Bertrada of Laon (born between 710 and 727 – 12 July 783), also known as Bertrada the Younger or Bertha Broadfoot (
cf.
The abbreviation ''cf.'' (short for the la, confer/conferatur, both meaning "compare") is used in writing to refer the reader to other material to make a comparison with the topic being discussed. Style guides recommend that ''cf.'' be used onl ...
Latin: ''Regina pede aucae'' i.e. the queen with the goose-foot), was a
Frankish
Frankish may refer to:
* Franks, a Germanic tribe and their culture
** Frankish language or its modern descendants, Franconian languages
* Francia, a post-Roman state in France and Germany
* East Francia, the successor state to Francia in Germany ...
queen. She was the wife of
Pepin the Short and the mother of
Charlemagne
Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first ...
,
Carloman and
Gisela, plus five other children.
Nickname
Bertrada's nickname "Bertha Broadfoot" dates back to the 13th century, when it was used in
Adenes Le Roi's
trouvère
''Trouvère'' (, ), sometimes spelled ''trouveur'' (, ), is the Northern French ('' langue d'oïl'') form of the '' langue d'oc'' (Occitan) word ''trobador'', the precursor of the modern French word ''troubadour''. ''Trouvère'' refers to poet ...
''Li rouman de Berte aus grands piés''. The exact reason that Bertrada was given this nickname is unclear. It is possible that Bertrada was born with a
clubfoot, although Adenes does not mention this in his poem. The nickname might have been a reference to an ancient legend about a Germanic goddess named
Perchta, to real and mythological queens named Bertha, or to several similarly named Christian queens. Many myths and legends exist in Europe and Asia, in which clubfooted people are described as the link between the world of the living and the spirit world. The tavern sign in
Anatole France
(; born , ; 16 April 1844 – 12 October 1924) was a French poet, journalist, and novelist with several best-sellers. Ironic and skeptical, he was considered in his day the ideal French man of letters. He was a member of the Académie França ...
's novel ''
At the Sign of the Reine Pédauque'' alludes to this queen.
Biography
Early life and ancestry
Bertrada was born sometime between 710 and 727 in
Laon
Laon () is a city in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France in northern France.
History
Early history
The holy district of Laon, which rises a hundred metres above the otherwise flat Picardy plain, has always held strategic importance. ...
, in today's
Aisne, France, to Count
Charibert of Laon
Charibert (also spelled ''Caribert'' and ''Heribert''), Count of Laon, was the maternal grandfather of Charlemagne. He was the father of Charles's mother, Bertrada of Laon.
Only his mother, Bertrada of Prüm, is known from contemporary records a ...
. Charibert's father might have been related to Hugobertides. Charibert's mother was
Bertrada of Prüm Bertrade or Bertrada may refer to:
* Bertrada of Prüm, Frankish princess, co-founder and benefactor of the Prüm Abbey
* Bertrada of Laon, queen of the Franks, wife of Pippin III, granddaughter of the above
* Bertrade de Montfort
Bertrade de Mon ...
, who founded
Prüm Abbey
Prüm Abbey is a former Benedictine abbey in Prüm, now in the diocese of Trier (Germany), founded by the Frankish widow Bertrada the elder and her son Charibert, Count of Laon, in 721. The first abbot was Angloardus.
The Abbey ruled over a va ...
along with Charibert.
Marriage and children
Bertrada married
Pepin the Short, the son of
Charles Martel
Charles Martel ( – 22 October 741) was a Frankish political and military leader who, as Duke and Prince of the Franks and Mayor of the Palace, was the de facto ruler of Francia from 718 until his death. He was a son of the Frankish statesm ...
, the Frankish "
Mayor of the Palace", in 741. However, Pepin and Bertrada were too closely related for their marriage to be legal at that time; the union was not canonically sanctioned until 749, after the birth of Charlemagne.
