Recciberga (also spelled: Reciberga or Reciverga,

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

: ''Rekiverga''; died between October 18, 646 and November 13, 657) was

Queen of the Visigoths The names of only a few of the queens of the Visigoths are known. As the Gothic monarchy was elective, all queens were such only as consorts of their husbands. In his ''Chronicon'' John of Biclarum styles Goisuintha "queen" (''regina'') under th ...

(not later than 646 - not later than 657) by marriage to

Chindasuinth Chindasuinth (also spelled Chindaswinth, Chindaswind, Chindasuinto, Chindasvindo, or Khindaswinth (Latin: Chintasvintus, Cindasvintus; 563 – 30 September 653) was Visigothic King of Hispania, from 642 until his death in 653. He succeeded Tulga, ...

Recceswinth Recceswinth (died 1 September 672) was the Visigoths, Visigothic Visigothic Kingdom, King of Hispania, and Septimania in 649–672. He ruled jointly with his father Chindaswinth until his father's death in 653. Name His Gothic language, Gothic n ...

Life

Her existence is confirmed by two sources. The first is a

royal charter A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, bu ...

. dated 646, and the second is her

epitaph An epitaph (; ) is a short text honoring a deceased person. Strictly speaking, it refers to text that is inscribed on a tombstone or plaque, but it may also be used in a figurative sense. Some epitaphs are specified by the person themselves be ...

Recciberga's lineage is not mentioned in any of the documents. She could have been from an important

Visigoth The Visigoths (; la, Visigothi, Wisigothi, Vesi, Visi, Wesi, Wisi) were an early Germanic people who, along with the Ostrogoths, constituted the two major political entities of the Goths within the Roman Empire in late antiquity, or what is kno ...

noble family, and she could have been possibly related to Rikimir. On October 18, 646 King Chindasuinth issued a charter to the abbot of a monastery near

El Bierzo El Bierzo (; ; gl, O Bierzo) is a ''comarca'' in the province of León, Spain. Its capital is the town of Ponferrada. Other major towns are Bembibre and Villafranca del Bierzo, the historical capital. The territory of El Bierzo includes m ...

, mentioning Recciberga as a queen. There is still some dispute between medievalists as to the authenticity of this document, though. The charter appears as follows:

“''Domnis sanctis gloriosissimis mihique post Deum fortissimis patronis sanctorum martyrum Iusti et Pastoris sive sancte Marie et sancti Martini episcopi, quorum basilica, vel monasterium situm est juxta rivulum quod dicitur Molina, sub monte Irago, in confinio Vergidensi, et est fundamentum ipsum monasterium a tibi Fructuoso Abbate , ego Chindasvintux rex and Reciverga regina"''

Her epitaph, written by Archbishop Eugene of Toledo, records her as having been married to the king for seven years. There is no current consensus among historians about which of the rulers of the Visigothic kingdom was married to Recciberga. Some medievalists consider her the wife of King Chindasuinth, who ruled the Visigoths in 642-653, and suggest that Recciberga was the mother of his eldest son and heir, Recceswinth. Other historians call her the wife of Recceswinth. They believe that the first mention of her as a queen dates back to the time when her husband was co-ruler with his father, and also had a royal title. In this case, Recciberga should have died long before her husband, who died on September 1, 672. There is no evidence of the married life of King Recceswinth in medieval sources, and as so it is assumed he died childless.

Death

She died abruptly at the age of twenty-two years and eight months, according to her epitaph. The exact date of her death is unknown, but it is assumed that she should have died no earlier than 646, when she was mentioned in the charter, and no later than November 13, 657, the date of the death of Eugene of Toledo. She was buried in the monastery of San Roman de Ornija, located in the village of the same name . Later, King Chindasuinth was also buried there, his epitaph written by the same Archbishop.

References

Visigothic queens consort 7th-century women 7th-century people of the Visigothic Kingdom {{DEFAULTSORT:Recciberga