypres. There she died, being buried at
the same monastery. Honored as a saint in the Roman
Catholic Church, her commemoration day is 8 September.
She was a member of the House of Capet, the rulers of
France. As the wife of Baldwin V, she was Countess of
Flanders from 1036 to 1067.
She married first
1027 Richard III Duke of Normandy (997 † 1027). They
never had children. As a widow, she remarried in 1028 in
Paris to Baldwin V of Flanders (1012 † 1067). Their
children were:
Baldwin VI of Flanders, (1030 † 1070)
Matilda
of Flanders (1032 † 1083). In 1053 she
married William Duke of Normandy, the future king of
England
Robert I of Flanders, (1033-1093)
Henry of
Flanders (c. 1035)
Sir Richard of Flanders (c.
1050-1105)
Baldwin V of Flanders (c. 1012 – 1
September 1067) was Count of Flanders from 1035 until
his death. He was the son of Baldwin IV, Count of
Flanders, who died in 1035.
In 1028 Baldwin
married Adèle of France in Amiens, daughter of King
Robert II of France; at her instigation he rebelled
against his father but in 1030 peace was sworn and the
old count continued to rule until his death.
Baldwin and Adèle had five children:
Baldwin VI,
1030-1070
Matilda, c.1031-1083 who married
William the Conqueror
Robert I of Flanders,
c.1033–1093
Henry of Flanders c.1035
(possibly)
... Sir Richard of Flanders c. 1050-1105
Baldwin IV of Flanders (980 – May
30, 1035[1]), known as the Bearded, was Count of
Flanders from 988 until his death. He was the son of
Arnulf II, Count of Flanders. His mother was Rozala of
Lombardy.
Baldwin first married Ogive of
Luxembourg, daughter of Frederick of Luxembourg, by whom
he had a son and heir
Baldwin
V.
He later married Eleanor of
Normandy, daughter of Richard II of Normandy, by whom he
had at least one daughter Judith who married Tostig
Godwinson and Welf I, Duke of Bavaria.
His
granddaughter, Matilda of Flanders, would go on to marry
William the Conqueror, therefore starting the line of
Anglo-Norman Kings of England.
Arnulf II of Flanders (960 or 961 –
March 30, 987) was Count of Flanders from 965 until his
death. He was the son of
Baldwin
III of Flanders and Mathilde Billung of
Saxony, daughter of Herman, Duke of Saxony
He
married Rozala of Lombardy, daughter of Berengar II of
Italy, and was succeeded by their son,
Baldwin
IV.
Baldwin III of Flanders The Young
(940 – January 1, 962) was Count of Flanders, who
briefly ruled the County of Flanders (an area that is
now northwestern Belgium and southwestern Holland),
together with his father
Arnulf
I.
Arnulf I had made Baldwin
co-ruler in 958, but Baldwin died before his father and
was succeeded by his infant son Arnulf II, with his
father acting as regent until his own death. In 961
Baldwin had married Mathilde Billung of Saxony, daughter
of Herman, Duke of Saxony, by whom he had a son, his
heir
Arnulf II.
During his short rule,
Baldwin established the weaving and fulling industry in
Ghent, thus laying the basis for the economical
importance of the county in the centuries to come.
Arnulf of Flanders (c. 890 – March
28, 965), called the Great, was the third Count of
Flanders, who ruled the County of Flanders, an area that
is now northwestern Belgium and southwestern Holland.
Arnulf was the son of count Baldwin II of Flanders
and Ælfthryth of Wessex, daughter of Alfred the Great.
He was named after his distant ancestor, Saint Arnulf of
Metz; this was intended to emphasize his family's
descent from the Carolingian dynasty.
Arnulf I
greatly expanded Flemish rule to the south, taking all
or part of Artois, Ponthieu, Amiens, and Ostravent. He
exploited the conflicts between Charles the Simple and
Robert I of France, and later those between Louis IV and
his barons.
In his southern expansion Arnulf
inevitably had conflict with the Normans, who were
trying to secure their northern frontier. This led to
the 943 murder of the Duke of Normandy, William
Longsword, at the hands of Arnulf's men.
The
Viking threat was receding during the later years of
Arnulf's life, and he turned his attentions to the
reform of the Flemish government.
