Bertha of Swabia

Bertha of Swabia
Queen Bertha and the Spinners, painting by Albert Anker (1888)
Queen consort of Upper Burgundy
Reign 922 – 11 July 937
Predecessor Guilla of Provence
Successor Adelaide of Bellay
Queen consort of Italy
Reign 922 – 926
12 December 937 – 10 April 948
Predecessor Anna of Constantinople
Successor Adelaide of Italy
Born c. 907
Died after January 2, 966
Burial Payerne Priory
Consort Rudolph II of Burgundy
Hugh of Italy
Issue Adelaide of Italy
Conrad I of Burgundy
House Hunfridings
Father Burchard II, Duke of Swabia
Mother Regelinda of Zürich
Religion Catholic Church

Bertha of Swabia (French: Berthe de Souabe; German: Berta von Schwaben; c. 907 AD – after January 2, 966), a member of the Alemannic Hunfriding dynasty, was Queen consort of Upper Burgundy from 922 until 937 and Queen consort of Italy from 922 until 926, by her marriage with King Rudolph II. She again became Italian queen by her second marriage with King Hugh in 937 and ceased to be consort upon her husband's death in 948.

Life

Bertha was the daughter of Duke Burchard II of Swabia and his wife Regelinda. In 922, she was married to the Burgundian king Rudolph II.[1] The Welf rulers of Upper Burgundy had campaigned the adjacent Swabian Thurgau region several times, and the marriage was meant as a gesture of reconciliation. With her husband Rudolph, Bertha founded the church of Amseltingen/Amsoltingen.[2]

Rudolph died in 937,[3] whereupon Bertha married King Hugh of Italy in what is today Colombier on 12 December 937.[4] This marriage was not a happy one; when Hugh died in 947, Bertha returned to Burgundy.[3]

Between 950 and 960, Bertha founded Payerne Priory, where she was buried.[3] Up to today she is venerated as "Good Queen Bertha" (La reine Berthe) in the Swiss Romandy region, mainly in Vaud, and numerous myths and legends have evolved about her life.[5]

Issue

Bertha and Rudolph had:

References

  1. 1 2 Reuter & McKitterick 1999, p. 699.
  2. ↑ Rumpf 1977, p. 182.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Rumpf 1977, p. 187.
  4. ↑ Reuter & McKitterick 1999, p. 353.
  5. ↑ Rumpf, p. 181-195.

Sources

  • Reuter, Timothy; McKitterick, Rosamond, eds. (1999). "Appendix". The New Cambridge Medieval History: Volume 3, c.900-c.1024. Cambridge University Press.
  • Rumpf, Marianne (1977). Translated by Hellenberg, Anthony; Tucker, Elizabeth. "The Legends of Bertha in Switzerland". Journal of the Folklore Institute. Vol. 14 No. 3.
  • (in French) Legend associated with the Queen Bertha
  • Cawley, Charles, Medieval Lands Project on Rudolf II and Bertha of Swabia and their children, Medieval Lands database, Foundation for Medieval Genealogy
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