Alpaida (also Alpaïde, Alpaide, Alphaida, Alpoïde, Elphide, Elfide, Alféïde, Chalpaida; 654 – c. 714) was a

Frankish Frankish may refer to: * Franks, a Germanic tribe and their culture ** Frankish language or its modern descendants, Franconian languages, a group of Low Germanic languages also commonly referred to as "Frankish" varieties * Francia, a post-Roman ...

noblewoman who hailed from the

Liège Liège ( ; ; ; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the Liège Province, province of Liège, Belgium. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east o ...

area. She became the second wife, concubine or mistress of

Pepin of Herstal Pepin II (c. 635 – 16 December 714), commonly known as Pepin of Herstal, was a Franks, Frankish statesman and military leader who was the de facto ruler of Francia as the Mayor of the Palace from 680 until his death. He took the title Duke ...

and mother to his son

Charles Martel Charles Martel (; – 22 October 741), ''Martel'' being a sobriquet in Old French for "The Hammer", was a Franks, Frankish political and military leader who, as Duke and Prince of the Franks and Mayor of the Palace, was the de facto ruler of ...

and possibly another,

Childebrand I Childebrand I (c. 678 – 743 or 751) was a Frankish duke (''dux''), son of Pepin of Heristal and Alpaida, and brother of Charles Martel. He was born in Autun, where he later died. He married Emma of Austrasia and was given Burgundy by his fat ...

. In the '' Liber Historiae Francorum'' and the '' Continuations of Fredegar'' she is referred to as Pepin's wife. Saint

Lambert of Maastricht Lambert of Maastricht, commonly referred to as Saint Lambert (; Middle Dutch: ''Sint-Lambrecht''; ; 636 – c. 705), was the bishop of Maastricht-Liège (Tongeren) from about 670 until his death. Lambert denounced Pepin's liaison with his mis ...

was a vocal critic of the relationship between Pepin and Alpaida. A tradition would eventually develop that, Pepin's ''domesticus'' (manager of state domains) Dodon, whose troops would murder Lambert, was in fact the brother of Alpaida; however, the historical accuracy of Dodon being her brother has been questioned.

Notes

According to

Sara McDougall Sara McDougall is a professor of history at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice and is an appointed faculty member at the CUNY Graduate Center for the fields of Biography and Memoir, French, History, and Medieval Studies. Her research focuses ...

, the way many medieval sources define and use the terms "second wife", "concubine" and "mistress" are unclear and do not align with how modern audiences understand and use those same terms in modern standards so it is unclear how medieval sources would have defined Alpaida's role within Pepin II's life in terms of their relationship. It seems that in this time period, it was the mother and her lineage that shaped and determined the child's possibility to inherit from their father, so to discredit the child's claim to their father's inheritance, one must discredit the mother. This is reflected in the historiography around Alpaida, who was once called a second wife in eighth-century writings, re-labeled a concubine in later ninth century writings, and finally, as a result of possible anti-Charles Martel or anti-Carolingian sentiment, tenth-century written sources now called Charles Martel's legitimacy and claim to Pepin II's inheritance into question by challenging Alpaida's role within the Pippinid family. Mcdougall, Sara."Chapter Two: The Carolingian Example: The Sons of Concubines." ''Royal Bastards: The Language of Illegitimacy, 800-1230''Oxford, 2016. Page 82.

References

7th-century Frankish women Mistresses of Frankish royalty 7th-century Frankish nobility 650s births 710s deaths 8th-century Frankish women 8th-century Frankish nobility {{Europe-royal-stub