In 934 he
married Adele of Vermandois, daughter of Herbert II of
Vermandois. Their children were:
Liutgard, married
Wichmann IV, Count of Hamaland
Egbert, died 953
Baldwin III of Flanders
Elftrude, married Siegfried,
Count of Guînes
Hildegarde (d.990); married Dirk II,
Count of Holland
He also had a previous daughter,
Hildegard.
Arnulf made his eldest son and heir
Baldwin III of Flanders co-ruler in 958, but Baldwin
died untimely in 962, so Arnulf was succeeded by
Baldwin's infant son, Arnulf II of Flanders.
Baldwin II (c. 865 – September 10,
918), nicknamed Calvus (the Bald) was the second count
of Flanders. He was also hereditary abbot of St. Bertin
from 892 till his death. He was the son of Baldwin I of
Flanders and
Judith, a daughter of Charles
the Bald. Through his mother, Baldwin was a descendant
of Charlemagne.
The early years of Baldwin's rule
were marked by a series of devastating Viking raids.
Little north of the Somme was untouched. Baldwin
recovered, building new fortresses and improving city
walls, and taking over abandoned property, so that in
the end he held far more territory, and held it more
strongly, than had his father. He also took advantage of
the conflicts between Charles the Simple and Odo, Count
of Paris to take over the Ternois and the Boulonnias.
In 884 Baldwin married Ælfthryth, a daughter of King
Alfred the Great of England. The marriage was motivated
by the common Flemish-English opposition to the Vikings,
and was the start of an alliance that was a mainstay of
Flemish policy for centuries to come.
In 900, he
tried to curb the power of Archbishop Fulk of Rheims by
assassinating him, but he was excommunicated by Pope
Benedict IV.
He died at Blandinberg and was
succeeded by his eldest son Arnulf I of Flanders. His
younger son Adalulf was (the first) count of Boulogne.
He married Ælfthryth, a daughter of Alfred the
Great, King of England. They had the following:
Arnulf
I of Flanders (c. 890-964), married
Adela of Vermandois
Adalulf (c. 890-933), Count of
Boulogne
Ealswid
Ermentrud
His fifth child
however, was illegitimate.
Albert (d. 977)
Judith of Flanders (or Judith of
France) (October 844 – 870) was the first daughter of
the Frankish King and Holy Roman Emperor
Charles
the Bald and his wife Ermentrude of
Orléans. Through her marriage to two Kings of Wessex,
Judith was twice a Queen, and through her third marriage
to Baldwin, she became the first Countess of Flanders.
She was ancestress of the later Counts of Flanders, and
was the stepmother and later the sister-in-law of King
Alfred the Great.
Following the death of her
second husband, Judith sold her properties in Wessex and
returned to France. According to the Chronicle of St.
Bertin, her father sent her to the Monastery at Senlis,
where she would remain "under his protection and royal
episcopal guardianship, with all the honour due to a
queen, until such time as, if she could not remain
chaste, she might marry in the way the apostle said,
that is suitably and legally."[2] Presumably, Charles
may have intended to arrange another marriage for his
daughter. However, around Christmas 861, Judith eloped
with Baldwin, later Count of Flanders. The two were
likely married at the monastery of Senlis at this time.
The record of the incident in the Annals depict Judith
not as the passive victim of bride theft but as an
active agent, eloping at the instigation of Baldwin and
apparently with her brother Louis the Stammerer's
consent.[3]
Unsurprisingly, Judith's father was
furious and ordered his bishops to excommunicate the
couple. They later fled to the court of Judith's cousin
Lothair II of Lotharingia for protection, before going
to Pope Nicholas I to plead their case. The Pope took
diplomatic action and asked Judith's father to accept
the union as legally binding and welcome the young
couple into his circle - which ultimately he did. The
couple then returned to France and were officially
married at Auxerre in 863.
Judith was first
married to King Ethelwulf of Wessex, then to his heir,
Ethelbald of Wessex (her stepson). Her first two
marriages produced no issue.
By her third
husband, Baldwin I of Flanders, Judith's children
included:
Charles (born after 863, died young) -
ostensibly named for Judith's father, Charles the Bald
Baldwin
II - (c. 864/866 - 918). Succeeded his
father as Count of Flanders. Married Ælfthryth, daughter
of Alfred the Great
Raoul (Rodulf) - (c. 869 - 896).
