Gisela, (in or before 781 - 808 or later) was a daughter of
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 Em ...
from his marriage to
Hildegard
Hildegard is a female name derived from the Old High German ''hild'' ('war' or 'battle') and ''gard'' ('enclosure' or 'yard'), and means 'battle enclosure'. Variant spellings include: Hildegarde; the Polish, Portuguese, Slovene and Spanish Hildeg ...
.
She was baptized at the
Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio
The Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio (official name: ''Basilica romana minore collegiata abbaziale prepositurale di Sant'Ambrogio'') is a church in the center of Milan, northern Italy.
History
One of the most ancient churches in Milan, it was built by ...
in 781 by
Thomas,
Archbishop of Milan
The Archdiocese of Milan ( it, Arcidiocesi di Milano; la, Archidioecesis Mediolanensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Italy which covers the areas of Milan, Monza, Lecco and Varese. It ha ...
. She was educated at the castle in
Aachen, with
Alcuin who gave her the nickname "Delia". According to Alcuin she took a particular interest in
astronomy
Astronomy () is a natural science that studies astronomical object, celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and chronology of the Universe, evolution. Objects of interest ...
.
[Daily Life in the World of Charlemagne](_blank)
Pierre Riche, page 205 Alcuin refers to "Delia" in some of his poetry.
Like her sisters
Bertha and
Rotrude, Gisela never married.
Sources vary regarding her later life, some sources state 808 as a death date, others state that in 814 she was sent to a convent by her brother
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 ...
.
The Franks
Lewis Sergeant, page 270
References
{{short description, 8th and 9th-century Frankish noblewoman
8th-century births
8th-century Frankish women