According to French historian Léon Levillain, Bertrada was Pepin's first and only wife. Other sources suggest that Pepin had previously married a "Leutberga" or "Leutbergie", with whom Pepin would have had five children.
Bertrada and Pepin are known to have had eight children: at least three sons and at least four daughters. Of these,
Charlemagne
Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first ...
(c. 742 – 814),
Carloman (751–771) and
Gisela (757–811) survived to adulthood. Pepin, born in 756, died young in 762. Bertrada and Pepin also had
Berthe
Saint Bertha or Saint Aldeberge (c. 565 – d. in or after 601) was the queen of Kent whose influence led to the Christianization of Anglo-Saxon England. She was canonized as a saint for her role in its establishment during that period of Eng ...
, Adelaide, and Rothaide. Gisela became a nun at
Chelles Abbey
Chelles Abbey (french: Abbaye Notre-Dame-des-Chelles) was a Frankish monastery founded around 657/660 during the early medieval period. It was intended initially as a monastery for women; then its reputation for great learning grew, and with the ...
.
Queen of the Franks
In 751, Pepin and Bertrada became King and Queen of the Franks, following Pepin's successful coup against the Frankish
Merovingian
The Merovingian dynasty () was the ruling family of the Franks from the middle of the 5th century until 751. They first appear as "Kings of the Franks" in the Roman army of northern Gaul. By 509 they had united all the Franks and northern Gauli ...
monarchs. Pepin was crowned in June 754, and Bertrada, Charlemagne, and Carloman were blessed by
Pope Stephen II.
After Pepin's death in 768, Bertrada lost her title as Queen of the Franks. Charlemagne and Carloman inherited the two halves of Pepin's kingdom. Bertrada stayed at the court and often tried to stop arguments between the two brothers. Some historians credit Bertrada's support for her elder son Charlemagne over her younger son Carloman, and her diplomatic skills, for Charlemagne's early success. Although her influence over Charlemagne may have diminished in time, she lived at his court, and, according to
Einhard, their relationship was excellent. Bertrada recommended that Charlemagne set aside his legal wife,
Himiltrude
Himiltrude (c. 742-c.780?) was the mother of Charlemagne's first-born son Pippin the Hunchback. Some historians have acknowledged her as the wife of Charlemagne, however, she is often referred to as a concubine.
Life
Little is known about Himil ...
, and marry
Desiderata, a daughter of the
Lombard king
Desiderius
Desiderius, also known as Daufer or Dauferius (born – died ), was king of the Lombards in northern Italy, ruling from 756 to 774. The Frankish king of renown, Charlemagne, married Desiderius's daughter and subsequently conquered his realm. Des ...
, but Charlemagne soon divorced Desiderata. Einhard claims this was the only episode that ever strained relations between mother and son.
Later life and death
Bertrada retired from the court after Carloman's death in 771 to live in
Choisy-au-Bac, where Charlemagne had set aside a royal house for her. Choisy-au-Bac was favorable because of its history of being the home and burial place of several Merovingian kings.
Bertrada died on 12 July 783 in Choisy-au-Bac. Charlemagne buried her in the
Basilica of St Denis near Pepin.
In literature
Bertrada inspired Adenes Le Roi to write the poem ''Li rouman de Berte aus grands piés'' in 1270. Adenes referred to her as "Bertha Broadfoot", the earliest known usage of that nickname.
Bertrada is also referred to as "Bertha Broadfoot" in
François Villon
François Villon ( Modern French: , ; – after 1463) is the best known French poet of the Late Middle Ages. He was involved in criminal behavior and had multiple encounters with law enforcement authorities. Villon wrote about some of these ...
's 15th-century poem ''
Ballade des dames du temps jadis''.
Notes
References
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Bertrada of Laon
8th-century births
783 deaths
Year of birth uncertain
8th-century Frankish women
People from Picardy
Queen mothers
Frankish queens consort
Carolingian dynasty
Burgundian queens consort
Burials at the Basilica of Saint-Denis