Became Count of Cambrai around 888, and was killed by
Herbert I of Vermandois in 896
Charles the Bald (13 June 823 – 6
October 877), Holy Roman Emperor (875–877, as Charles
II) and King of West Francia (840–877, as Charles II,
with the borders of his land defined by the Treaty of
Verdun, 843), was the youngest son of the
Emperor
Louis the Pious by his second wife
Judith.
Besides family disputes, Charles had to
struggle against repeated rebellions in Aquitaine and
against the Bretons. Led by their chiefs Nomenoë and
Erispoë, who defeated the king at Ballon (845) and
Juvardeil (851), the Bretons were successful in
obtaining a de facto independence. Charles also fought
against the Vikings, who devastated the country of the
north, the valleys of the Seine and Loire, and even up
to the borders of Aquitaine. Several times Charles was
forced to purchase their retreat at a heavy price.
Charles led various expeditions against the invaders
and, by the Edict of Pistres of 864, made the army more
mobile by providing for a cavalry element, the
predecessor of the French chivalry so famous during the
next 600 years. By the same edict, he ordered fortified
bridges to be put up at all rivers to block the Viking
incursions. Two of these bridges at Paris saved the city
during its siege of 885–886.
Charles married
Ermentrude, daughter of Odo I, Count of Orléans, in 842.
She died in 869. In 870, Charles married Richilde of
Provence, who was descended from a noble family of
Lorraine.
With Ermentrude:
Judith
(844–870), married firstly with Ethelwulf of Wessex,
secondly with Ethelbald of Wessex (her stepson) and
thirdly with Baldwin I of Flanders
Louis the
Stammerer (846–879)
Charles the Child (847–866)
Lothar (848–865), monk in 861, became Abbot of Saint-Germain
Carloman (849–876)
Rotrud (852–912), a nun, Abbess of
Saint-Radegunde
Ermentrud (854–877), a nun, Abbess of
Hasnon
Hildegard (born 856, died young)
Gisela
(857–874)
With Richilde:
Rothild (871–929),
married firstly with Hugues, Count of Bourges and
secondly with Roger, Count of Maine
Drogo (872–873)
Pippin (873–874)
a son (born and died 875)
Charles
(876–877)
Louis the Pious (778 – 20 June
840), also called the Fair, and the Debonaire,[1] was
the King of Aquitaine from 781. He was also King of the
Franks and co-Emperor (as Louis I) with his father,
Charlemagne, from 813. As the only
surviving adult son of Charlemagne and Hildegard, he
became the sole ruler of the Franks after his father's
death in 814, a position which he held until his death,
save for the period 833–34, during which he was deposed.
During his reign in Aquitaine, Louis was charged
with the defence of the Empire's southwestern frontier.
He reconquered Barcelona from the Muslims in 801 and
re-asserted Frankish authority over Pamplona and the
Basques south of the Pyrenees in 813. As emperor he
included his adult sons—Lothair, Pepin, and Louis—in the
government and sought to establish a suitable division
of the realm between them. The first decade of his reign
was characterised by several tragedies and
embarrassments, notably the brutal treatment of his
nephew Bernard of Italy, for which Louis atoned in a
public act of self-debasement. In the 830s his empire
was torn by civil war between his sons, only exacerbated
by Louis's attempts to include his son Charles by his
second wife in the succession plans. Though his reign
ended on a high note, with order largely restored to his
empire, it was followed by three years of civil war.
Louis is generally compared unfavourably to his father,
though the problems he faced were of a distinctly
different sort.
By his first wife, Ermengarde of
Hesbaye (married ca 794-98), he had three sons and three
daughters:
Lothair (795–855), king of Middle Francia
Pepin (797–838), king of Aquitaine
Adelaide (b. c.
