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  • Wife of Charlemagne
  • Swabian Princess
  • AKA: Hildegard of Vinzgau

Biography[]

Hildegard was born 758 to Gerold of Vinzgouw (c725-799) and Emma of Alamannia (730-789) and died 30 April 783 Thionville of unspecified causes. She married Charlemagne (747-814) 771 JL .

Charlemagne, also known as Charles the Great, was a king of the Franks who ruled from 768 until his death in 814. He is considered one of the most important figures in European history, known for his military conquests and his efforts to promote learning and culture throughout his empire.

As for Hildegarde, she was one of Charlemagne's wives. She was likely born around the year 758 and was the daughter of a count named Gerold. Hildegarde married Charlemagne in 771, when she was around 13 years old and he was 26.

Hildegarde was the mother of several of Charlemagne's children, including Charles the Younger, Carloman, and Gisela. She was known for her piety and her devotion to the church, and Charlemagne consulted her on matters related to religious policy.

Hildegarde died in 783, at the age of around 25 or 26. Charlemagne was said to be deeply affected by her death, and he ordered that prayers be said for her soul at all masses in his kingdom.

Origins[]

She was the daughter of the Germanic Count Gerold of Kraichgau (founder of the Udalriching family) and his wife Emma, in turn daughter of Duke Nebe (Hnabi) of Alemannia and Hereswintha vom Bodensee (of Lake Constance).[1] Hildegard's father had extensive possessions in the dominion of Charlemagne's younger brother Carloman, so this union was of significant importance for Charlemagne, because he could strengthen its position in the east of the Rhine and also could bind the Alemannian nobility to his side.[2]

Ecclesiastical Patron[]

Hildegard made several donations to the monasteries of St. Denis and St. Martin of Tours.[3] She was a friend of Saint Leoba, who reportedly lived some time with her at court. She intervened in Hildegard's religious education and also offered her spiritual advice.[4] Together with her husband she commissioned the Godescalc Evangelistary,[5] where for the first time she was explicitly mentioned as Queen -also of the Lombards- through the joint signature of documents with her husband.[6]

Hildegard enjoyed in her own lifetime from a high reputation, as was demonstrated in her obituary written by Paul the Deacon.[7] However, these compliments are to be regarded with some skepticism. In her Epitaph were included phrases that may have been introduced to flatter Charlemagne: for example, the reference to the fact that Hildegard was the epitome of beauty, wisdom and virtue. This were common words used by medieval writers to their rulers.[8] Pope Adrian I, in a letter to Charlemagne, expressed his condolences over the untimely death of Hildegard.

Together with her husband, she was the main benefactress of the Monastery of Kempten (founded in 752), who received financial and political support. From Italy they brought after the conquest of the Kingdom of the Lombards in 773/774 the relics of the Roman martyrs Saints Gordianus and Epimachus to Kempten, whom, along with the Virgin Mary, are the patrons of the monastery.


Family[]

Although Charlemagne already had an older son (Pepin the Hunchback) from his first union with Himiltrude, he was not considered an heir after the rebellion in which he participated in 792. In his will of 806 (the called Divisio Regnorum), he divided his domains between the three surviving sons of Hildegard. Because her son, Louis the Pious , succeeded Charlemagne as Emperor, Hildegard is often called "mother of Kings and Emperors".

Less than a year after his first marriage, Charlemagne repudiated Desiderata of the Lombards (c744-) and married a 13-year-old Swabian princess named Hildegard of the Vinzgau (758-783). But she died in 783, probably due to childbirth complications with her last baby.

By her he had nine children:

  1. Charles the Younger (c772-811), Duke of Maine, and crowned King of the Franks on 25 December 800
  2. Carloman (renamed Pepin of Italy (773-810)), at age 8 made King of Italy.
  3. Adelaide (c773-774), who was born whilst her parents were on campaign in Italy. She was sent back to Francia, but died before reaching Lyons
  4. Rotrude (775-810)
  5. Louis the Pious (778-840), twin of Lothair, King of Aquitaine since 781 (at age 3), crowned King of the Franks/co-emperor in 813, senior Emperor from 814
  6. Lothair (778-c779), twin of Louis, he died in infancy
  7. Bertha (779-823)
  8. Gisela (781-808) -
  9. Hildegarde (783-783) -




Children


Offspring of Charlemagne (747-814) and Princess Hildegard of Vinzgau
Name Birth Death Joined with
Rotrude (775-810) 770 6 June 810 Rorgon of Maine (c770-839)
Charles the Younger (c772-811) 772 4 December 811 Bavaria
Adelaide (c773-774) 774 Pavie, Lombardy, Italy 774 Italy
Pepin of Italy (773-810) 773 Vermandois, Normandy, France 8 July 810 Milan, Lombardy, Italy Bertha of Gellone (c780-)
Ingeltrude (c780-)
Louis the Pious (778-840) 16 April 778 Chasseneuil, France 20 June 840 Ingelheim am Rhein Ermengarde of Hesbaye (c778-818)
Judith of Bavaria (795-843)
Theodelinde of Sens (?-?)
Lothair (778-c779) 778 France 779
Bertha (779-823) 779 823 Angilbert (c750-814)
Gisela (781-808) 781 Milan 808
Hildegarde (783-783) 783 France 783 France



Siblings[]


Offspring of Gerold of Vinzgouw (c725-799) and Emma of Alamannia (730-789)
Name Birth Death Joined with
Eric of Friuli (?-799)
Hildegard (758-783) 758 30 April 783 Thionville Charlemagne (747-814)
Gerold (759-?)
Megingoz (761-?)
Udalrich (763-?)
Odon (765-?)
Adrian d'Orléans (c755-bef821) 758 Aachen 15 February 821 Aachen Waldrada (780-?)




Preceded by
Desiderata of the Lombards (c744-)
Queen of the Franks
772–783
Succeeded by
Fastrada of Ingelheim (765-794)

See Also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Reinhard Barth: Karl der Große, Munich 2000, pp. 97-98.
  2. ^ Matthias Becher: Karl der Große, München 1999, p. 108.
  3. ^ Klaus Schreiner: "Hildegardis regina". Wirklichkeit und Legende einer karolingischen Herrscherin, in: Archiv für Kulturgeschichte 57 (1975), p. 8.
  4. ^ Rosamond McKitterick: Karl der Grosse, Darmstadt 2008, p. 91.
  5. ^ Klaus Schreiner: "Hildegardis regina". Wirklichkeit und Legende einer karolingischen Herrscherin, in: Archiv für Kulturgeschichte 57 (1975), pp. 9-10.
  6. ^ Silvia Konecny: Die Frauen des karolingischen Königshauses. Die politische Bedeutung der Ehe und die Stellung der Frau in der fränkischen Herrscherfamilie vom 7. bis zum 10. Jahrhundert, Vienna 1976, p. 65.
  7. ^ Klaus Schreiner: "Hildegardis regina". Wirklichkeit und Legende einer karolingischen Herrscherin, in: Archiv für Kulturgeschichte 57 (1975), pp. 4-5. The "Epitaphium Hildegardis reginae" is printed in MGH poat. lat. aevi Carolini I, pp. 58-59. Cf. Franz Bittner: Studien zum Herrscherlob in der mittelalterlichen Dichtung, Dissertation Würzburg 1962, pp. 43-44.
  8. ^ Klaus Schreiner: "Hildegardis regina". Wirklichkeit und Legende einer karolingischen Herrscherin, in: Archiv für Kulturgeschichte 57 (1975), pp. 4-5.
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