Adelperga
Encyclopedia
Adelperga was the daughter of Desiderius
, King of the Lombards, and his wife Ansa
.
Desiderius arranged a strategic marriage between his daughter and the Duke of Benevento, Arechis II
, to secure his power in Italy. The marriage produced several children.
After the fall of the Kingdom of the Lombards to Charlemagne
, the ex-husband of Adelpurga's sister Desiderata,(who may have been really called Gerperga) Adelperga's parents and sister were exiled to Francia, where they were imprisoned in religious houses. Adelperga and her sister, Liutperga
then embarked upon a struggle to regain their patrimony, and take revenge upon Charlemagne. Liutperga ultimately brought ruin upon herself and her family by encouraging her husband, Tassilo, Duke of Bavaria
, to rebel against Charlemagne, his cousin: Charlemagne discovered Tassilo's plots, and confiscated all his goods; Tassilo, Liutperga and their children were then banished to monasteries.
Adelperga was more successful; her husband, Arechis, resisted Charlemagne for some time, until in 787 he agreed to make peace with Charlemagne; at the encouragement of his wife and the Byzantines, he refused the peace treaty, which would have entailed surrendering part of his duchy to the Papacy. When he died on 26 August 787, Adelperga continued his policies, supporting her brother, Adalgis
, long an exile in Constantinople, when he returned to southern Italy with an army. Adeleperga's son, Grimoald
, the heir to the Duchy, returned from captivity in the Frankish court, and, siding with Charlemagne, defeated his uncle and the Byzantines. But he then broke loyalty with Charlemagne, and Benevento remained on uneasy terms with Charlemagne.
Desiderius
Desiderius was the last king of the Lombard Kingdom of northern Italy...
, King of the Lombards, and his wife Ansa
Ansa (queen)
Ansa or Ansia was the wife of Desiderius, King of the Lombards. She was probably a Lombard, the daughter of Verissimo and sister of King Hildeprand, Arechis, and Donnolo, and niece of King Liutprand....
.
Desiderius arranged a strategic marriage between his daughter and the Duke of Benevento, Arechis II
Arechis II of Benevento
Arechis II was Duke of Benevento, in southern Italy, from 758 until his death....
, to secure his power in Italy. The marriage produced several children.
After the fall of the Kingdom of the Lombards to Charlemagne
Charlemagne
Charlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 and Emperor of the Romans from 800 to his death in 814. He expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800...
, the ex-husband of Adelpurga's sister Desiderata,(who may have been really called Gerperga) Adelperga's parents and sister were exiled to Francia, where they were imprisoned in religious houses. Adelperga and her sister, Liutperga
Liutperga
Liutperga was the daughter of Desiderius, King of the Lombards, and Ansa. She was the wife of Tassilo III, the last Agilolfing Duke of Bavaria....
then embarked upon a struggle to regain their patrimony, and take revenge upon Charlemagne. Liutperga ultimately brought ruin upon herself and her family by encouraging her husband, Tassilo, Duke of Bavaria
Tassilo III of Bavaria
Tassilo III was duke of Bavaria from 748 to 788, the last of the house of the Agilolfings.Tassilo, then still an infant, began his rule as a Frankish ward under the tutelage of the Merovingian Mayor of the Palace Pepin the Short after Tassilo's father, Duke Odilo of Bavaria, had died in 747 and...
, to rebel against Charlemagne, his cousin: Charlemagne discovered Tassilo's plots, and confiscated all his goods; Tassilo, Liutperga and their children were then banished to monasteries.
Adelperga was more successful; her husband, Arechis, resisted Charlemagne for some time, until in 787 he agreed to make peace with Charlemagne; at the encouragement of his wife and the Byzantines, he refused the peace treaty, which would have entailed surrendering part of his duchy to the Papacy. When he died on 26 August 787, Adelperga continued his policies, supporting her brother, Adalgis
Adalgis
Adalgis was the son of Desiderius and the prince of the Langobards or Lombardia in Italy. After his father was defeated by Charlemagne in Pavia in 774, Adalgis took refuge in Byzantium...
, long an exile in Constantinople, when he returned to southern Italy with an army. Adeleperga's son, Grimoald
Grimoald III of Benevento
Grimoald III was the Lombard Prince of Benevento from 788 until his own death. He was the second son of Arechis II and Adelperga. In 787, he and his elder brother Romoald were sent as hostages to Charlemagne who had descended the Italian peninsula as far as Salerno to receive the submission of...
, the heir to the Duchy, returned from captivity in the Frankish court, and, siding with Charlemagne, defeated his uncle and the Byzantines. But he then broke loyalty with Charlemagne, and Benevento remained on uneasy terms with Charlemagne.