Bilichilde (d. 610), was a queen of Austrasia by marriage to
Theudebert II
Theudebert II () (c.585-612), King of Austrasia (595–612 AD), was the son and heir of Childebert II. He received the kingdom of Austrasia plus the cities (''civitates'') of Poitiers, Tours, Le Puy-en-Velay, Bordeaux, and Châteaudun, as well as ...
.
She was a serf bought from the slave market by
Brunhilda of Austrasia
Brunhilda (c. 543–613) was queen consort of Austrasia, part of Francia, by marriage to the Merovingian king Sigebert I of Austrasia, and regent for her son, grandson and great-grandson.
In her long and complicated career she ruled the easte ...
. In 1979, Alfred Friese hypothesised that she was related to Duke
Gisulf I of Friuli
Gisulf I ( la, Gisulfus I) was probably the first duke of Friuli (then ''Forum Julii''). He was a nephew of Alboin, first king of the Lombards in Italy, who appointed him duke around 569 after the Lombard conquest of the region, though some scho ...
, whose two daughters were captured and enslaved, only for one to be married to a Bavarian prince and the other to an Alaman prince. This hypothesis was then disproven by
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-So ...
.
In 608, Bilichildis married King Theudebert II of Austrasia and gave birth to a daughter, betrothed to
Adaloald
Adaloald (602–628) was the Lombard king of Italy from 616 to 626.
He was son and heir of King Agilulf and his Catholic queen Theodelinda. He was baptised shortly after his birth in 602; the abbot Secundus of Non (later historian) was hi ...
, son of
Agilulf
Agilulf ( 555 – April 616), called ''the Thuringian'' and nicknamed ''Ago'', was a duke of Turin and king of the Lombards from 591 until his death.
A relative of his predecessor Authari, Agilulf was of Thuringian origin and belonged to the ...
, king of the
Lombards
The Lombards () or Langobards ( la, Langobardi) were a Germanic people who ruled most of the Italian Peninsula from 568 to 774.
The medieval Lombard historian Paul the Deacon wrote in the '' History of the Lombards'' (written between 787 an ...
. She may also have been the mother of Merovech (d. 612), but
Karl August Eckhardt Karl may refer to:
People
* Karl (given name), including a list of people and characters with the name
* Karl der Große, commonly known in English as Charlemagne
* Karl Marx, German philosopher and political writer
* Karl of Austria, last Austrian ...
doubts this, esteeming that it is more likely that he was the son of Theodechilde.
Even if she was of "low origin" (which could otherwise be a concern for a queen), she was loved by her subjects.
She was reportedly murdered by her spouse when he wished to marry Theodechilde (d. 613).
[Christian Settipani, La Préhistoire des Capétiens (Nouvelle histoire généalogique de l'auguste maison de France, vol. 1), Villeneuve d'Ascq, éd. Patrick van Kerrebrouck, 1993, 545 p. (),]
See also
*
List of French consorts
This is a list of the women who were queens or empresses as wives of French monarchs from the 843 Treaty of Verdun, which gave rise to West Francia, until 1870, when the Third Republic was declared.
Living wives of reigning monarchs technica ...
References
{{reflist
610 deaths
7th-century Frankish women
Murdered royalty
Merovingian dynasty
Medieval slaves