Bertachar (or Berthachar) was a king of
Thuringia from about 510 until about 525, co-ruling with his brothers
Hermanfrid
Hermanfrid (also Hermanifrid or Hermanafrid; , died 532) was the last independent king of the Thuringii in present-day Germany. He was one of three sons of King Bisinus and the Lombard Menia. His siblings were Baderic; Raicunda, married to the L ...
and
Baderic.
Bertachar was probably not a Thuringian himself.
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 ...
sources, such as
Venantius Fortunatus, make the three brothers sons of King
Bisinus. They are sometimes considered as sons of Bisinus' wife
Menia, or else as sons of
Basina, who is called a wife of Bisinus by the Frankish historian
Gregory of Tours. Many scholars, however, reject Bisinus' marriage to Basina as ahistorical, leaving Menia as his only known wife.
Bertachar's rule probably began between 507 and 511. He was murdered by his brother Hermanfrid, who later murdered Baderic to become sole ruler of Thuringia. This assassination may have taken place as early as 525.
Bertachar had at least one daughter and, depending on the source, one or several sons. His sons are unnamed. His daughter,
Radegund
Radegund ( la, Radegundis; also spelled ''Rhadegund, Radegonde, or Radigund''; 520 – 13 August 587) was a Thuringian princess and Frankish queen, who founded the Abbey of the Holy Cross at Poitiers. She is the patron saint of several churche ...
, married the Frankish king
Chlothar I and founded
Holy Cross Abbey in Poitiers. She is revered as a saint in the Catholic Church. Two hagiographies of her were produced by her friends
Baudovinia and Venantius Fortunatus. Fortunatus specifies that she was "from the Thuringian region", a daughter of King Bertachar and a granddaughter of King Bisinus.
[Fortunatus, p. 365: ''Beatissima igitur Radegundis natione barbara de regione Thoringa, avo rege Bessino, patruo Hermenfredo, patre rege Bertechario''.]
Notes
Sources
;Primary sources
*
Venantius Honoricus Clementianus Fortunatus''Vita Sanctae Radegundis'' ed. Bruno Krusch. MGH SS rer. Merov. 2 (Hanover, 1888), 364–377.
;Secondary sources
*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Bertachar
Kings of the Thuringians
6th-century rulers in Europe