Emma of Austrasia
Encyclopedia
Emma was a member of the Austrasia
n royal family. She is sometimes identified with the Emma who married Eadbald of Kent
.
Emma was a daughter of Theudebert II
, King of Austrasia from 595 to 612. He had previously shown little interest in the Kingdom of Kent
, but Gregory the Great had written to him in 601, encouraging him to back Paulinus
and Mellitus
' missionary campaign, which was to be based in Canterbury
.
In 616, Eadbald came to the throne of Kent. His mother appears to have been Bertha
, a Merovingian princess. He came to throne following traditional Germanic religion, but was converted and gave up his first wife who, as his stepmother, was not considered acceptable by the Christian church. This development appears to have initiated closer relations between Kent and the Frankish kingdom. Eadbald made a second marriage, to a Christian named Emma, who is identified in the annals of St Augustine's Abbey
as the daughter of a Frankish king - implying Emma, daughter of Theudebert. If this identification is correct, then Emma represents a possible line of descent from the Merovingians to the present, although her line fades into obscurity after a few generations.
However, S. E. Kelly, writing in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, holds that the belief that Eadbald married a daughter of Theudebert is the result of confusion between him and Adaloald
, King of the Lombards. Kelly gives more credence to a suggestion that Eadbald's wife was the daughter of Erchinoald
, the mayor of the palace in the Frankish kingdom of Neustria from 641 to 658.
The Emma who married Eadbald had three children with him: Eormenred
, Eorcenberht
and Eanswith. She is known to have died in 642, two years after her husband. She was buried alongside him at the Abbey of St Peter and St Paul in Canterbury, later incorporated into St Augustine's.
Austrasia
Austrasia formed the northeastern portion of the Kingdom of the Merovingian Franks, comprising parts of the territory of present-day eastern France, western Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. Metz served as its capital, although some Austrasian kings ruled from Rheims, Trier, and...
n royal family. She is sometimes identified with the Emma who married Eadbald of Kent
Eadbald of Kent
Eadbald was King of Kent from 616 until his death in 640. He was the son of King Æthelberht and his wife Bertha, a daughter of the Merovingian king Charibert. Æthelberht made Kent the dominant force in England during his reign and became the first Anglo-Saxon king to convert to Christianity from...
.
Emma was a daughter of Theudebert II
Theudebert II
Theudebert II , King of Austrasia , was the son and heir of Childebert II. He received the kingdom of Austrasia plus the cities of Poitiers, Tours, Vellay, Bordeaux, and Châteaudun, as well as the Champagne, the Auvergne, and Transjurane Alemannia, on the death of his father in 595, but was...
, King of Austrasia from 595 to 612. He had previously shown little interest in the Kingdom of Kent
Kingdom of Kent
The Kingdom of Kent was a Jutish colony and later independent kingdom in what is now south east England. It was founded at an unknown date in the 5th century by Jutes, members of a Germanic people from continental Europe, some of whom settled in Britain after the withdrawal of the Romans...
, but Gregory the Great had written to him in 601, encouraging him to back Paulinus
Paulinus of York
Paulinus was a Roman missionary and the first Bishop of York. A member of the Gregorian mission sent in 601 by Pope Gregory I to Christianize the Anglo-Saxons from their native Anglo-Saxon paganism, Paulinus arrived in England by 604 with the second missionary group...
and Mellitus
Mellitus
Mellitus was the first Bishop of London in the Saxon period, the third Archbishop of Canterbury, and a member of the Gregorian mission sent to England to convert the Anglo-Saxons from their native paganism to Christianity. He arrived in 601 AD with a group of clergymen sent to augment the mission,...
' missionary campaign, which was to be based in Canterbury
Canterbury
Canterbury is a historic English cathedral city, which lies at the heart of the City of Canterbury, a district of Kent in South East England. It lies on the River Stour....
.
In 616, Eadbald came to the throne of Kent. His mother appears to have been Bertha
Bertha of Kent
Saint Bertha was the Queen of Kent whose influence led to the introduction of Christianity to Anglo-Saxon England. She was canonized as a saint for her role in its establishment during that period of English history.Bertha was the daughter of Charibert I, Merovingian King of Paris...
, a Merovingian princess. He came to throne following traditional Germanic religion, but was converted and gave up his first wife who, as his stepmother, was not considered acceptable by the Christian church. This development appears to have initiated closer relations between Kent and the Frankish kingdom. Eadbald made a second marriage, to a Christian named Emma, who is identified in the annals of St Augustine's Abbey
St Augustine's Abbey
St Augustine's Abbey was a Benedictine abbey in Canterbury, Kent, England.-Early history:In 597 Saint Augustine arrived in England, having been sent by Pope Gregory I, on what might nowadays be called a revival mission. The King of Kent at this time was Æthelberht, who happened to be married to a...
as the daughter of a Frankish king - implying Emma, daughter of Theudebert. If this identification is correct, then Emma represents a possible line of descent from the Merovingians to the present, although her line fades into obscurity after a few generations.
However, S. E. Kelly, writing in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, holds that the belief that Eadbald married a daughter of Theudebert is the result of confusion between him and Adaloald
Adaloald
Adaloald was the Lombard king of Italy from 616 to 626. Son and heir of King Agilulf and his Catholic queen Theodelinda, he was baptised shortly after his birth in 602. He was an associate king, raised on the shield by the warriors at his father's request, when still young...
, King of the Lombards. Kelly gives more credence to a suggestion that Eadbald's wife was the daughter of Erchinoald
Erchinoald
Erchinoald succeeded Aega as the mayor of the palace of Neustria in 641 and succeeded Flaochad in Burgundy in 642 and remained such until his death in 658. According to Fredegar, he was a relative of Dagobert I's mother...
, the mayor of the palace in the Frankish kingdom of Neustria from 641 to 658.
The Emma who married Eadbald had three children with him: Eormenred
Eormenred of Kent
Eormenred was a member of the royal family of the Kingdom of Kent, who is described as king in some texts. There is no contemporary evidence for Eormenred, but he is mentioned in later hagiographies, and his existence is considered possible by scholars.Eormenred is described as a son of Eadbald,...
, Eorcenberht
Eorcenberht of Kent
Eorcenberht of Kent was king of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Kent from 640 until his death, succeeding his father Eadbald....
and Eanswith. She is known to have died in 642, two years after her husband. She was buried alongside him at the Abbey of St Peter and St Paul in Canterbury, later incorporated into St Augustine's.