Ansa (queen)
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Ansa or Ansia was the wife of Desiderius, King of the Lombards. She was probably a Lombard, the daughter of Verissimo and sister of Arechis and Donnolo.
In or around 753, she founded the monastery of S. Michele and S. Pietro at Brescia. It later merged with that of S. Salvatore and S. Maria. After 759, she appeared frequently in Desiderius' diplomas and was probably the architect of his religious policy.
On 5 June 774, she was presented along with her husband to Charlemagne, who had conquered Pavia. She was sent with her husband and an unnamed daughter, probably Gerperga, to Liège or Corbie, but allowed to return in 775. Paul the Deacon wrote an Epitaphium Ansae reginae praising her politics, her piety, and her beauty: coniunx pulcherrima, "most beautiful wife".
Her children with Desiderius were:
- Anselperga (or Anselberga), abbess of San Salvatore
- Adelperga (or Adelberga), married Arechis II of Benevento
- Liutperga (also Liutpirc or Liutberga), married Tassilo III of Bavaria
- Gerperga (or Gerberga), married Charlemagne in 768, divorced in 771
- Adelchis (or Adalgis), patrician in Constantinople
[edit] Sources
- Ghisalberti, Alberto M. Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani: III Ammirato – Arcoleo. Rome, 1961.
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