Gisela (born 820) was the only daughter of

Louis the Pious Louis the Pious (; ; ; 16 April 778 – 20 June 840), also called the Fair and the Debonaire, was King of the Franks and Holy Roman Emperor, co-emperor with his father, Charlemagne, from 813. He was also King of Aquitaine from 781. As the only ...

and his second wife, Judith of Bavaria. She married the powerful and influential Eberhard, Duke of Friuli, later

canonized Canonization is the declaration of a deceased person as an officially recognized saint, specifically, the official act of a Christian communion declaring a person worthy of public veneration and entering their name in the canon catalogue of sa ...

as Saint Eberhard, with whom she had several children including

King King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...

Berengar I of Italy, Margrave of Friuli. Gisela was renowned for her piety and virtue, much like her namesake, Gisela (the sister of

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( ; 2 April 748 – 28 January 814) was List of Frankish kings, King of the Franks from 768, List of kings of the Lombards, King of the Lombards from 774, and Holy Roman Emperor, Emperor of what is now known as the Carolingian ...

), who had chosen the religious life from girlhood. Her

dowry A dowry is a payment such as land, property, money, livestock, or a commercial asset that is paid by the bride's (woman's) family to the groom (man) or his family at the time of marriage. Dowry contrasts with the related concepts of bride price ...

consisted of many rich domains including the

fisc Under the Merovingians and Carolingians, the fisc (from Latin '' fiscus,'' whence we derive "fiscal") applied to the royal demesne which paid taxes, entirely in kind, from which the royal household was meant to be supported, though it rarely was. ...

of Cysoing; located at the center of the country of Pèvele, Cysoing was one of the most beautiful fiscs in the region and became one of her and Eberhard's regular residences. They founded a

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...

there, in the 850s, which was not completed until after their deaths. The nunnery San Salvatore was given to her after Ermengarde, wife of

Lothair I Lothair I (9th. C. Frankish: ''Ludher'' and Medieval Latin: ''Lodharius''; Dutch and Medieval Latin: ''Lotharius''; German: ''Lothar''; French: ''Lothaire''; Italian: ''Lotario''; 795 – 29 September 855) was a 9th-century emperor of the ...

. For a time, she served as both

abbess An abbess (Latin: ''abbatissa'') is the female superior of a community of nuns in an abbey. Description In the Catholic Church (both the Latin Church and Eastern Catholic), Eastern Orthodox, Coptic, Lutheran and Anglican abbeys, the mod ...

and ''rectrix''. She dedicated herself to the education of her and Eberhard's many children. Her and her husband’s will is one of the most famous wills of the ninth century and is dated between 863 and 864.

Issue

* Unruoch III of Friuli, born c. 840 * Berengar I,

King of Italy King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a constitutional monarch if his power is restrained by ...

, born c. 845 * Ingeltrude * Hatwige of Friuli * Judith of Friuli

Bibliography

{{Reflist 820s births 860s deaths 9th-century French nuns Carolingian dynasty French Christian abbesses Women from the Carolingian Empire Daughters of emperors Daughters of kings Year of birth uncertain Year of death uncertain 9th-century duchesses consort Mothers of Holy Roman Emperors Mothers of Italian monarchs