Benedictine
The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...
nun and the first abbess of the ().
Rothild was born into an aristocratic family, probably the
Bosonids
The Bosonids were a dynasty of Carolingian-era counts, dukes, bishops, kings and emperors descended from Boso the Elder and his wife Engeltrude. They married into the Carolingian dynasty and raised to power during the second half of the 9th cen ...
. On one hypothesis, she was the daughter of Count and Rothild, a daughter of King
Charles the Bald
Charles the Bald (; 13 June 823 – 6 October 877), also known as CharlesII, was a 9th-century king of West Francia (843–877), King of Italy (875–877) and emperor of the Carolingian Empire (875–877). After a series of civil wars during t ...
. That she was of the highest nobility is confirmed by a charter of Emperor
Otto the Great
Otto I (23 November 912 – 7 May 973), known as Otto the Great ( ) or Otto of Saxony ( ), was East Frankish ( German) king from 936 and Holy Roman Emperor from 962 until his death in 973. He was the eldest son of Henry the Fowler and Matilda ...
in 965.
The Abbey of Bouxières was founded by Bishop
Gauzelin of Toul
Gauzelin (died 7 September 962) was a French Roman Catholic prelate who served as the Bishop of Toul from 922 until his death. He has been named as a saint.
Life
Gauzelin was born to noble Frankish parents. He first served as part of notaries ...
() for some female religious from the Abbey of Saint-Èvre. He installed Rothild as their first abbess. The surviving foundation charter of 13 January 937, however, has been tampered with, if it is not an outright forgery. Nevertheless, the date is not far off, since the earliest reference to Rothild as abbess in an authentic charter is from October 937. Although the new abbey was directly subordinate to the bishop and Rothild held the title of abbess (), she was also in some sense under a
commendatory
In canon law, commenda (or ''in commendam'') was a form of transferring an ecclesiastical benefice ''in trust'' to the ''custody'' of a patron. The phrase ''in commendam'' was originally applied to the provisional occupation of an ecclesiastical ...
abbot (),
Odalric Ulrich () is a Germanic given name derived from Old High German ''Uodalrich'', ''Odalric''. It is composed of the elements '' uodal-'' meaning "heritage" and ''-rih'' meaning "king, ruler". Attested from the 8th century as the name of Alamannic nobi ...
, also abbot of
Saints-Geosmes
Saints-Geosmes () is a commune in the Haute-Marne department in north-eastern France. On 1 January 2016, the former commune Balesmes-sur-Marne was merged into Saints-Geosmes.John of Saint-Arnoul's ''Life of John of Gorze'', before she became abbess, Rothild sought the spiritual advice of a certain hermit named Humbert, who lived in a cell in
Verdun
Verdun ( , ; ; ; official name before 1970: Verdun-sur-Meuse) is a city in the Meuse (department), Meuse departments of France, department in Grand Est, northeastern France. It is an arrondissement of the department.
In 843, the Treaty of V ...
and had two
anchoress
In Christianity, an anchorite or anchoret (female: anchoress); () is someone who, for religious reasons, withdraws from secular society to be able to lead an intensely prayer-oriented, ascetic, or Eucharist-focused life. Anchorites are frequ ...
es among his followers. When Humbert was subsequently named abbot of Saint-Èvre, it was probably through the influence of Rothild. Rothild is mentioned in many charters as abbess, including
Pope Stephen VIII
Pope Stephen VIII (; died October 942) was the bishop of Rome and nominal ruler of the Papal States from 14 July 939 to his death. His pontificate occurred during the ''Saeculum obscurum'', when the power of popes was diminished by the ambitious ...
's confirmation of its foundation in 941. Her last mention is in a charter of 966, when Duke Frederick I of Upper Lorraine found in her favour in a dispute over property at
Mirecourt
Mirecourt () is a Communes of France, commune in the Vosges (French department), Vosges Departments of France, department in Grand Est in northeastern France. Mirecourt is known for lace-making and the manufacture of musical instruments, particula ...
.. , says 965. By 977, there was a new abbess, Ermengartis.