Berswinde d'Austrasie

Berswinde is no longer accepted by scholars as a daughter of Sigebert III, King of Austrasia and Emnechilde of the Burgundians

Berswinde was born about 640. Her parents are not known, but she is placed as a [great] niece of DIDO (-after 673). Bishop of Poito.

She married Eticho, Duke of Alsace, son of Leutharius Mayor of the Palace.5,1

Family

https://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/ALSACE.htm#Etichodiedafter677

ETICHO [Chadicho/Adalrico], son of LEUDESIUS maior domus & his wife --- (-after 4 Sep 677, maybe after 25 Jun 692). … m BERSWINDA, daughter of - The Cronica Hohenburgensis records the marriage of "Athicum seu Adalricum" and "Berswindam…filiam sororis sancti Leodegarii, sororem videlicet regina"[15]. The Chronicon Ebersheimense names "Berswindam, filiam sororis Leodegarii episcopi…et Garini comitis Pictavensis, sororem videlicet regina" as the wife of Athicus[16].

Eticho/Adalrico & his wife had five children:

• 1. ADALBERT [I] . A 15th century genealogy included in the cartulary of Honau names "Adelbertum, Battichonem, Hugonem, Hechonem" as the four sons of "Adalrici ducis vel alio nomine Hettichonis"[17]. Duke in Alsace. He is named "ducis Adelberti" in the Annales Murbacenses as father of Eberhard[18].
• 2. BATTICHO . A 15th century genealogy included in the cartulary of Honau names "Adelbertum, Battichonem, Hugonem, Hechonem" as the four sons of "Adalrici ducis vel alio nomine Hettichonis"[19]. m -.
• 3. HUGO [I] . A 15th century genealogy included in the cartulary of Honau names "Adelbertum, Battichonem, Hugonem, Hechonem" as the four sons of "Adalrici ducis vel alio nomine Hettichonis"[28]. m -. The name of Hugo´s wife is not known. …
• 4. HAICHO (-after 17 Sep 723). .. m -. The name of Haicho´s wife is not known. Haicho & his wife had two children: ..
• 5. ODILA (-after 28 Dec 708). The Cronica Hohenburgensis names "Odilam" as the daughter of "Athicum seu Adalricum" & his wife, recording that she was born blind and recovered her sight after baptism by "Herhardo Ratisponensem episcopo et Hylelulfo Treverensi"[53]. A 15th century genealogy included in the cartulary of Honau names "sanctam Otiliam" as the daughter of "Adalrici ducis vel alio nomine Hettichonis"[54]. The testament of “Odilia…abbatissa in Hohenburc”, dated 28 Dec 708, names “pater meus dux Adalricus”[55].

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Biography

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adalrich,_Duke_of_Alsace

His name is also given as Adalricus, Chadelricho, Hetticho, Etichon, Cathicus, Cathic, or Athich.

Adalrich first enters history as a member of the faction of nobles which invited Childeric II to take the kingship of Neustria and Burgundy in 673 after the death of Chlothar III. He married Berswinda, a relative of Leodegar, the famous Bishop of Autun, whose party he supported in the civil war which followed Childeric's assassination two years later (675).

His daughter Odilia was reputedly born blind, which Adalrich took as a punishment for some offence done to God. In order to save face with his retainers, he tried to persuade his wife Bereswinda to kill the infant child in secret. She instead sent the child into hiding with a maid at the monastery of Palma. According to the Life of Odilia, a bishop named Erhard baptised the adolescent girl and smeared a chrism on her eyes, which miraculously restored her sight.

The bishop tried to restore the duke's relationship with his daughter, but Adalrich, fearing the effect of admitting to having a daughter hiding in poverty in a monastery would have on his subjects, refused. A son of his, ignoring Adalrich's orders, brought his sister back to Hohenburg, where Adalrich was holding court. When Odilia arrived, Adalrich, in a rage, struck a blow with his sceptre to his son's head, accidentally killing him. Disgraced, he reluctantly allowed Odilia to live in the monastery, which had no abbess, with a minimal wage under a British nun.

Towards the end of his life he was reconciled to her and made her the first abbess of his foundation, handing the abbey over as if it were private property.[8] Through his daughter Adalrich was reconciled to God and as early as the twelfth century was regarded as a saint with a local cult. His burial garments were displayed to pilgrims in his foundation at Hohenburg and a feast day was celebrated annually by the nuns. The portrayal of Adalrich as a nobleman who became holy while retaining his noble status and rank was very popular in the Rhineland and as far away as Bavaria in the Middle Ages. The Life probably sought to show how by simply maltreating a blind daughter in order to save face, Adalrich ended up far more dishonoured than he otherwise would have.

