A Template to defer to in deciding whether Anseflede had her son-in-law Berthechar murdered, because she wanted to replace him as the husband of her daughter, Anstrudis, or rather her granddaughter, Adaltrudis, with Pépin II d'Héristal 's firstborn, Drogo.

At the moment, the most contemporaneous sources suggest that it was Anseflede's granddaughter, Adaltrudis, who married Drogo - so that's what Geni shows. Please come and join the Discussion if you find out anything else, or disagree with this - so we can get it correct together.

Core Profiles

• 1.Anseflede [1] m Waratton(-686) Mayor of the Palace of Neustria [2,3]

• 2.1 Giselmar ( -685) Mayor of the Palace of Neustria
  
• 2.2 Anstrudis [4,5] m Berthechar (- 688) Mayor of the Palace of Neustria [6,7]
  

• 3 Adaltrudis [8] m Drogo (670 - 708) Duke of Champagne, son of Pépin II d'Héristal's Mayor of the Palace of Austrasia
  

Their Story

Waratton was appointed maior domus of Neustria in 680 by the remaining Neustrian nobility after the murder of Ebroin, and he made peace with Pépin II d'Héristal, maior domus of Austrasia. He was deposed by his son, Giselmar, but restored after the death of the latter in 685 [9].

Berthechar married Anstrude, the daughter of Waratton and Anseflede. In 686 [10], when Waratton died, there were succession disputes, and Anseflede, Waratton’s widow, (supposedly) arranged to have Berthechar – her son-in-law- appointed by King Theoderic III in Waratton’s place [11].

But Berthechar tried to return to the policy of Ebroin, former Mayor of the Palace - to submit to the central government . He thus alienated many of the Neustrian nobility who deserted to join Pépin. When the powerful Bishop of Reims went into exile and took refuge in Austrasia, he encouraged Pépin to go to war against Berthechar [12,13]. Pépin defeated Berthechar and King Theoderic at the battle of Tertry Vermandois in 687. Some of the factions fled to the nearby abbeys, Peronne and Saint-Quentin; while the rest, including Berthechar and King Theodoric III, retreated to Paris. Pépin followed them into the city, and a peace agreement was signed; the content of which is unknown, except that Berthechar was left in office. Once Theoderic and Berthechar were readmitted at court there were renewed disputes between the groups.

As a consequence of these events Pépin took over the office of Mayor of the Palace of Neustria. He did not, however, touch Theoderic’s position as king [14] . In order to negotiate peace with Pépin, Anseflede had her son-in-law murdered [15] and married either her daughter, Anstrudis (widow of Berthechar), or her granddaughter, Adaltrudis (daughter of Berthechar and Anstrudis) to Drogo, eldest son of Pépin. This secured Pepin's place in Neustria.

Footnotes

1. The Annales Metenses (c805) name "Drogoni…filium (son)…Hugonem" and record that he was brought up by "matrona (matron) Ansfredis avia sua (grandmother) relicta (adandoned/left over?) uxor (wife) Warattonis"
Assuming that the reference to Ansfred is correct, she was the great-grandmother of Hugo not his grandmother if the origin of Hugo's mother is correct as identified above. Quoted in http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/FRANKSMaiordomi.htm#_Toc284006009

2. The Liber Historiæ Francorum (900s) names "Waratto…matrona (matron)…Ansefledis", recording that she encouraged the assassination of "Bercharius" [LHF 48, MGH SS rer Merov, Tome II, p. 322. Quoted in http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/FRANKSMaiordomi.htm#_Toc284006009]

3. MGH DD Mer (1872), Diplomata Regum Francorum, no. 37, p. 34. - "Chlothacharius rex Francorum" with "Warratone, Baseno grafionibus, item Amalberto, Madelando seniscalcis et Weningo comite palatii" settled a dispute between the church of Rouen and the abbey of St Denis about property previously belonging to "Erchenoaldo quondam maiorum domus…filius eius Leudesius" by charter dated to 659. Quoted in http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/FRANKSMaiordomi.htm#_Toc284006009

4. The parentage of the wife of Berthechar is established by the Continuator of Fredegar (700s) which records that Ansefled arranged the assassination of her son-in-law maior domus Berchar in 688. [Fredegar (Continuator), 5, MGH SS rer Merov, Tome II, p. 171. Quoted in http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/FRANKSMaiordomi.htm#_Toc284006009]

