Desiderata of the Lombards

Desiderata of the Lombards

Desiderata was one of four daughters of Desiderius, king of the Lombards, and his queen, Ansa. She was married to Charlemagne, king of the Franks, in 770, probably to form a bond between the otherwise enemy states of Francia and Lombardy. The marriage was annulled in 771 and this hurt relations with Lombardy, presaging the war of 774. She had no children and her ultimate fate is unknown.

Although she is commonly referred to by the name Desiderata, it is now theorised that the name derives from an editorial error in a 19th century copy of the Monumenta Germaniae Historica which capitalised the D in desideratam filiam (Latin for desired daughter). Even this error was sometimes compounded by a back formation to Desideria, a more probable first name (the feminine form of Desiderius, her father's name), or translated (as into French, Désirée).

The noted Carolingian historian, Janet Nelson, hypothesised in the 1998 work After Rome's Fall that Desiderius' daughter was in fact named Gerperga. The reasoning used by Nelson hinges on the confusion that many contemporaries apparently had between her and Gerberga, the Frankish wife of Carloman who was brother of Charlemagne and his co-ruler from 768 to 771. Even Pope Stephen III seems to confuse the two and the chroniclers and annalists seem to believe that Gerberga fled, when her husband died, to the court of her father (she fled to Desiderius, who was definitely not her father).

What is definite is that Desiderius and Ansa had three other daughters named Anselperga, Adelperga, and Liutperga. The commonality in the names of their daughters is the ending "-perga". Based on this, the author believes the confusion was caused because the two queens (wives of the two brothers Charles and Carloman) had the same name, namely Gerberga or Gerperga, which are respectively the Frankish and Lombard versions of the modern French name Gerberge.

Sources

  • Riché, Pierre. The Carolingians.
  • Murray, Archibald Callander, and Goffart, Walter A. After Rome's Fall: Narrators and Sources of Early Medieval History. University of Toronto Press: Toronto, 1998.

See also

  • Monastery of Santa Giulia
Preceded by
Bertrada of Laon
Queen of the Franks
770–771
with Gerberga (768–771)
Succeeded by
Hildegarde

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Desiderata (disambiguation) — Desiderata may refer to: Desiderata , the title of a 1927 poem by Max Ehrmann Desiderata (album), the fourth studio album from Norwegian progressive metal band Madder Mortem Desiderata of the Lombards, wife of Charlemagne Desiderata , a song by… …   Wikipedia

  • Desiderata, wife of Charlemagne — Desiderata was one of four daughters of Desiderius, king of the Lombards, and his queen, Ansa. She was married to Charlemagne, king of the Franks, in 770, probably to form a bond between the otherwise enemy states of Francia and Lombardy. The… …   Wikipedia

  • More danico — The phrase more danico[1] is a Mediaeval Latin legalistic expression which may be translated as in the Danish manner or by Norse customary law . It designates a type of traditional Germanic marriage practiced in northern Europe during the Middle… …   Wikipedia

  • Charlemagne — For other uses, see Charlemagne (disambiguation). Charlemagne Rex Francorum (King of the Franks) Rex Longobardorum (King of the Lombards) Imperator Romanorum (Emperor of the Romans) …   Wikipedia

  • Desiderius — For other people named Desiderius, see Desiderius (given name). Desiderius (also known as Daufer or Dauferius; Didier in French and Desiderio in Italian) was the last king of the Lombard Kingdom of northern Italy (died c. 786). He is chiefly… …   Wikipedia

  • Carloman I — (28 June, 751 – December 4, 771) was the king of the Franks from 768 until his death in 771. He was the second surviving son of Pepin the Short and Bertrada of Laon. He was a younger brother of Charlemagne.Carloman I stands in the unfortunate… …   Wikipedia

  • Siege of Pavia — Infobox Military Conflict conflict=Siege of Pavia partof= caption=Carolingian cavalry. date=September 773 ndash; June 774 place=Ticinum (modern Pavia), southwest of Milan result=Frankish victory combatant1=Franks combatant2=Lombards… …   Wikipedia

  • Desiderius — (eighth century)    Successor of Aistulf and king from 757 to 774, Desiderius was the last of the kings of the Lombards. His fate was linked with the rise of the Carolingian dynasty and the complex diplomatic relations between the Carolingians,… …   Encyclopedia of Barbarian Europe

  • Charlemagne — (742 814)    The greatest king of the Middle Ages, Charlemagne forged a powerful empire during his long reign from 768 to 814 and left an indelible mark on his age and the generations to come. The son of Pippin the Short, the first Carolingian… …   Encyclopedia of Barbarian Europe

  • Bertrada — (d. 783)    The wife of Pippin the Short, the first Carolingian king, and mother of Charlemagne, the first Carolingian emperor, Bertrada surely played an important role in the Carolingian kingdom. At the very least, she fulfilled the traditional… …   Encyclopedia of Barbarian Europe

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”