Origins

https://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/FRANKSMaiordomi.htm#BerswindaMAthicus

Two siblings, parents not known:

• 1. DIDO (-after 673). Bishop of Poitou. … The Passio Leudegarii names "Didone…Pectavi urbe episcopo" as "avunculo" of "Leodegarius urbis Agustedunensis episcopus"[503].
• 2. [sister] . The Chronicon Ebersheimense names "Didone Pictavensi…episcopo" when recording that he was "avunculus" of "sanctum Leudegarium"[504], which would indicate that Leudegar's mother was Dido's sister, assuming that "avunculus" is used in its strict sense of maternal uncle. m ---. Three children:
  • a) LEUDEGAR (-murdered 676).
  • b) GARINUS [Warin] (-murdered 676).
  • c) daughter . m ---. [Two] children:
    • i) [daughter . The sources cited below under Berswinda state that she was "sororem…regina", but it is not known to which queen this may refer. m --- King of the Franks.]
    • ii) BERSWINDA . The Cronica Hohenburgensis records the marriage of "Athicum seu Adalricum" and "Berswindam…filiam sororis sancti Leodegarii, sororem videlicet regina"[511]. The Chronicon Ebersheimense names "Berswindam, filiam sororis Leodegarii episcopi…et Garini comitis Pictavensis, sororem videlicet regina" as the wife of Athicus[512]. m ADALRICUS [Athicus], son of LEUDESIUS maior domus & his wife ---.

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Disputed origins

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Merovingian-102

“Parentage from Sigebert III has been removed, as purely fanciful.”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigebert_III

The Mayor of the Palace Grimoald managed to convince the young Sigebert, who was childless at the time, to adopt as his heir Grimoald's son Childebert the Adopted. However, the king married Chimnechild of Burgundy and had a son of his own, the future king Dagobert II. He also had a daughter, Bilichild, the future Queen of Neustria and Burgundy.[6]

“Berchinde Berswinde Meroving (daughter of Sigebert King of Merovingian and Hymnegilde) died date unknown.”. No longer accepted. (See below.)

Not listed by Medlands as daughter of Sigebert lll:

https://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/MEROVINGIANS.htm#SigebertIdied575B

King Dagobert I had one illegitimate child by Mistress (1):

1. SIGEBERT ([9 Oct 630/19 Jan 631]-1 Feb 656, bur Metz, basilique de Saint-Martin). Fredegar records the marriage of King Dagobert in the eighth year of his reign to "puella nomen Ragnetrudæ" and the birth of "filium…Sigybertum" in the same year[403]. … He was canonised by the Catholic church in 1170. m CHIMNECHILDIS [Himnilde/Emnehilde], daughter of --- (-676 or after).

King Sigebert III & his wife had [two] children:

a) DAGOBERT ([652/56]-murdered Woëvre forest 23 Dec 679, bur Stenay, basilique Saint-Rémi). On the death of his father, Grimoald, maior domus in Austrasia, exiled Dagobert to Ireland where he may have lived at the abbey of Slane[413]. … After a brief period of conflict, it was agreed that King Theoderich should retain Neustria and Burgundy while Dagobert succeeded as DAGOBERT II King of the Franks in Austrasia. "Dagobertus rex Francorum" names "genitor noster Sigibertus rex" in his charter dated 1 Aug 677[415]. He was murdered on the orders of maior domus Ebroin.

b) [BILICHILDIS (-murdered forest of Lognes, near Chelles [18 Oct/10 Nov] 675, bur Paris, Saint-Germain-des-Prés). … m ([666/8 Sep 667]) CHILDERICH II King of the Franks, son of CLOVIS II King of the Franks & his wife Bathildis --- (-murdered forest of Lognes, near Chelles [18 Oct/10 Nov] 675, bur Paris, Saint-Germain-des-Prés).]

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~havens5/p29565.htm

Weis' "Ancestral Roots . . ." (181:1) is silent regarding her parentage.

Some sources, e.g. Turton's "Plantagenet Ancestry," show her as a daughter of Sigebert III, King of Austrasia, but there has never been a descent from the Merovingian kings documented to the satisfaction of serious genealogists, and this is among those no longer accepted.

