Himiltrude

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Himiltrude (c. 742-c.780?) was the mother of Charlemagne's first-born son Pippin the Hunchback.

[edit] Life

Little is known about Himiltrude's origins. Paulus Diaconus calls her a "noble girl".[1] Her appearance of her name in fraternity books of Alemannian monasteries may suggest an affiliation to the Alemannian or Alsatian nobility,[2] while other sources make her the daughter of a Burgundian count and a granddaughter of Grimbert I, Count of Paris.[3] It is not possible, however, to extrapolate any political ramifications from Charlemagne's relationship with Himiltrude.[1]

Himiltrude probably entered into a relationship with Charlemagne during the lifetime of his father, Pepin the Short.[1][3] When Charlemagne acceded to the throne in 768, Himiltrude remained unnamed in official sources – contrary to the example set by Charlemagne's mother Bertrada.[1] Himiltrude bore Charles a daughter called Amaudru,[3] who would later marry a Count of Paris, and at the end of 769 a son called Pepin.[3] Shortly after Pepin's birth, an alliance was formulated between Charlemagne and the King of the Lombards, Desiderius: to seal the alliance, it was agreed that Charlemagne should marry Desiderius' daughter (called Desiderata by modern scholars).

Himiltrude was dismissed at that time and disappears from historical records. A grave excavated in the monastery of Nivelles was found to contain the corpse of a forty-year old woman, possibly identifiable with Himiltrude; if so, /Himiltrude would appear to have died long after 770, although if and when she retired to Nivelles cannot be deduced.[1]

Her son Pepin, who suffered from a spinal deformity and was called "the Hunchback", was eclipsed by Charlemagne's sons from his later marriage to Hildegard. Following an attempted rebellion against his father, he was confined to a monastery.[1]

[edit] Marital status

The nature of Himiltrude's relationship to Charlemagne is a matter of dispute. Charlemagne's biographer Einhard calls her a "concubine"[4] and Paulus Diaconus speaks of Pippin's birth "before legal marriage"; [1] whereas a letter by Pope Stephen III refers to Charlemagne and his brother Carloman as being already married (to Himiltrude and Gerberga), and advises them not to dismiss their wives.[1]

Historians have interpreted the information in different ways. Some, such as Pierre Riché, follow Einhard in describing Himiltrude as a concubine.[5] Others, for example Dieter Hägemann, consider Himiltrude a wife in the full sense.[2] Still others subscribe to the idea that the relationship between the two was "something more than concubinage, less than marriage" and describe it as a Friedelehe, a form of marriage unrecognized by the Church and easily dissolvable. Russell Chamberlin, for instance, compared it with the English system of common-law marriage.[6] This form of relationship is often seen in a conflict between Christian marriage and more flexible Germanic concepts.[1]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Silvia Konecny, Die Frauen des karolingischen Königshauses. Die politische Bedeutung der Ehe und die Stellung der Frau in der fränkischen Herrscherfamilie vom 7. bis zum 10. Jahrhundert., p. 65.
  2. ^ a b Dieter Hägermann, Karl der Große. Herrscher des Abendlands, Ullstein 2003, p. 82f.
  3. ^ a b c d Gerd Treffer, Die französischen Königinnen. Von Bertrada bis Marie Antoinette (8.-18. Jahrhundert), p. 30.
  4. ^ Einhard, Vita Karoli Magni, ch. 20
  5. ^ Pierre Riché, The Carolingians, p.86.
  6. ^ Russell Chamberlin, The Emperor Charlemagne, p. 61.