Ansa (queen)
Encyclopedia
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
.
In or around 753
, she founded the monastery of S. Michele and S. Pietro at Brescia
. It later merged with that of S. Salvatore and S. Maria. After 759
, she appeared frequently in Desiderius' diplomas and was probably the architect of his religious policy.
On 5 June 774, she was presented along with her husband to Charlemagne
, who had conquered Pavia
. She was sent with her husband and an unnamed daughter, possibly Desiderata, to Liège
or Corbie
, but allowed to return in 775
. Paul the Deacon
wrote an Epitaphium Ansae reginae praising her politics, her piety, and her beauty: coniunx pulcherrima, "most beautiful wife".
Her children with Desiderius were:
Desiderius
Desiderius was the last king of the Lombard Kingdom of northern Italy...
, King of the Lombards
King of Italy
King of Italy is a title adopted by many rulers of the Italian peninsula after the fall of the Roman Empire...
. She was probably a Lombard
Lombards
The Lombards , also referred to as Longobards, were a Germanic tribe of Scandinavian origin, who from 568 to 774 ruled a Kingdom in Italy...
, the daughter of Verissimo
Veríssimo
Veríssimo is a Brazilian municipality located in the west of the state of Minas Gerais. Its population as of 2007 was estimated to be 3,667 people living in a total area of 1,028 km². The city belongs to the mesoregion of Triângulo Mineiro and Alto Paranaíba and to the micro-region of Uberaba....
and sister of King Hildeprand
Hildeprand
Hildeprand the Useless was king of the Lombards in 744 and grandson or nephew of Liutprand. He participated in the siege of Ravenna in 734 with Liutprand, with whom he was associated as king from 737. He began his reign in his own right in January 744, but was deposed by a great council after a...
, Arechis, and Donnolo, and niece of King Liutprand
Liutprand, King of the Lombards
Liutprand was the King of the Lombards from 712 to 744 and is chiefly remembered for his Donation of Sutri, in 728, and his long reign, which brought him into a series of conflicts, mostly successful, with most of Italy. He profited by Byzantine weakness to enlarge his domains in Emilia and the...
.
In or around 753
753
Year 753 was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 753 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Asia :* Samarkand is conquered by Arabs.* The town of...
, she founded the monastery of S. Michele and S. Pietro at Brescia
Brescia
Brescia is a city and comune in the region of Lombardy in northern Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, between the Mella and the Naviglio, with a population of around 197,000. It is the second largest city in Lombardy, after the capital, Milan...
. It later merged with that of S. Salvatore and S. Maria. After 759
759
Year 759 was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 759 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Europe :* The Franks capture Narbonne; the Saracens...
, she appeared frequently in Desiderius' diplomas and was probably the architect of his religious policy.
On 5 June 774, she was presented along with her husband 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...
, who had conquered Pavia
Pavia
Pavia , the ancient Ticinum, is a town and comune of south-western Lombardy, northern Italy, 35 km south of Milan on the lower Ticino river near its confluence with the Po. It is the capital of the province of Pavia. It has a population of c. 71,000...
. She was sent with her husband and an unnamed daughter, possibly Desiderata, to Liège
Liège
Liège is a major city and municipality of Belgium located in the province of Liège, of which it is the economic capital, in Wallonia, the French-speaking region of Belgium....
or Corbie
Corbie
Corbie is a commune of the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Geography:The small town is situated up river from Amiens, in the département of Somme and is the main town of the canton of Corbie. It lies in the valley of the River Somme, at the confluence of the River Ancre. The town...
, but allowed to return in 775
775
Year 775 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 775 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.-Africa:* Andalusian merchants set up an emporium on the...
. Paul the Deacon
Paul the Deacon
Paul the Deacon , also known as Paulus Diaconus, Warnefred, Barnefridus and Cassinensis, , was a Benedictine monk and historian of the Lombards.-Life:...
wrote an Epitaphium Ansae reginae praising her politics, her piety, and her beauty: coniunx pulcherrima, "most beautiful wife".
Her children with Desiderius were:
- AnselpergaAnselpergaAnselperga was the eldest daughter of Desiderius, King of the Lombards, and Ansa. She was the second Abbess of San Salvatore e Santa Giulia, which her parents had formed in Brescia from the union of San Michele e San Pietro with San Salvatore e Santa Maria....
(or Anselberga), abbess of San Salvatore - AdelpergaAdelpergaAdelperga 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...
(or Adelberga), married Arechis II of BeneventoArechis II of BeneventoArechis II was Duke of Benevento, in southern Italy, from 758 until his death.... - LiutpergaLiutpergaLiutperga was the daughter of Desiderius, King of the Lombards, and Ansa. She was the wife of Tassilo III, the last Agilolfing Duke of Bavaria....
(also Liutpirc or Liutberga), married Tassilo III of BavariaTassilo III of BavariaTassilo 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... - Desiderata, married Charlemagne in 768, divorced in 771
- AdelchisAdalgisAdalgis 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...
(or Adalgis), patrician in ConstantinopleConstantinopleConstantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
Sources
- Ghisalberti, Alberto M. Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani: III Ammirato – Arcoleo. Rome, 1961.