5. She is named in the Annales Metenses (c805) which record the marriage of "Austrudem filia (daughter) Warattonis quondam…maioris domus derelictam (forsaken house) Bertarii" and "Drogonem primogenitum (firstborn) suum [Pippini], which appears to confuse Anstrudis with her daughter [Annales Mettenses 693, MGH SS I, p. 321. Quoted in http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/FRANKSMaiordomi.htm#_Toc284006009

6. Berthechar was murdered at the instigation of his mother-in-law [Fredegar (Continuator) (700s), 5, MGH SS rer Merov, Tome II, p. 171. Quoted in http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/FRANKSMaiordomi.htm#_Toc284006009]

7. The Liber Historiæ Francorum (900s) names "Waratto…matrona (matron)…Ansefledis", recording that she encouraged the assassination of "Bercharius" [LHF 48, MGH SS rer Merov, Tome II, p. 322. Quoted in http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/FRANKSMaiordomi.htm#_Toc284006009].

8. Adaltrudis’ origin is determined from the charter of "Childebertus rex Francorum" dated 14 Mar 697 which names "Drogus…socer (father in law) suos…Bercharius…coniuge (spouse) sui Adaltrute" [MGH Diplomatum Imperii I, Diplomata Regum Francorum, no. 70, p. 62 Quoted in http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/FRANKSMaiordomi.htm#_Toc284006009

On the other hand, the Annales Metenses (c 805) name "Austrudem filia (daughter) Warattonis quondam (former)…maioris domus derelictam Bertarii" as wife of "Drogonem primogenitum (firstborn) suum [Pippini]"[Annales Mettenses 693, MGH SS I, p. 321. Quoted in http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/FRANKSMaiordomi.htm#_Toc284006009

The Gesta Fontanellensium also names Adaltrudis, wife of Drogo, as "filia Warattonis [et] Ansfledis coniugis eius"[339], but the 697 charter is probably a more reliable source as, if it is correctly dated, it was written only a few years after the death of Berchar.

9. Fredegar (Continuator), 4, MGH SS rer Merov, Tome II, p. 171, and Liber Historiæ Francorum 47, MGH SS rer Merov, Tome II, p. 320. Quoted in http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/FRANKSMaiordomi.htm#_Toc284006009

10. Peter Johanek: Das Karolingerreich (Enzyklopädie deutscher Geschichte, Band 88). Oldenbourg, 2011.Quoted in http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berchar

11. The Annales Metenses (c805) AM 689, MGH SS I, p. 316.) record that, after the death of "Warattone", "gener (son law) ipsius Bertarius" was appointed maior domus by King Theoderic. Quoted in http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/FRANKSMaiordomi.htm#_Toc284006009

12. Roger-Xavier Lantéri, Les Mérovingiennes, Éditions Perrin, coll. « Tempus »,‎ 2000 p. 237-9. Quoted in http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berchaire_(maire_du_palais)

13. Reinhold Kaiser: Das Römische Erbe und das Merowingerreich (Enzyklopädie deutscher Geschichte Band 26), Oldenbourg, 2004 , S. 38. Quoted in http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berchar

14. Alfred Haverkamp, Friedrich Prinz: Perspektiven deutscher Geschichte während des Mittelalters. Klett-Cotta, 2004 S. 334–335. Quoted in http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berchar

15. Eugen Ewig: Die Merowinger und das Frankenreich. Kohlhammer, 2006, 185–186. Quoted in http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berchar

Primary Sources

• The Annales Mettenses (priores) or (Earlier) Annals of Metz (c 805) cover the period from the rise of Pepin of Heristal in Austrasia (c. 675) to the time of the writing (c. 805)… probably composed at the monastery of Chelles towards 806 under the direction of Gisela, the sister of Charlemagne. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annales_Mettenses_priores
• The Chronicle of Fredegar (600s-700s) is the conventional title used for a 7th-century Frankish chronicle that was probably written in Burgundy. Additional sections written in the 700s are referred to as the Continuations. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronicle_of_Fredegar
• Liber Historiæ (The book of the history of the Franks) (900s) is an anonymous 8th century chronicle -an important primary source for the contemporaneous history and provide an account of the Pippinid family in Austrasia before they became the more famous Carolingians). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liber_Historiae_Francorum
• Gesta Fontanellensium (c800) written by the the abbots of Fontenelle Abbey, emerging in the first half of the 9th Century. http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gesta_sanctorum_patrum_Fontanellensium

Related Projects:

• Charlemagne Direct Family Line
• Mayors of the Palace