799)
Rotrude (b. 800), married Gerard
Hildegard
(or Matilda) (b. c. 802), married Gerard, Count of
Auvergne
Louis the German (c. 805–875), king of East
Francia
By his second wife, Judith of Bavaria, he
had a daughter and a son:
Gisela, married Eberhard I
of Friuli
Charles the Bald, king of West
Francia
By Theodelinde of Sens, he had two
illegitimate children:
Arnulf of Sens
Alpais
Charlemagne; possibly 742 – 28
January 814) was King of the Franks from 768 and Emperor
of the Romans from 800 to his death in 814. He expanded
the Frankish kingdom into an empire that incorporated
much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he
conquered Italy and was crowned Imperator Augustus by
Pope Leo III on 25 December 800. This temporarily made
him a rival of the Byzantine Emperor in Constantinople.
His rule is also associated with the Carolingian
Renaissance, a revival of art, religion, and culture
through the medium of the Catholic Church. Through his
foreign conquests and internal reforms, Charlemagne
helped define both Western Europe and the Middle Ages.
He is numbered as Charles I in the regnal lists of
Germany, the Holy Roman Empire, and France.
The
son of
King Pepin the Short and Bertrada of
Laon, a Frankish queen, he succeeded his father in 768
and co-ruled with his brother Carloman I. The latter got
on badly with Charlemagne, but war was prevented by the
sudden death of Carloman in 771. Charlemagne continued
the policy of his father towards the papacy and became
its protector, removing the Lombards from power in
Italy, and leading an incursion into Muslim Spain, to
which he was invited by the Muslim governor of
Barcelona. Charlemagne was promised several Iberian
cities in return for giving military aid to the
governor; however, the deal was withdrawn. Subsequently,
Charlemagne's retreating army experienced its worst
defeat at the hands of the Basques, at the Battle of
Roncesvalles (778) (memorialised, although heavily
fictionalised, in the Song of Roland). He also
campaigned against the peoples to his east, especially
the Saxons, and after a protracted war subjected them to
his rule. By forcibly Christianizing the Saxons and
banning on penalty of death their native Germanic
paganism, he integrated them into his realm and thus
paved the way for the later Ottonian dynasty.
Today he is regarded not only as the founding father of
both French and German monarchies, but also as a Pater
Europae (father of Europe): his empire united most of
Western Europe for the first time since the Romans, and
the Carolingian renaissance encouraged the formation of
a common European identity.
Marriages and
heirs
Charlemagne had twenty children over
the course of his life with eight of his ten known wives
or concubines. Nonetheless, he only had four legitimate
grandsons, the four sons of his third son, Louis. In
addition, he had a grandson (Bernard of Italy, the only
son of his third son, Pippin of Italy), who was born
illegitimate but included in the line of inheritance.
So, despite twenty children, the claimants to his
inheritance were few.
His first relationship was with
Himiltrude. The nature of this relationship is variously
described as concubinage, a legal marriage, or a
Friedelehe. (Charlemagne put her aside when he married
Desiderata.) The union with Himiltrude produced two
children:
Amaudru, a daughter
Pippin the
Hunchback (ca. 769–811)
After her, his first wife
was Desiderata, daughter of Desiderius, king of the
Lombards; married in 770, annulled in 771.
His second
wife was Hildegard (757 or 758–783), married 771, died
783. By her he had nine children:
Charles the
Younger (ca. 772–4 December 811), Duke of Maine, and
crowned King of the Franks on 25 December 800
Carloman, renamed Pippin (April 777–8 July 810), King of
Italy
Adalhaid (774), who was born whilst her parents
were on campaign in Italy. She was sent back to Francia,
but died before reaching Lyons
Rotrude (or Hruodrud)
(775–6 June 810)
Louis
(778–20 June 840), twin of Lothair, King
of Aquitaine since 781, crowned King of the
Franks/co-emperor in 813, senior Emperor from 814
Lothair (778–6 February 779/780), twin of Louis, he died
in infancy[39]
Bertha (779–826)
Gisela (781–808)
Hildegarde (782–783)
His third wife was Fastrada,
married 784, died 794. By her he had:
Theodrada
(b.784), abbess of Argenteuil
Hiltrude (b.787)
His fourth wife was Luitgard, married 794, died
childless.
