Emma of Italy
Emma of Italy | |
---|---|
Queen consort of Western Francia | |
Tenure | 965–986 |
Born | c. 948 |
Spouse | Lothair of France (m. 965; died 986) |
Issue | Louis V |
House | Boso |
Father | Lothair II of Italy |
Mother | Adelaide of Italy |
Emma of Italy (c. 948 – after 987) was
Life
Born around 948, Emma was the only child of
In 977, Queen Emma was accused by her brother-in-law,
Emma’s marriage to Lothair was marked by hostilities between her husband and her half-brother, Otto II, each invading the other’s territories, and attempting to destabilise each other, often through the intermediary of Lothair’s brother, Charles (who as Duke of Lower Lorraine was a vassal of the Emperor). The final years of their marriage, however, from 980 onwards, saw peace between Lothair and his in-laws; when Otto II died, he was even advanced as guardian of the young King.
Lothair died on 2 March 986, and their young son Louis became king. However, he promptly drove Emma and Bishop Ascelin of Laon from the court, accusing them of having poisoned Lothair. Louis then died on 22 May 987, without an heir. In the following months, her brother-in-law Charles seized the royal capital of Laon and declared himself king; Hugh Capet, Duke of the Franks, was elected and crowned king by the agencies of Adalberon on 3 July 987. In the resulting conflicts, Ascelin betrayed Charles to Hugh Capet, as a result of which the last Carolingian was imprisoned in Orleans.
Emma's doings following the death of her son are unclear; she is believed to have died in a Burgundian convent or married Duke Boleslaus II (being identical to Emma of Mělník) and possibly had a son called Oldřich.
Hypothetical second union in Bohemia
According to some historians, she may have been
After death of her second husband and afraid of Boleslaus III, Emma chose to go into exile at the court of Bavaria (as she was stepsister of former Emperor
In 1004, Jaromír occupied Prague with a German army and made himself duke. Emma came back to Bohemia, maybe living in town Mělník, where she died.
Evidence of a Bohemian marriage are Bohemian
This second wedding is not accepted by the majority of historians.
References
- ISSN 0016-1071.
- ISBN 978-0-19-923642-8.
- ^ Duckett 1988, p. 327.
- ISSN 2211-5129.
- ISSN 0304-4181.
- ^ LOUPOT, Abbé (1869). Gerbert, Archevêque de Reims, Pape sous le nom de Sylvestre II. Sa vie et ses écrits (in French). J. Lefort.
Sources
- Duckett, Eleanor Shipley (1988). Death and Life in the Tenth Century. University of Michigan Press.