{{Infobox noble, type , name = Rotrude of Hesbaye , title = , image = , caption = , alt = , CoA = , more = no , succession = , reign = , reign-type = , predecessor = , successor = , suc-type = , spouse =

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 ...

, spouse-type = , issue = {{startplainlist * Carloman * Pepin * Hiltrud * Landrade * Auda {{endplainlist , issue-link = , issue-pipe = , full name = , styles = , titles = , noble family = , house-type = , father = , mother = , birth_date = , birth_place = , christening_date = , christening_place = , death_date = 724 , death_place = , burial_date = , burial_place = , religion = , occupation = , memorials = , url = , module = Rotrude (Chrodtrudis) (or Crotude, Chrotrude, or Ruadtrud; died 724) was the first wife of

, Mayor of the Palace and de facto ruler of Francia from 718 to 741. She was the mother of

Pepin the Short the Short (french: Pépin le Bref; – 24 September 768), also called the Younger (german: Pippin der Jüngere), was King of the Franks from 751 until his death in 768. He was the first Carolingian to become king. The younger was the son of ...

, King of the Franks, and therefore the grandmother 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 E ...

. Rotrude is believed to be the daughter of

Lambert, Count of Hesbaye Lambert II, (669742) was possibly a Count of Haspengau (Hesbaye), generally referred to without the number modifier. Settipani, Christian (1989). '' Les ancêtres de Charlemagne. Addenda.'' The identity of his father remains uncertain, but the prev ...

, although this designation is not without controversy, as discussed below. She is also referred to as Rotrude of Treves. Traditionally, the information available about the family background of Rotrude was the indication that Wido (Guy), Count of Hornbach and Lay Abbot of Fontenelle, was a ''propinquus'' of Martel. This kinship term, vague enough, means a close relationship with women: a brother, a cousin by women or a cousin by marriage. Wido is the brother of Milo, Bishop of Trier, and son of Saint Leudwinus,

Bishop of Trier The Diocese of Trier, in English historically also known as ''Treves'' (IPA "tɾivz") from French ''Trèves'', is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic church in Germany.Christian Settipani Christian Settipani (born 31 January 1961) is a French genealogist, historian and IT professional, currently working as the Technical Director of a company in Paris. Biography Settipani holds a Master of Advanced Studies from the Paris-Sorbo ...

, in his work on the ancestors of Charlemagne, details an analysis by Anton Halbedel, first issued in 1915, and echoed by historians Joseph Depoin, Maurice Chaume and Szabolcs de Vajay. According to this analysis, the word ''propinquus'' implies "brother", so that Wido was Rotrude’s brother. Rotrude has therefore often been identified as the daughter of Saint Leudwinus. However, in Settipani’s Addendum to the Ancestors of Charlemagne, he returns to this problem, reflecting thoughts of the medieval history professor Richard Gerberding, who believed that Rotrude’s background was related directly to the

Robertians The Robertians (sometimes called the Robertines in modern scholarship) are the proposed Frankish family which was ancestral to the Capetian dynasty, and thus to the royal families of France and of many other countries. The Capetians appear first ...

. He noted that Charles Martel had three wives and that Wido may be a relative of the other two. Settipani concludes that Rotrude was the daughter of

, and so sister of

Robert I, Duke of Neustria Robert I or Rupert (697 – 758), was a count in the Hesbaye region and Duke of Neustria. His father's name is known to be Lambert. He was a count palatine under Childeric III. Robert married Williswinda, daughter of Adalhelm, Grundherr im Wormsg ...

. In addition, Rotrude’s sister was named Landrada and was married to

Sigramnus, Count of Hesbaye Sigramnus (Sigrand), was the Count of Hesbaye. Sigramnus became Count of Hesbaye by virtue of his marriage to the daughter of Lambert, Count of Hesbaye. The dates of his rule are unknown but are believed to be between that of Lambert’s son and ...

. Landrada and Sigramnus were parents of

Saint Chrodegang Chrodegang ( la, Chrodogangus; german: Chrodegang, Hruotgang;Spellings of his name in (Latin) primary sources are extremely varied: Chrodegangus, Grodegandus, Grodegangus, Grodogangus, Chrodogandus, Krodegandus, Chrodegrangus, Chrotgangus, Ruotga ...

, Bishop of Metz. Note that Rotrude and Charles had a daughter also named Landrade, who is often erroneously identified as the wife of Sigramnus.{{cite book, last1=Claussen, first1=M. A., title=The Reform of the Frankish Church: Chrodegang of Metz and the Regula Canonicorum in the Eighth Century, date=2004, publisher=Cambridge University Press, location=Cambridge, page=21 Rotrude and Charles had five children: * Carloman, Mayor of the Palace *

, King of the Franks and father of Charlemagne * Hiltrude, Duchess Consort of Bavaria, married to

Odilo, Duke of Bavaria Odilo, also Oatilo or Uatilo (died 18th January 748) of the Agilolfing dynasty was Duke of Bavaria from 737 until his death in 748. He had the ''Lex Baiuvariorum'' compilation edited, the first ancient Germanic law collection of the Bavarians. ...

* (perhaps) Landrade * (perhaps) Auda of France, married to Thierry IV, Count of Autun. After Rotrude’s death in 724, Charles married

Swanachild Swanachild (also ''Swanahild'' or ''Serenahilt'') was the second wife of Charles Martel. Reign Swanachild belonged to the clan of the Agilolfing, though her parentage is not quite clear. Her parents could be Tassilo II, duke of Bavaria, and his ...

and had one child Grifo. Charles also had a mistress

Ruodhaid Ruodhaid was a mistress of Charles Martel with whom she had the following children: * Bernard (c. 720–787) * Hieronymus, son of Charles Martel (c. 722- after 782) * Remigius, Archbishop of Rouen (d. 771) * Aldana, wife of Theoderich, Count of Au ...

with whom he had numerous children.

References

{{Reflist

Bibliography

* Settipani, Christian,
Les Ancêtres de Charlemagne
', Paris, 2015. *Settipani,Christian and van Kerrebrouck, Patrick,

', P. Van Kerrebrouck, 1993. * Gerberding, Richard A.,

', Oxford University Press, 1987 * Claussen, Martin A.,

', Cambridge University Press, 2004 * Rotrude (femme de Charles Martel). French Wikipedia. Includes family tree. {{Authority control 7th-century births 724 deaths 8th-century Frankish women