Concubinages and illegitimate children
His first known concubine was Gersuinda. By her he had:
Adaltrude (b.774)
His second known concubine was
Madelgard. By her he had: Ruodhaid (775–810), abbess of
Faremoutiers
His third known concubine was
Amaltrud of Vienne. By her he had:
Alpaida (b.794)
His fourth known concubine was Regina. By her he
had:
Drogo (801–855), Bishop of Metz from 823 and
abbot of Luxeuil Abbey
Hugh (802–844), archchancellor
of the Empire
His fifth known concubine was
Ethelind. By her he had:
Richbod (805–844), Abbott
of Saint-Riquier
Theodoric (b. 807)
Pepin (or Pippin) (died 24
September 768), called the Short (Pépin le Bref)[1] or
the Younger (Pippin der Jüngere), rarely the Great
(Pippin der Grosse),[2] was the first King of the Franks
(752–68) of the Carolingian dynasty. In 741 he and his
brother Carloman succeeded their father,
Charles
Martel, as mayors of the palace and de
facto rulers of the kingdom during an interregnum
(737–43). After the retirement of Carloman (747), Pepin
obtained the permission of Pope Zachary to depose the
last of the Merovingian kings, Childeric III, and assume
the throne (752). As he was named for his grandfather,
Pepin of Heristal, in turn named for his grandfather,
Pepin of Landen, both mayors of the palace, Pepin the
Short has sometimes been numbered Pepin III.
In
741, Pepin married Bertrada of Laon. Her father,
Charibert, was the son of Pepin II's brother, Martin of
Laon. They are known to have had eight children, at
least three of whom survived to adulthood:
Charles
(2 April 742 – 28 January 814), (Charlemagne)
Carloman (751 – 4 December 771)
Gisela (757–810)
Pepin, died in infancy.
Chrothais, died young, buried
in Metz.
Adelais, died young, buried in Metz.
Two
unnamed daughters
Charles Martel (c. 688 – 22 October
741), literally Charles the Hammer, was a Frankish
military and political leader, who served as Mayor of
the Palace under the Merovingian kings and ruled de
facto during an interregnum (737–43) at the end of his
life, using the title Duke and Prince of the Franks. In
739 he was offered the title of Consul by the Pope, but
he refused. He is remembered for winning the Battle of
Tours (also known as the Battle of Poitiers) in 732, in
which he defeated an invading Muslim army and halted
northward Islamic expansion in western Europe.
A
brilliant general, he lost only one battle in his
career, (the Battle of Cologne). He is a founding figure
of the Middle Ages, often credited with a seminal role
in the development of feudalism and knighthood, and
laying the groundwork for the Carolingian Empire. He was
also the father of Pepin the Short and grandfather of
Charlemagne.
Martel was born in Heristal, the
illegitimate son of duke Pepin II and his concubine
Alpaida. In German-speaking countries he is known as
Karl Martell. Alpaida also bore Pepin another son,
Childebrand.
Just as his grandson, Charlemagne,
would become famous for his swift and unexpected
movements in his campaigns, Charles was legendary for
never doing what his enemies forecast he would do. It
was this ability to do the unforeseen, and move far
faster than his opponents believed he could, that
characterized the military career of Charles Martel.
It is notable that the Northmen did not begin their
European raids until after the death of Martel's
grandson, Charlemagne. They had the naval capacity to
begin those raids at least three generations earlier,
but chose not to challenge Martel, his son Pippin, or
his grandson, Charlemagne. This was probably fortunate
for Martel, who despite his enormous gifts, would
probably not have been able to repel the Vikings in
addition to the Muslims, Saxons, and everyone else he
defeated. However, it is notable that again, despite the
ability to do so, (the Danes had constructed defenses to
defend from counterattacks by land, and had the ability
to launch their wholesale sea raids as early as Martel's
reign), they chose not to challenge Charles Martel.
Charles Martel married twice:
His first wife
was Rotrude of Treves, (690-724) (daughter of Leudwinus,
Bishop of Trier). They had the following children:
Hiltrud (d. 754), married Odilo I, Duke of Bavaria
Carloman
Landrade (Landres), married Sigrand, Count
of Hesbania
Auda, Aldana, or Alane, married Thierry
IV, Count of Autun and Toulouse
Pepin
the Short
His second wife was
Swanhild. They had the following child:
Grifo
Charles Martel also had a mistress, Ruodhaid. They had
the following children:
Bernard (b. before 732-787)
Hieronymus
Remigius, archbishop of Rouen (d. 771)
Pepin (also Pippin, Pipin, or
Peppin) of Herstal, or Heristal, (635/45 – 16 December
714) was the Mayor of the Palace of Austrasia from 680
to his death and of Neustria and Burgundy from 687 to
695. He was also the first mayor of the palace to
"reign" as Duke and Prince of the Franks.
