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Nanthild (c. 610 – 642), also known as ''Nantéchilde'', ''Nanthechilde'', ''Nanthildis'', ''Nanthilde'', or ''Nantechildis'', was a Frankish queen consort and regent, the third of many consorts of
Dagobert I
Dagobert I ( la, Dagobertus; 605/603 – 19 January 639 AD) was the king of Austrasia (623–634), king of all the Franks (629–634), and king of Neustria and Burgundy (629–639). He has been described as the last king of the Merovingian dy ...
,
king of the Franks
The Franks, Germanic-speaking peoples that invaded the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century, were first led by individuals called dukes and reguli. The earliest group of Franks that rose to prominence was the Salian Merovingians, who c ...
(629–639). She was regent during the minority of her son from 639 until 642.
Life
She was of
Saxon
The Saxons ( la, Saxones, german: Sachsen, ang, Seaxan, osx, Sahson, nds, Sassen, nl, Saksen) were a group of Germanic
*
*
*
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peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country ( Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the No ...
lineage, born about 608 or 610. The ''Lexikon des Mittelalters'' calls her ''ein Mädchen aus dem Dienstpersonal'' ("a maiden of the royal
Austrasian ">Austrasia.html" ;"title="Austrasia">Austrasian household"). Her elevation to consort may have given importance to her relatives: her brother Lanthegisel was an important landowner in the
Limousin
Limousin (; oc, Lemosin ) is a former administrative region of southwest-central France. On 1 January 2016, it became part of the new administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It comprised three departments: Corrèze, Creuse, and Haute-Vienn ...
and a relation of Aldegisel. Dagobert set aside his wife
Gomatrud to marry her, ca. 629; to her was born Clovis II">Wife of Dagobert I">Gomatrud to marry her, ca. 629; to her was born Clovis II, second eldest of Dagobert's surviving sons and the one who succeeded him in Neustria and Kingdom of Burgundy, Burgundy. After Dagobert's death in January 639, she was initially regent for her son, accompanied by Aega (Mayor of the Palace), Aega, mayor of the Neustrian palace and an opponent of the powerful contingent of nobles headed by
Burgundofaro whose seat was at
Meaux
Meaux () is a commune on the river Marne in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in the metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is east-northeast of the centre of Paris.
Meaux is, with Provins, Torcy and Fontaineblea ...
.
In the interest of reducing noble Burgundian independence of the
Merovingian
The Merovingian dynasty () was the ruling family of the Franks from the middle of the 5th century until 751. They first appear as "Kings of the Franks" in the Roman army of northern Gaul. By 509 they had united all the Franks and northern Gauli ...
palace, she married her niece Ragnoberta to the Frank
Flaochad and had the magnates and bishops of the realm of Burgundy acclaim him
mayor of the palace at
Orléans
Orléans (;["Orleans"](_blank)
(US) and [Landry Landry may refer to:
People
* Landry (surname), of French origin
* Landry Jones (born 1989), American football player
* Landry Fields (born 1988), American basketball executive
* Landry Shamet (born 1997), American basketball player
Places
* Lan ...]
in what was then Burgundy, where she had long resided; her body was translated to the
Saint Denis Basilica. It is likely that she was poisoned or secretly murdered, as her untimely death allowed her son to fall under the influence of the nobility, who abhorred a strong royal hand.
References
*
Fredegar's Chronicle, book IV
*Geary, Patrick J., 1998. ''Before France and Germany: The Creation and Transformation of the Merovingian World'' (Oxford & New York: Oxford University Press)
*Wood, Ian, 1994. ''The Merovingian Kingdoms. 450-751'' (London)
''Lexikon des Mittelalters'' vol. VI.1018
{{Authority control
610 births
642 deaths
Burials at the Basilica of Saint-Denis
7th-century women rulers
Merovingian dynasty
Queen mothers
Frankish queens consort
Burgundian queens consort
Regents of France
7th-century Frankish women
7th-century Frankish nobility