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Saint Balthild of Ascania (; , 'bold sword' or 'bold spear; around 626 – January 30, 680), also called Bathilda, Baudour, or Bauthieult, was the wife and queen of Clovis II, the king of Burgundy and Neustria (639–658). Her hagiography was intended to further her successful candidature for sainthood.〔(Geary, Patrick. Readings in Medieval History: Fourth Edition. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2010. )〕 Tradition represents her as an Anglo-Saxon who was originally of elite birth, perhaps a relative of Ricberht of East Anglia, the last pagan king of East Anglia, although Pierre Fournet regards this as doubtful.〔(Fournet, Pierre Auguste. "St. Bathilde." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 2. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1907. 29 Nov. 2014 )〕 Ricberht was ousted by Sigeberht, who had spent time as an exile in the Frankish court, during which he had been converted to Christianity. Sigeberht was established as the rightful heir to the throne with Frankish help. Balthild was sold into slavery as a young girl and served in the household of Erchinoald, the mayor of the palace of Neustria to Clovis. == Hagiographic tradition == According to ''Vita S. Bathildis'', Balthild was born circa 626–627. She was beautiful, intelligent, modest and attentive to the needs of others. Erchinoald, whose wife had died, was attracted to Balthild and wanted to marry her, but she did not want to marry him. She hid herself away and waited until Erchinoald had remarried. Later, possibly because of Erchinoald, Clovis noticed her and asked for her hand in marriage.〔Theuws, De Jong and van Rhijn, ''Topographies of Power'', p. 255.〕〔Madigan, ''Mystics, Visionaries, and Prophets'', p. 60.〕 Even as queen, Balthild remained humble and modest. She is famous for her charitable service and generous donations. From her donations, the abbeys of Corbie and Chelles were founded: it is likely that others such as Jumièges, Jouarre and Luxeuil were also founded by the queen. She provided support for Saint Claudius of Besançon and his abbey in the Jura Mountains. Balthild bore Clovis three children, all of whom became kings: Clotaire, Childeric and Theuderic. When Clovis died (between 655 and 658), his eldest son Clotaire succeeded to the throne, aged five. His mother Balthild acted as the queen regent. As queen, she was a capable stateswoman. She abolished the practice of trading Christian slaves and strove to free children who had been sold into slavery. This claim is corroborated by Jane Tibbetts Schulenburg, who mentions that Balthild and Saint Eloi (who was also known as Eligius, according to Dado)〔(''The Life of St. Eligius'', (trans. Jo Ann McNamara), Medieval Sourcebook, Fordham University, accessed December 2, 2011 )〕 “worked together on their favorite charity, the buying and freeing of slaves”.〔(Schulenburg, Jane. ''Forgetful of their Sex: Female Sanctity and Society, ca. 500–1100'', Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1998 )〕 After her three sons reached adulthood and had become established in their respective territories (Clotaire in Neustria, Childeric in Austrasia, and Theuderic in Burgundy), Balthild withdrew to her favourite Abbey of Chelles near Paris.〔 Balthild died on January 30, 680 and was buried at the Abbey of Chelles, east of Paris. Her ''Vita'' was written soon after her death, probably by one of the community of Chelles. The ''Vita Baldechildis/Vita Bathildis reginae Francorum'' in ''Monumenta Germania Historica, Scriptores Rerum Merovincarum'', as with most of the ''vitae'' of royal Merovingian-era saints, provides some useful details for the historian. Her official cult began when her remains were transferred from the former abbey to a new church, in 833, under the auspices of Louis the Pious. Balthild was canonised by Pope Nicholas I,〔 around 200 years after her death. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Balthild」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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