Pepin, sometimes called Pepin II and Pepin the Middle
was the grandson and namesake of Pepin I the Elder by
the marriage of Pepin I's daughter
Begga
and Ansegisel, son of Arnulf of Metz. That marriage
united the two houses of the Pippinids and the
Arnulfings which created what would be called the
Carolingian dynasty. Pepin II was probably born in
Herstal (Héristal), modern Belgium (where his centre of
power lay), whence his byname (sometimes "of Heristal").
Around 670, Pepin had married Plectrude, who had
inherited substantial estates in the Moselle region. She
was the mother of Drogo of Champagne and Grimoald II,
both of whom died before their father. However, Pepin
also had a mistress named Alpaida (or Chalpaida) who
bore him two more sons:
Charles
and Childebrand. Just before Pepin's death, Plectrude
convinced him to disinherit his bastards in favour of
his grandson, Theudoald, the son of Grimoald, who was
still young (and amenable to Plectrude's control). Pepin
died suddenly at an old age on 16 December 714, at
Jupille (in modern Belgium). His legitimate
grandchildren claimed themselves to be Pepin's true
successors and, with the help of Plectrude, tried to
maintain the position of mayor of the palace after
Pepin's death. However,
Charles
had gained favor among the Austrasians, primarily for
his military prowess and ability to keep them well
supplied with booty from his conquests. Despite the
efforts of Plectrude to silence her rival's child by
imprisoning him, he became the sole mayor of the palace
-- and de facto ruler of Francia-- after a civil war
which lasted for more than three years after Pepin's
death.
Saint Begga (also Begue, Begge) (615 – 17
December 693) was the daughter of Pepin of Landen, mayor
of the palace of Austrasia, and his wife Itta. On the
death of her husband, she took the veil, founded several
churches, and built a convent at Andenne on the Meuse
River (Andenne sur Meuse) where she spent the rest of
her days as abbess. She was buried in Saint Begga's
Collegiate Church in Andenne. Some hold that the Beguine
movement which came to light in the 12th century was
actually founded by St. Begga; and the church in the
beguinage of Lier, Belgium, has a statue of St. Begga
standing above the inscription: St. Begga, our foundress.
She married Ansegisel, son of Arnulf, Bishop of
Metz, and had three children:
Pepin
of Heristal
Martin of Laon
Clotilda of Heristal, who was married to Theuderic III
of the Franks
She is commemorated as a saint on
her feast days, 6 September and 17 December.
Ansegisel (c. 602 or 610 – murdered
before 679 or 662) was the son of
Saint
Arnulf, bishop of Metz and his wife
Saint Doda. He served King Sigbert III of Austrasia
(634-656) as a duke (Latin dux, a military leader) and
domesticus. He was killed sometime before 679, slain in
a feud by his enemy Gundewin.
He married sometime
after 639 to
Saint Begga, the daughter of
Pepin of Landen. They had the following children:
Pippin
II (635 or 640-December 16, 714), mayor
of the palace of Austrasia
Possibly Clotilda of
Heristal (650-699), married King Theodoric III of
Neustria
Saint Arnulf of Metz (c. 582,
Lay-Saint-Christophe, Meurthe-et-Moselle — 640) was a
Frankish bishop of Metz and advisor to the Merovingian
court of Austrasia, who retired to the Abbey of
Remiremont.
Arnulf was born to an important
Frankish family at an uncertain date around 582. His
father was Baudgise or Baudegisel II of Aquitaine or
Carthage (d. 588), Palace Mayor and Duke of Sueve. His
mother was Oda. In his younger years he was called to
the Merovingian court of king Theudebert II (595-612) of
Austrasia and sent to serve as dux at the Schelde. Later
he became bishop of Metz. During his career he was
attracted to religious life, and he retired to become a
monk. After his death he was canonized as a saint. In
French he is also known as Arnoul or Arnoulf. In English
he is also known as Arnold.