Settipani's "La prehistoire de Capetiens" p.106 says (in French):

"In the 12th century, the Chronicle of Ebbersheim affirmed that Bereswinda, niece of St. Leger of Autun, wife of the duke of Alsace Adalric Ethic, was the sister of a queen. Chronologically, the queen in question, who cannot be identified as Baldechildis, of humble Saxon origin, nor as Bilichildis, daughter of king Sigebert III could well be Chimnechildis [wife of Sigebert III and of unkown origin]."6

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“possibly a dau. of the sister of Dido (Merovingian), Bishop of Poitou” 2.

2. Cawley, Charles. Medieval Lands: A prosopography of medieval European noble and royal families. Hosted online by the Foundation for Medieval Genealogy (FMG), accessed 2022, Dukes in Alsace.

References

1. http://adalrich-duke-of-alsace.co.tv/ (dead link)
2. http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~havens5/p29565.htm cites
   1. Fulk of Anjou, online Ed Mann and TFarmerie.
   2. Download, http://www.gencircles.com/users/cvtre/1/data/10504.
   3. Download, http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~cousin/html/d0001/g0000188.html#I8080 Robert Brian Stewart .
   4. Download, http://www.gencircles.com/users/bannonb/1/data/10201.
   5. Download, http://www.gendex.com/users/jast/.
   6. Download, http://www.gendex.com/users/jast/ .
   7. Download, http://www.gendex.com/users/jast/ Stuart 202:44.
3. https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Merovingian-102 cites
   1. Brucker, Pierre-Paul. L'Alsace et l'Eglise au temps du Pape Saint Léon IX (Bruno d'Eguisheim). Tome Premier (Paris, France: Retaux-Bray, 1889) p. 299. Berswinde, born about 1640, married Etichon during the reign of Childeric II (660-673) and their daughter Sainte Odile was born circa 660. Brucker gives a good chronology in the book, and cites the chronicle of Ebersheim and a handwritten notice from the 9th century formerly preserved at the abbey of Saint-Grégoire, and which make Berswinde the niece of Saint Léger d'Autun (sister of Saint Léger was born circa 620 and Berswinde circa 640 or slightly after). < GoogleBooks >
   2. Cawley, Charles. Medieval Lands: A prosopography of medieval European noble and royal families. Hosted online by the Foundation for Medieval Genealogy (FMG), accessed 2022, Merovingian Counts. https://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/FRANKSMaiordomi.htm#BerswindaMAthicus
   3. Cawley, Charles. Medieval Lands: A prosopography of medieval European noble and royal families. Hosted online by the Foundation for Medieval Genealogy (FMG), accessed 2022, Dukes in Alsace. https://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/ALSACE.htm#Etichodiedafter677
4. From Federation of Societies of History and Archaeology of Alsace <link > (google translation). From a noble family and duchess († Hohenbourg 1.3.690?). She was the mother of Saint Odile and the wife of Etichon, Duke of Alsace under Dagobert II and the maternal aunt of Saint Léger, bishop of Autun. When Odile, a girl born blind, came into the world, she secretly gave her to a nurse who took her to Baume-les-Dames, in a monastery, because the father wanted to kill this child. With her husband, Bereswinde later participated in the foundation of the Abbey of Ebersmunster and led a discreet and pious life, a more discreet life even after her husband's death. She seems to have been venerated as a saint in Hohenbourg and relics preserved from her were even exhibited in the 12th century in Strasbourg Cathedral. Testifies to this fact, the Cantatorium du chantre de la cathédrale, a book that was only known in 1928. His relics have disappeared over the centuries. If no image of her is preserved, it is nevertheless represented on the famous carpet of Saint Odile in Saint-Étienne in three scenes: during the birth and baptism of Saint Odile and at the death of Etichon. His stone sarcophagus was located from 1617 to 1753 in the chapel of the Angels of Mont Sainte-Odile; today, it can be seen in the chapel of the Cross.
   1. Cantatorium Argentin, (v. Alpais) p. 97 f;
   2. Albrecht, History von Hohenburg oder St Odilienberg, 1751, p. 50-56;
   3. J. Gyss, Odilienberg, 164 ff (1874);
   4. Pfister, Duchy (diction.) (s. Odilia), 52 ff, p. 81-85;
   5. Clauss, Die Heiligen im Elsass, Düsseldorf, 1935, p. 45-46;
   6. M. Barth, Die heilige Odilia, 1938, see index p. 321.