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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 con ...
(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 * * * * peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country (Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the Nor ...
lineage, born about 608 or 610. The ''Lexikon des Mittelalters'' calls her ''ein Mädchen aus dem Dienstpersonal'' ("a maiden of the royal Austrasian_.html"_;"title="Austrasia.html"_;"title="Austrasia">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__ Austrasian_.html"_;"title="Austrasia.html"_;"title="Austrasia">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_(province)">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_Wife_of_Dagobert_I.html" ;"title="Limousin_(province).html" "title="Austrasia">Austrasian_.html" ;"title="Austrasia.html" ;"title="Austrasia">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 (province)">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 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 Neustrian palace and an opponent of the powerful contingent of nobles headed by
Burgundofaro Saint Faro (or Burgundofaro; died 675 AD), Count of Guînes, was bishop of Meaux. The family to which Faro belonged is known as the Faronids and is named after him. He is canonized as a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church and Roman Catholic Chu ...
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 Fontainebleau, ...
. 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 Flaochad (or Flaochat) was the mayor of the palace of Burgundy from 639 to 642. He was appointed by Nanthild, the queen mother, who gave him her niece, Ragnobert, in marriage. She called together the chief magnates and bishops of the kingdom at Or ...
and had the magnates and bishops of the realm of Burgundy acclaim him mayor of the palace at
Orléans Orléans (;"Orleans"
(US) and
Landry in what was then Burgundy, where she had long resided; her body was translated to the
Saint Denis Basilica The Basilica of Saint-Denis (french: Basilique royale de Saint-Denis, links=no, now formally known as the ) is a large former medieval abbey church and present cathedral in the commune of Saint-Denis, a northern suburb of Paris. The building ...
. 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 The ''Chronicle of Fredegar'' is the conventional title used for a 7th-century Frankish chronicle that was probably written in Burgundy. The author is unknown and the attribution to Fredegar dates only from the 16th century. The chronicle begin ...
'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