Arnulf gave
distinguished service at the Austrasian court under
Theudebert II After the death of Theudebert in 612 he
was made bishop of Metz. The rule of Austrasia came into
the hands of Brunhilda, the grandmother of Theudebert,
who ruled also in Burgundy in the name of her
great-grandchildren. In 613 Arnulf joined his politics
with Pippin of Landen and led the opposition of Frankish
nobles against Queen Brunhilda. The revolt led to her
overthrow, torture, and eventual execution, and the
subsequent reunification of Frankish lands under
Chlothachar II.
Chlothachar later made his son
Dagobert I king of Austrasia and he ruled with the help
of his advisor Arnulf. Not satisfied with his position,
as a bishop he was involved in the murder of Chrodoald
in 624, an important leader of the Frankish Agilolfings
family and a protégé of Dagobert.
From 623 (with
Pippin of Landen, then the Mayor of the Palace), Arnulf
was an adviser to Dagobert I. He retired around 628 to a
hermitage at a mountain site in the Vosges, to realize
his lifelong resolution to become a monk and a hermit.
His friend Romaric, whose parents were killed by
Brunhilda, had preceded him to the mountains and
together with Amatus had already established Remiremont
Abbey there. Arnulf settled there, and remained there
until his death twelve years later.
Arnulf was
married ca 596 to a woman whom later sources give the
name of Dode or Doda, (born ca 584), and had children.
Chlodulf of Metz was his oldest son, but more important
is his second son Ansegisel,
who married Begga daughter of Pepin I, Pippin of Landen.
Arnulf is thus the male-line grandfather of Charles
Martel and great-great grandfather of Charlemagne.
Arnulf was canonized as a saint by the Roman
Catholic Church. In iconography he is portrayed with a
rake in his hand.
Pepin of Landen (also Peppin,
Pipin, or Pippin) (c. 580 – 27 February 640), also
called the Elder or the Old, was the Mayor of the Palace
of Austrasia under the Merovingian king Dagobert I from
623 to 629. He was also the mayor for Sigebert III from
639 until his own death.
Pepin's father is named
Carloman by the Chronicle of Fredegar, the chief source
for his life. His byname comes from his probable
birthplace: Landen, modern Belgium. He is sometimes
called Pepin I and his other nicknames (Elder and Old)
come from his position at the head of the family called
the Pippinids after him. Through the marriage of his
daughter
Begga to
Ansegisel, a son of Arnulf of Metz, the
clans of the Pippinids and the Arnulfings were united,
giving rise to a family which would eventually rule the
Franks as the Carolingians
He left two daughters
and two sons by his equally famous wife,
Itta:
Begga,
married the aforementioned Ansegisel and later canonized
Gertrude, entered the convent of Nivelles founded by her
mother, also later canonized
Grimoald, later mayor of
the palace like his father
Bavo (or Allowin), became
a hermit and later canonized
Saint Itta (or Itta of Metz) (also
Ida, Itte or Iduberga) (592–652) was the wife of Pepin
of Landen, mayor of the palace of Austrasia. Her brother
was Saint Modoald, bishop of Trier. Her sister was
abbess Saint Severa. There is no direct record of their
parents, but it has been suggested that she was daughter
of Arnoald, Bishop of Metz, son of Ansbertus.
On
the advice of the missionary bishop Saint Amand, bishop
of Maastricht, after Pepin's death, she founded the
Benedictine nunnery at Nivelles, with a monastery under
the abbess. She herself entered it and installed as
abbess her daughter Gertrude, perhaps after resigning
the post herself.
She had by Pepin another
daughter, Abbess Begga of Andenne who married Ansegisel,
son of Arnulf of Metz. By Begga, she is the grandmother
of Pepin of Herstal and one of the matriarchs of the
great Carolingian family. Her only son was Grimoald,
later mayor of the palace, and father of King Childebert
the Adopted.
Both her daughters were later
canonised, as was she. Her feast day is May 8.
Earlier Ancestors
Of course they existed ... All the way back to the first
humans. But we found none who could be positively
substantiated and so we end the list with these saints.
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