Desiderata / Geperga, 2nd partner & wife of Charlemagne

After Himiltrude, Charlemagne's first wife was Desiderata, daughter of Desiderius, king of the Lombards; married in 770, annulled in 771.[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlemagne] m firstly (769, repudiated [770/early 771]) --- of the Lombards, daughter of DESIDERIUS King of the Lombards & his wife Ansa ---. Einhard calls King Charles's first wife "filiam Desiderii regis Langobardorum"[62]. The Annales Fuldenses record that "Berhta regina" brought "filiam Desiderii regis Langobardorum" back from Italy as the wife for "Karolo filio suo"[63]. Her husband sent her back to her father after repudiating her. [http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/CAROLINGIANS.htm#_Toc240955192]

Desideria (?) F, #103152, Last Edited=19 Apr 2001,
Desideria (?) married Charlemagne, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, son of Pepin III, King of the Franks and Bertha de Laon, in 770. Forrás / Source: http://www.thepeerage.com/p10316.htm#i103152

The name of this wife of Charlemagne is not known but for centuries she has been called Desiderata or Desirée for convenience.

Please see Charlemagne Project for Source Details

Gerperga,Desideria or Desiderata ? Desiderata was one of four daughters of Desiderius, king of the Lombards, and his queen, Ansa. She was married to Charlemagne, king of the Franks, in 770, probably to form a bond between the otherwise enemy states of Francia and Lombardy. The marriage was annulled in 771 and this hurt relations with Lombardy, presaging the war of 774. She had no children and her ultimate fate is unknown.

Although she is commonly referred to by the name Desiderata, it is now theorised that the name derives from an editorial error in a 19th century copy of the Monumenta Germaniae Historica which capitalised the D in desideriata filiam (Latin for desired daughter). Even this error was sometimes compounded by a back formation to Desideria, a more probable first name (the feminine form of Desiderius, her father's name), or translated (as into French, Désirée ).

The noted Carolingian historian, Janet Nelson, hypothesised in the 1998 work After Rome's Fall that Desiderius' daughter was in fact named Gerperga. The reasoning used by Nelson hinges on the confusion that many contemporaries apparently had between her and Gerberga, the Frankish wife of Carloman who was brother of Charlemagne and his co-ruler from 768 to 771. Even Pope Stephen III seems to confuse the two and the chroniclers and annalists seem to believe that Gerberga fled, when her husband died, to the court of her father (she fled to Desiderius, who was definitely not her father).

What is definite is that Desiderius and Ansa had three other daughters named Anselperga, Adelperga, and Liutperga. The commonality in the names of their daughters is the ending "-perga". Based on this, the author believes the confusion was caused because the two queens (wives of the two brothers Charles and Carloman) had the same name, namely Gerberga or Gerperga, which are respectively the Frankish and Lombard versions of the modern French name Gerberge.

Sources

   * Riché, Pierre. The Carolingians.

* Murray, Archibald Callander, and Goffart, Walter A. After Rome's Fall: Narrators and Sources of Early Medieval History. University of Toronto Press: Toronto, 1998.

1st Wife of Charlemagne (2nd Partnership)

Desiderata, daughter of Desiderius, king of the Lombards; married in 770, annulled in 771.[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlemagne] m firstly (769, repudiated [770/early 771]) --- of the Lombards, daughter of DESIDERIUS King of the Lombards & his wife Ansa ---. Einhard calls King Charles's first wife "filiam Desiderii regis Langobardorum"[62]. The Annales Fuldenses record that "Berhta regina" brought "filiam Desiderii regis Langobardorum" back from Italy as the wife for "Karolo filio suo"[63]. Her husband sent her back to her father after repudiating her. [http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/CAROLINGIANS.htm#_Toc240955192]

Desidarius, King of Lombardy 750 to 800 AD

He sent his daughter, Desiderata, to be married to Charlemagne, King of France and later, Emperor of Rome. Soon, Charlemagne became tired of her and sent her back to Lombardy. This began the War of the Lombard that lasted eight years. Charlemagne and his father, Pepin The Short, defeated Desidarius at Pavia and sent him into exile at a monastery at Liege. Charlemagne, also known as King Charles of the Franks, then became King of Lombardy as well.

After Himiltrude, Charlemagne's first wife was Desiderata, daughter of Desiderius, king of the Lombards; married in 770, annulled in 771.m firstly (769, repudiated [770/early 771) --- of the Lombards, daughter of DESIDERIUS King of the Lombards & his wife Ansa ---. Einhard calls King Charles's first wife "filiam Desiderii regis Langobardorum"[62]. The Annales Fuldenses record that "Berhta regina" brought "filiam Desiderii regis Langobardorum" back from Italy as the wife for "Karolo filio suo"[63]. Her husband sent her back to her father after repudiating her. [http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/CAROLINGIANS.htm#_Toc240955192

[http://a-e-g.chat.ru/trees/arnulf/15.htm] Note - in 770: The winds of history in the year 770 no longer blow from Aquitaine but from Lombardy. This Kingdom, north of a strange Italy of the time [Italy being bitten into little pieces by the aspirations of the Lombards to the North, the Byzantines and the Pope. Charles, though the "devoted defender of the Holy Church and its auxilliaries in all things" as he refers to himself, should logically and normally have followed the politics of his father with respect to Rome, and therefore to protect the papacy from its enemies, the Lombards. But he would hear none of it. Carloman casts a benign eye on the Lombards, where Didier, the ancient Duke of Tuscanny still reigned.

Bertrada, the widow of Pippin, despairing at the level of hate which separated her two sons, took matters into her hands, as a strong-willed woman is sometimes wont to do when endowed with power. She visits Carloman near Seltz [in Alsace], and secures his agreement from him. She crosses the Alps under the pretext of "worshiping in Rome the temples of the Holy Apostles" and visits Pope Stephen III. In fact, she had but one thing on her mind: To reconcile her two sons by bringing Charles closer to the Lombards, since Carloman is the friend of the ruler of Lombardy. The politics of the two brothers then would become tied to a common interest, That could be a first step. One could also marry Gisele, sister of Charles and Carloman to Didier"s son. Unfortunately, Gisele is not yet nubile.

In the meantime, Bertrada proposes the marriage of her son Charles with Desiree, Didier"s daughter! The King of the Lombards accepts the proposal as does Charles. However, the future emperor is already attached to a young frankish woman, Himiltrude, who has born him a son and a daughter -- unfortunately, the son is hunchback. Although Himiltrude is only a concubine of the King, the Pope being furious with the developments bringing together his natural protectors, the Francs, with his natural enemies, the Lombards, calls the union of Charles to Desiree diabolical. How can the Francs, a race ".. endowed with such beautiful women ..." posibly consider a union with "...this fetid race of Lombards, the most perfidious, and odious of all races, who have never been counted in the race of civilized nations, and from whom leprosy came ..." Pope Stephen III exclaimed.

Whiles Charles considers the matter, Bertrada gets Desiree and brings her to her son in Pavia. His first look at Desiree immediately caused him to miss Himiltrude. It seems that Desiree was the epitomy of ugliness. The marriage takes place anyway.