Amalaberga, Queen of the Thuringii

Curator note

“Amalafreda "the Younger", Queen of the Thuringii” is seen as Hilderic’s wife, but The Foundation for Medieval genealogy says, “The name of Hilderic's wife is not known.” It appears she never existed. Perhaps she was a mixup with Amfleda, or with her “sister,” Amalberga (this profile) who was Amalafreda’s daughter.

Biography

Translated from Russian Wikipedia

Amalaberg (lat. Amalaberga (deceased no earlier than 536) - Queen of the Turings (between 507 and 511-534) married to Hermenefred.

Amalaberg is known from several early medieval historical sources. In particular, related events are mentioned in the letters of Cassiodorus, "Anonymous of Valesia", "War with the Goths" by Procopius of Caesarea, "On the Origin and Deeds of the Getae" by Jordan, "History of the Franks" by Gregory of Tours, the Life of St. Radegunda, the poem "On the Death of Thuringia" by Ventius Fortunatus, "Chronicle" by Fredegaard, "Book of the History of the Franks" and "Acts of the Saxons" by Vidukindukind of Corway[1][2][3][4][5].

Early years

Amalaberga was the daughter of Amalafrida from the ruling Ostrogothic family of the Amals, the sister of King Theodahad and the niece of King Theodoric the Great [4][6]. In medieval sources, the name of Father Amalaberga is reported only in the work of Vidukind of Corvey. There he is mentioned as "King of the Franks Hugh." Modern historians believe that the author who wrote in the X century could have meant the ruler of the Frankish state Clovis I[7]. However, since all the information of this author about the events of the VI century is based on Saxon legends, this evidence is considered unreliable[8].

It is possible that Amalaberga could have been both the daughter of Amalafrida's first husband, whose name is unknown[9][10][11][12], or the daughter of Amalafrida's second husband, the king of the vandals Trasamund [13][14][15].

Amalaberg spent her childhood at the court of Theodoric the Great in Ravenna. By religion, like the rest of the Ostrogoths, she was an Arian[4][6][16].

It is likely that Amalberga received a good education for that time, based on ancient traditions. In a message to King Hermenefred, Cassiodor wrote about Amalaberg: "We send you a diamond of our court and house, the beauty of the whole family, a wise adviser, the most charming of women. She must share power with you and govern your people with wise diligence to make them even happier. You get a woman with merits that are highly valued in Italy: she is knowledgeable in the sciences, honors ancient customs, has a royal appearance not only due to her origin, but also for her feminine merits"[9].

There is an epitaph written perhaps by Amalaberga herself in memory of the deceased Teudegizel (her son or brother)[17].

Theodoric I in Thuringia. Parchment. Chronicle of the Kings of France, XV century. Condé Museum, Chantilly, France

Queen of the Turing

Presumably between 507 and 511, Amalaberg, at the initiative of Theodoric the Great, became the wife of Hermenefred, who ruled the Kingdom of Thuringia together with his brothers Berthahar and Baderich [4][6][15][18]. This is reported in a letter written by Cassiodorus on behalf of the Ostrogoth King to Hermenefrid. In particular, the message stated that the king of the Thuringians had a great honor to be associated with such an outstanding family among the Germans as the Amals: "You, the offspring of the royal family, will henceforth assume part of the glory of the brilliant Amal family"[9]. As a dowry for Amalaberg, King Hermenefred gave Theodoric the Great two "silver-colored stallions divorced in Thuringia, which they should have as wedding"[19][20][21].

For Theodoric the Great, it was another dynastic marriage organized by the Ostrogothic king to strengthen his influence on neighboring rulers. Facilitating the marriage between Amalaberga and Hermenefred, the ruler of the Ostrogothic Kingdom intended to put an end to the claims of the Merovingian ruling Franks to power over the Turings. This goal was probably achieved, since until the death of Theodoric the Great in 526, the Franks never entered into armed conflicts with the Turings[2][12][22][23][24].

Hermenefred and Amalaberga had at least two children: a son Amalafrid and a daughter, who was allegedly called Rodelinda[4][12][15][25][26]. [sic: Rodelinda was the first wife of Audoin, king of the Lombards, who married second to Amalaberg’s daughter.]

