Thierry IV, or Theoderic IV ( 770–793Bouchard, ''Those of My Blood'', p. 184), was a

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 ...

noble and royal '' missus''. Thierry's parentage is not directly attested. Speculation about how his grandson

Bernard of Septimania Bernard (or Bernat) of Septimania (795–844), son of William of Gellone, was the Frankish Duke of Septimania and Count of Barcelona from 826 to 832 and again from 835 to his execution. He was also count of Carcassonne from 837. He was appointed t ...

came to be described as sharing the blood of the Carolingian rulers has led to hypotheses regarding Thierry's ancestry. One possible route has involved a relationship 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 Holy ...

's maternal great-grandmother,

Bertrada of Prüm Bertrade or Bertrada may refer to: * Bertrada of Prüm, Frankish princess, co-founder and benefactor of the Prüm Abbey * Bertrada of Laon Bertrada of Laon (born between 710 and 727 – 12 July 783), also known as Bertrada the Younger or Bertha Br ...

. A donation she executed was witnessed first by her only son,

Charibert Charibert is a Frankish given name meaning "glorious warrior". The name Berthar contains the same two elements in reversed order.Laury Sarti, ''Perceiving War and the Military in Early Christian Gaul (ca. 400–700 A.D.)'' (Brill, 2013), p. 260. It ...

, and then by Bernarius, Chrodlanda and Theoderic. Bernarius and Chrodlanda seem to match the Guarnarius and Rotlindis who appear in a 751 document. Based on their prominence in this donation, it has been suggested that Chrodlanda/Rotlindis was either daughter or sister of Bertrada. The last of the witnesses of Bertrada of Prum's donation, Theoderic, is suggested either to be one and the same with Thierry, or else his father. A second possible avenue for a relationship comes via Thierry's wife,

Auda .au Domain Administration (auDA) is the policy authority and industry self-regulatory body for the .au domain, which is the country-code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Australia. It was formed in 1999 to manage the .au ccTLD with the endorsement ...

or Aldana, whose parentage is not directly documented but who had known sisters Hiltrudis and Landrada. Hiltrudis was the name of a documented daughter 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 statesma ...

and sister of

Pepin III the Short (french: Pépin le Bref; – 24 September 768), also called the Younger (german: Pippin der Jüngere), was King of the Franks from 751 until his death in 768. He was the first Carolingian to become king. The younger was the son of t ...

, while the a medieval saint's ''vita'' of uncertain reliability also gives Martel a daughter Landrada, leading to the suggestion that Aldana was likewise his daughter. The two possible relationships to the Carolingians need not be viewed as mutually exclusive.Bouchard, ''Those of My Blood'', p. 188

Children

Thierry and Aldana had at least five children: *

William of Gellone William of Gellone ( 755 – 28 May 812 or 814), the medieval William of Orange, was the second Duke of Toulouse from 790 until 811. In 804, he founded the abbey of Gellone. He was canonized a saint in 1066 by Pope Alexander II.

(755 – 28 May 812/814) *Theodino, father of a Theoderic ( 815–819) *

Adalhelm of Autun Adalhelm of Autun was a Frankish nobleman of the 8th and 9th centuries from the Wilhelmid family, son of Thierry IV and the Carolingian Alda. He was called as a witness in the charters of the foundation of the abbey of Gellone by his brother Will ...

*Albana *Bertana

References

Sources

* Bouchard, Constance Brittain ''Those of My Blood: Creating Noble Families in Medieval Francia'', University of Pennsylvania Press: 2001. {{DEFAULTSORT:Thierry 04 720s births 780s deaths Year of birth uncertain Year of death uncertain Counts of Autun Counts of Toulouse 8th-century Frankish nobility