Bernard or Bernhard de Saint Quentin (d'Herstal), Abby of von St. Quentin, Abbot of St. Quentin (c.720-787) was a son of

Charles Martel Charles Martel ( – 22 October 741) was a Frankish political and military leader who, as Duke and Prince of the Franks and Mayor of the Palace, was the de facto ruler of Francia from 718 until his death. He was a son of the Frankish statesm ...

by his mistress Ruodhaid.

Life

Bernard was a half Brother of the Frankish King Pepin the Short, and uncle to

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first ...

. He was brother to

Hieronymus Hieronymus, in English pronounced or , is the Latin form of the Ancient Greek name (Hierṓnymos), meaning "with a sacred name". It corresponds to the English given name Jerome. Variants * Albanian: Jeronimi * Arabic: جيروم (Jerome) * Basq ...

and

Remigius of Rouen Remigius (or Remi) (died 772) was the illegitimate son of Charles Martel and probably Ruodhaid. He was also the third archbishop of Rouen from 755 to 772. Life Remigius was educated at court, but, along with his brothers, (Bernard and Hieronymus ...

. Although they were all denied any claim in the legacy of their father, they were raised at court and accorded various honors. Medievalist

Donald C. Jackman Donald Charles Jackman (born London, 15 January 1954, died State College, 14 January 2023) was an American medievalist and linguist of Australian background. Donald C. Jackman received the Ph.D. in 1987 from Columbia University with the dissertati ...

suggests that Bernhard's and Charlemagne's mothers may have been closely related. In 760, he and his two brothers (Hieronymus and Remigius) went to Italy on behalf of their half-brother Pepin to mediate between Pope Paul I and

Desiderius Desiderius, also known as Daufer or Dauferius (born – died ), was king of the Lombards in northern Italy, ruling from 756 to 774. The Frankish king of renown, Charlemagne, married Desiderius's daughter and subsequently conquered his realm. Des ...

. They convinced Desiderius to return some of the cities he captured back to the papacy, but the Lombard king did not follow through on his promises. In 773 Bernhard led half of the

Frankish Frankish may refer to: * Franks, a Germanic tribe and their culture ** Frankish language or its modern descendants, Franconian languages * Francia, a post-Roman state in France and Germany * East Francia, the successor state to Francia in Germany ...

army in his nephew

's Lombard

campaign Campaign or The Campaign may refer to: Types of campaigns * Campaign, in agriculture, the period during which sugar beets are harvested and processed *Advertising campaign, a series of advertisement messages that share a single idea and theme * Bl ...

. While Charlemagne led his contingent through the pass of

Moncenisio Mont Cenis ( it, Moncenisio) is a massif (el. 3,612 m / 11,850 ft at Pointe de Ronce) and a pass (el. 2,085 m / 6,840 ft) in Savoie (France), which forms the limit between the Cottian and Graian Alps. Route The term "Mont Cenis" cou ...

, Bernard led his through the

Great St. Bernard Pass it, Colle del Gran San Bernardogerman: Grosser Sankt Bernhard , photo = Great St Bernard Pass.jpg , photo_caption = View of the pass and hospice from Great St Bernard Lake with Mont Vélan in background , elevation_m = 2469 , elevation_ref = ...

. He then participated in the Siege of Pavia. Bernard was prominent in the reign of Charlemagne's son

Louis the Pious Louis the Pious (german: Ludwig der Fromme; french: Louis le Pieux; 16 April 778 – 20 June 840), also called the Fair, and the Debonaire, was King of the Franks and co-emperor with his father, Charlemagne, from 813. He was also King of Aqui ...

Family

According to

Paschasius Radbertus Paschasius Radbertus (785–865) was a Carolingian theologian and the abbot of Corbie, a monastery in Picardy founded in 657 or 660 by the queen regent Bathilde with a founding community of monks from Luxeuil Abbey. His most well-known and influ ...

, Bernard married first a Frankish woman who bore him: * Adalard, abbot of

Corbie Abbey Corbie Abbey is a former Benedictine monastery in Corbie, Picardy, France, dedicated to Saint Peter. It was founded by Balthild, the widow of Clovis II, who had monks sent from Luxeuil. The Abbey of Corbie became celebrated both for its librar ...

. He later married the Anglo Saxon Woman They had two sons and two daughters. * Wala (d. 835), a high-ranking court dignitary, later abbot of Corbie * Bernhard, a monk of Corbie * Gundrada, sent to the Abbey of Ste-Croix in Poitiers * Theodrada, abbess of

Notre-Dame de Soissons Notre-Dame de Soissons was a nunnery dedicated to the Virgin Mary (Our Lady) in Soissons. It was founded during the Merovingian era, between 658 and 666, but the community was dissolved and the building partially demolished during the French Revolu ...

grew concerned regarding the power and influence bestowed on his cousins by his father, and shortly after being crowned Adalard was exiled to St. Philibert on

Noirmoutier Noirmoutier (also French: Île de Noirmoutier, ; br, Nervouster, ) is a tidal island off the Atlantic coast of France in the Vendée department (85). History Noirmoutier was the location of an early Viking raid in 799, when raiders attacked ...

, (but later reinstated at court); Count Wala was forced to separate from his wife and take his brother's place at Corbie (also later reinstated); Bernhard was exiled to Lérins; and Gundrada was sent from court. Only Theodrada, the widow of Theodoric, Duke of the Riparuarii was left undisturbed.Sismondi, Jean-Charles-Léonard Simonde. ''The French Under the Merovingians''
United Kingdom, W. & T. Piper, 1850. p. 285

Sabine Baring-Gould Sabine Baring-Gould ( ; 28 January 1834 – 2 January 1924) of Lew Trenchard in Devon, England, was an Anglican priest, hagiographer, antiquarian, novelist, folk song collector and eclectic scholar. His bibliography consists of more than 1,2 ...

says Bernard was the grandfather of saint

Ida of Herzfeld Saint Ida of Herzfeld (c. 770 – 4 September 825) was the widow of a Saxon duke who devoted her life to the poor following the death of her husband in 811. Her feast day is September 4. Life While there is disagreement as to her precise parentage ...

through his daughter Theodrada.Bring-Gould, Sabine. "S. Ida, W.", ''The Lives of the Saints'', J. Hodges, 1882, p.50
/ref>

Ancestry

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bernard, Son Of Charles Martel 720s births Carolingian dynasty Year of death unknown