It is likely that Amalberga had a great influence on Hermenefred, including in matters of public administration. According to Grigory Tursky, it was Amalaberg who was guilty of inciting enmity between her husband and his brothers. As a result of these feuds, Bertahar was killed in 525 by order of Hermenefred, and Baderich in 529. Amalaberga's husband did all this with the help of King Theodoric I of France, to whom he promised to transfer half of his kingdom. However, after both of his brothers were killed, Hermenefred refused to keep his promise, and since then began to rule the Kingdom of Thuringia with one power[12][16][18][23][27].

It is not known exactly how true this message of Gregory of Tours, who treated Amalaberg with obvious bias and called her a woman "evil and cruel." It is assumed that describing Hermenfred and Amalaberga as criminals and murderers, the historian tried to justify the subsequent annexation of the kingdom of Thuringians that followed the murders of Berthahar and Baderich[16]. It is believed that the source of Gregory of Tours' accusations against Amalaberga was some Frankish heroic song. This is confirmed by the fact that the Saxon legends transmitted by Vidukind of Corway mention another version of the story about the death of the brothers[8]. However, it is also possible that the narrative of Gregory of Tours also reflects the real state of affairs in the kingdom of the Thuringians. It is assumed that brought up at the court of such a strong and sovereign ruler as Theodoric the Great was, Amalaberga really could not accept Hermenefred's position as the first among equals, and took all the measures available to her to eliminate her husband's co-rulers[28].

While Theodoric the Great was alive, the Franks did not dare to fight the Thuringians. However, five years after the death of the Ostrogoth king, Theodoric I and Chlothar I invaded Hermenefred's possessions. Despite Amalaberga's close family ties with the rulers of the Kingdom of Ostrogoth, Atalarih and his mother Amalasunta, the Thuringians did not receive any military assistance from the Ostrogoths. The war that began in 531 lasted until 534, when the husband of Amalaberga was killed by order of the Frankish kings and the Kingdom of Thuringia was annexed to the Frankish state. After the death of Amalaberg's husband and her children, she fled to the Kingdom of Ostrogoth, finding shelter at the court of the new King Theodahad, her brother[4][12][14][18][23][29].

In exile

After the Ostrogothic capital Ravenna was taken by the Byzantine army under the command of Belisarius in 539 during the Gothic Wars, the Amalaberga family, along with other representatives of the Ostrogothic nobility, was brought to Constantinople in 540. Here her son Amalafrid was accepted into military service, and her daughter between 540 and 555, with the consent of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I, married the Lombard King Audoin[3][4][14][15][25][27][30][31][32][33].

There is no information about the fate of Amalaberga herself after arriving in Ravenna[4][6][14].

[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/'''Amalaberga'''] at Wikipedia

Amalaberga was the daughter of Amalafrida, daughter of Theodemir, king of the Ostrogoths. Her father is unknown [sic: seen as Hugo], her uncle was Theodoric the Great. She married Hermanfrid, king of the Thuringii. They had a son named Amalafrid and a daughter Rodelinda, [sic: unknown - Rodelinda was Audoin’s second wife] who married the Lombard king Audoin. According to Procopius (History of the Wars V, 13), after Hermanfrid's death, she fled with her children to her brother Theodahad who was at that time (534-36) King of the Ostrogoths.

Genealogy

http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/ITALY,%20Kings%20to%20962.htm#Amala...

http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/THURINGIA.htm#Herminafreddied534

AMALABERGA, daughter of [HUGA rex Francorum] & his wife Amalafrida the Ostrogoth . Iordanes names "Amalabergam" as the daughter of "Amalfridam germanam suam [Theoderici]" and records her marriage to "Thuringorum regi…Herminefredo"[17]. Procopius records that “Hermenefrido Thoringorum regi” married "Theoderici…Amelobergam, Amalafridæ sororis suæ filiam"[18]. “Theodericus rex” wrote to “Herminafrido Regi Thuringorum” granting him “neptis” in marriage[19]. The Widukindi Res Gestæ Saxonicæ names "Huga rex Francorum…unicam filiam Amalbergam" who married "Irminfredo regi Thuringorum"[20]. Gregory of Tours calls Amalaberg, wife of Hermanfrid, a "wicked and cruel woman" who sowed the seeds of civil war between her husband and his brother Baderic[21]. She escaped to Ravenna with her children after the Franks attacked Thuringia and killed her husband[22].

