Bertha of Burgundy (964 – 16 January 1010) was Queen of the Franks as the second wife of King Robert II. Bertha was the daughter of King

Conrad of Burgundy Conrad I, called the Peaceful (french: Conrad le Pacifique; german: Konrad der Friedfertige; – 19 October 993), a member of the Elder House of Welf, was King of Burgundy from 937 until his death. Life He was the son of King Rudolph II, the fir ...

Stefan Weinfurter, ''The Salian Century: Main Currents in an Age of Transition'', transl. Barbara M. Bowlus, (University of Pennsylvania Press, 1999), 46. and his wife

Matilda Matilda or Mathilda may refer to: Animals * Matilda (chicken) (1990–2006), World's Oldest Living Chicken record holder * Matilda (horse) (1824–1846), British Thoroughbred racehorse * Matilda, a dog of the professional wrestling tag-team The ...

, daughter of King

Louis IV of France Louis IV (September 920 / September 921 – 10 September 954), called ''d'Outremer'' or ''Transmarinus'' (both meaning "from overseas"), reigned as King of West Francia from 936 to 954. A member of the Carolingian dynasty, he was the only son of ...

and Gerberga of Saxony. She was named for her father's mother,

Bertha of Swabia Bertha of Swabia (french: Berthe; german: Berta; AD – after January 2, 966), a member of the Alemannic Hunfriding dynasty, was queen of Burgundy from 922 until 937 and queen of Italy from 922 until 926, by her marriage with King Rudolph II. S ...

. She first married Count Odo I of Blois in about 983. They had several children, including Theobald II and Odo II. After the death of her husband in 996, Bertha's second cousin

Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory ...

, the eldest son of King

Hugh Capet Hugh Capet (; french: Hugues Capet ; c. 939 – 14 October 996) was the King of the Franks from 987 to 996. He is the founder and first king from the House of Capet. The son of the powerful duke Hugh the Great and his wife Hedwige of Saxony, ...

of France, wished to marry her. He had recently repudiated his first wife, Susanna, who was many years his senior. The union was opposed by King Hugh, who feared that political problems could be caused by religious authorities due to their

consanguinity Consanguinity ("blood relation", from Latin '' consanguinitas'') is the characteristic of having a kinship with another person (being descended from a common ancestor). Many jurisdictions have laws prohibiting people who are related by blood fr ...

. The marriage nevertheless went ahead around the time of Hugh's death in October 996, which left Robert as sole king.

Pope Gregory V Pope Gregory V ( la, Gregorius V; c. 972 – 18 February 999), born Bruno of Carinthia, was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 3 May 996 to his death. A member of the Salian dynasty, he was made pope by his cousin, Emperor ...

and his successor

Pope Sylvester II Pope Sylvester II ( – 12 May 1003), originally known as Gerbert of Aurillac, was a French-born scholar and teacher who served as the bishop of Rome and ruled the Papal States from 999 to his death. He endorsed and promoted study of Arab and Gre ...

pronounced anathemas against Robert for his "incestuous" marriage and the pair were forced to separate, but Robert several times attempted to rejoin her.

References

10th-century births 11th-century deaths People excommunicated by the Catholic Church House of Capet Elder House of Welf French queens consort Countesses of Chartres Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown 10th-century French people 10th-century French women 11th-century French people 11th-century French women Daughters of kings {{France-noble-stub