Theodelinda
Theodelinda | |
---|---|
Queen consort of the Lombards | |
Tenure | 15 May 589 - 5 September 590 May 591 - 616 |
Born | c. 570 Regensburg |
Died | 22 January 627/8 Monza |
Burial | |
Spouse | Authari Agilulf |
Issue | Adaloald Gundeberga |
House | Bavarian dynasty |
Father | Garibald I of Bavaria |
Mother | Waldrada |
Theodelinda also spelled Theudelinde (c. 570–628 AD), was a queen of the
Life
She was the daughter of duke Garibald I of Bavaria and Waldrada.[2] Born a Bavarian princess to King Garibald, Theodelinda's heritage included being descended on her mother's side from the previous Lombard king, Waco, whose family had ruled seven generations prior according tradition.[3]
First marriage
Theodelinda was married first in 588 to Authari, king of the Lombards, son of King Cleph. There are indications that Pope Gregory I may have had an interest in encouraging this marriage as it would tie a Bavarian Catholic with the Arian Lombards,[a] something he did previously, when he promoted the marriage between the Frankish princess Bertha—great-granddaughter of Clovis I—and the Kentish Aethelbehrt.[5] Theodelinda's time with Authari was brief for he died in 590.[6]
Second marriage
So highly esteemed across the Lombard kingdom was Theodelinda that when Authari died, she was asked to remain in power and to choose a successor.[7] Historian Roger Collins has misgivings with the reliability of this claim—which stems from Paul the Deacon[b]—and instead, asserts that both political bargaining or naked force were more likely attributable to her choice.[9] Whatever the real situation, a mere two months after Authari's death, Theodelinda picked Agilulf as her next husband and the two were wed.[10][c] She thereafter exerted much influence in restoring Nicene Christianity to a position of primacy in Italy against its rival, Arian Christianity. Her reach extended across most of the Italian peninsula between the Apennines and the Alps.[6]
While her husband Agilulf retained his Arian faith, he allowed his son with Theodelinda to be baptized a Catholic.[12] The Lombard king faced trouble from his dukes, who were convinced that he had consigned himself instead to the faith of the conquered.[1] Agilulf did not permit Theodelinda's faith to shape his policies against the Byzantines.[12] Frequently, Theodelinda corresponded with Pope Gregory (590–604) in letters, some of which are recorded by the eighth-century historian, Paul the Deacon.[7] Some of the content in these letters concerned her husband's conversion.[13] To further promulgate the Christian faith of the Catholics, she also welcomed Catholic missionaries across her realm.[7] Taking full advantage of her piety and possibly to incentivize her continued Catholic proclivities, Pope Gregory sent her a series of silver ampullas of Syro-Palestinian craftsmanship, a gospel casket, and a golden cross from Byzantium.[14] The cross was gem-encrusted and was meant as a symbol of the "impending Kingdom of God".[15][d]
Regent
Shortly before Agilulf's death in 616, he named Theodelinda co-regent for their son Adaloald and once he reached maturity, she remained co-ruler over the kingdom.[16][7]
For a period of some thirty-five years Theodelinda was queen of the Lombards.
Within "the treasure house" that is the cathedral at Monza, one finds a splendidly detailed sculpture of a mother hen and her chicks made of gilded silver, which was likely another gift from Pope Gregory.[20][e]
Notes
- ^ Maintaining a relationship with Theodelinda was in the interest of the Catholic papacy as it provided Gregory with a toehold on the Lombard court.[4]
- ^ Despite frequently and consistently pointing out the flaws and political antagonism of queens and duchesses throughout his texts, Paul the Deacon makes an exception with Theodelinda, who he depicts in a very favorable light, making her into a heroine.[8]
- ^ The same year that Agilulf assumed the Lombard throne, the Pope Pelagius II had died and Gregory the Great became pontiff.[11]
- ^ Historian Johannes Fried relates that this cross is known as the "Gregory crucifix" and is well preserved to this day.[15]
- encolpion (reliquary) containing a portion of the True Cross. The history of the queen and her connection with the famousMonza Cathedral, work by Ambrogio and Gregorio Zavattari(1444).
References
Citations
- ^ a b Silva 1913.
- ^ Wolfram 1997, p. 295.
- ^ Collins 1999, p. 208.
- ^ Duffy 2006, p. 65.
- ^ Wallace-Hadrill 2004, p. 53.
- ^ a b Marina 2013, p. 386.
- ^ a b c d Frassetto 2003, p. 341.
- ^ Wickham 2009, p. 197.
- ^ Collins 1999, p. 209.
- ^ Hartmann 1913, p. 201.
- ^ Bauer 2010, p. 256.
- ^ a b Todd 2004, p. 228.
- ^ Brown 1995, p. 42.
- ^ Wallace-Hadrill 2004, pp. 53–54.
- ^ a b Fried 2015, p. 28.
- ^ Hartmann 1913, p. 202.
- ^ Wolfram 1997, p. 298.
- ^ Frassetto 2003, pp. 341–342.
- ^ Wallace-Hadrill 2004, p. 54.
- ^ O'Donnell 2008, p. 346.
Bibliography
- Bauer, Susan Wise (2010). The History of the Medieval World: From the Conversion of Constantine to the First Crusade. New York: W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN 978-0-39305-975-5.
- Brown, Thomas (1995). "The Transformation of the Roman Mediterranean, 400–900". In George Holmes (ed.). The Oxford Illustrated History of Medieval Europe. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19960-582-8.
- Collins, Roger (1999). Early Medieval Europe, 300–1000. New York: St. Martin’s Press. ISBN 978-0-31221-886-7.
- Duffy, Eamon (2006). Saints and Sinners: A History of the Popes. New Haven; London: Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-30011-597-0.
- Frassetto, Michael (2003). Encyclopedia of Barbarian Europe: Society in Transformation. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-1-57607-263-9.
- Fried, Johannes (2015). The Middle Ages. Cambridge and London: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-67405-562-9.
- Hartmann, L.M. (1913). "Italy under the Lombards". In H.M. Gwatkin; J.P. Whitney (eds.). The Cambridge Medieval History. Vol. III [The Rise of the Saracens and the Foundations of the Western Empire]. New York: Macmillan & Co.
- Marina, Areli (2013). "The Langobard Revival of Matteo il Magno Visconti, Lord of Milan". I Tatti Studies in the Italian Renaissance. 16 (1/2). University of Chicago Press: 377–414. S2CID 194035594.
- O'Donnell, James (2008). The Ruin of the Roman Empire. New York: Harper Collins. ISBN 978-0-06-078741-7.
- Silva, Paolo (1913). "Lombardy". In Charles G. Herbermann; Edward A. Pace; Conde B. Fallen; Thomas J. Shahan; John J. Wynne (eds.). Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 9. Robert Appleton Company and Encyclopedia Press. Retrieved 29 July 2013.
- Todd, Malcolm (2004). The Early Germans. Oxford and Malden, MA: Blackwell publishing. ISBN 978-1-40511-714-2.
- Wallace-Hadrill, J. M. (2004). The Barbarian West, 400–1000. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN 978-0-63120-292-9.
- Wickham, Chris (2009). The Inheritance of Rome: Illuminating the Dark Ages, 400–1000. New York: Viking. ISBN 978-0-67002-098-0.
- Wolfram, Herwig (1997). The Roman Empire and its Germanic Peoples. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-08511-6.