King Hermanfred & his wife had four children:

a) two sons . The Liber Historiæ Francorum records that "Theudericus et Theudobertus filius eius et Chlotharius rex" invaded Thuringia and attacked "Ermenfredum regem Toringorum", a marginal addition recording that "Teodericus filius Clodovei ex concubina" threw "Ermenfridum regem" from a wall and killed his two sons[23].

b) AMALAFRIDAS . Procopius records that "Amalafridus, vir Gotthus, ex filia nepos Amalafridæ sororis Theoderici Gotthorum regis et filius Hermenefridi regis Thoringorum” was deported to Byzantium with Vitigis King of Italy by Belisarius (in 540)[24].

c) daughter . Procopius records that "Amalafridus, vir Gotthus, ex filia nepos Amalafridæ sororis Theoderici Gotthorum regis et filius Hermenefridi regis Thoringorum…sororem eius” married "Anduino Langobardorum regi"[25]. The Codex Theodosianus records that the daughter of Amalaberga became the second wife of King Audoin[26]. m as his second wife, AUDOIN King of the Lombards, son of ---.

References

• Cawley’s Project Medlands THURINGIA v4.3 Updated 26 July 2022 cites:
• [17] Iordanes Getarum, MGH Auct. ant. V.1, p. 132.
• [18] Dindorf, W. (ed.) (1833) Procopius, Vol. II, Corpus Scriptorum Historiæ Byzantinæ (Bonn), De Bello Gothico I.12, p. 65.
• [19] RHGF IV, p. 8.
• [20] Widukindi Res Gestæ Saxonicæ I.9, MGH SS III, p. 420.
• [21] Gregory of Tours III.4, p. 164.
• [22] Wolfram, H. (1998) History Of The Goths (Berkeley, California), p. 320
• https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amalaberga cites:

1. Gregory of Tours, Historiae 3, 4.
2. Martina Hartmann, The Queen in the Early Middle Ages, p. 8.
3. Jordanes, Getica 58, 299; Prokop, De bello Gothico 1, 12; Cassiodor, Variae 4, 1.
4. Prokop, De bello Gothico 4, 25.
5. Gregory of Tours, Historiae 3, 4; Martina Hartmann, The Queen in the Early Middle Ages, p. 14.
6. Prokop, De bello Gothico 1, 13.
7. Martina Hartmann, The Queen in the Early Middle Ages, p. 14f.

• Russian Wikipedia cites

1. Cassiodorus. Letters (book IV, letter 1); Anonymous Valesia (chapter 12); Procopius of Caesarea. War with the Goths (book I, chapters 12-13); Jordan. On the origin and deeds of the Getae (Chapter 298); Gregory of Tours. History of the Franks (Book III, Chapter 4); Fredegar. Chronicle (Book III, chapter 32); Book of the History of the Franks (Chapter 22); Vidukind of Corvey. Acts of the Saxons (book I, chapter 9).
2. Butler I. A. Organization of management in the Ostrogothic Kingdom // Byzantine temporary. - Moscow: Publishing House of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, 1962. - T. XXI. - P. 8.
3. Hartmann L. M. Amalaberga: [German] // Paulys Realencyclopädie der classischen Altertumswissenschaft. - Stuttg. : J.B. Metzler[de], 1894. - Bd. I,2. - Kol. 1714.
4. Martindale J. R. Amalaberga // Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire / A. M. Джонс, Дж. R. Martindale. - [2001 reprint]. - Cambr.: Cambridge University Press, 1980. - Vol. II: A.D. 395-527. - P. 63. - ISBN 0-521-20159-4.
5. Italy, Emperors & Kings. Фонд Medieval Genealogy. Date of appeal: January 3, 2019. Archived August 24, 2011.
6. Dahn F. Amalaberga // Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). - Bd. 45. - Leipzig: Duncker & Humblot, 1900. - S. 761. (German)
7. Sanchuk G. E. Comments on the "Acts of the Saxons" by Vidukind Korveysky. - Moscow: Nauka, 1975. - S. 204.
8. Kurth G. Histoire poétique des Mérovingiens. - Paris: Alphonse Picard et fils, 1893. - P. 347-378.
9. Pfeilshiefter G. Theodoric the Great. - St. Petersburg: Eurasia, 2004. - P. 106. - ISBN 5-8071-0149-9.
10. Tungsten, 2003, p. 526.
11. Hartmann, 2009, p. 8.

• “Amalaberga, Königin der Thüringer” link (sources listed)
• genealogics.org