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Patrick Delaforce & Ken Baldry'The Delaforce Family History' - chapter 49
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chapter 49
"By these wars of his he increased it" Einhard's biography of Charlemagne
The Dreadful Charlemagne
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This monster usually receives a good press. It is hard to imagine why. Perhaps it is because he is seen as a winner & he certainly won many wars. He is seen at heralding the end of the Dark Ages, a concept we have seen above to be a false libel on a period of difficulty perhaps but one where we will find the foundations of civilisation preserved by many of our ancestors as best they could. Seen from the perspective of the average feudal villein, over who’s land his armies marched & ‘lived off’ at their expense, his ‘success’ would seem to have been bought at too high a price. We met him in Patrick’s chapter 48, losing his rearguard under the incompetent Roland after having sacked Pamplona, a valuable outpost of Western Civilisation in Navarre in holding off the Moors, when he should have been supporting it. Right: Charlemagne's coronation |
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The career of Charlemagne is well documented, including his concubines, by one of whom, Regina, his bloodstained blood sHis legacy, the Holy Roman Empire, was none of those things, ‘Holy’ insofar as he massacred thousands of Saxons who preferred their old gods to the predatory & authoritarian Catholic church, ‘Roman’ because historically the term had a certain cachet still & ‘Empire’ - well, merely a killing ground for competing minor states, as the central authority, even under the Habsburgs, was never ‘central’ nor ‘authorityEnough of this rant - why are we going on about Charlemagne? Because he crops up in at least three separate geneations of our family.g to assert his authority through appointing local headmen such as Aznar Galindez. Charlemagne ultimately failed The line of Charlemagne & a mistress Himiltrude leads via their daughter Alpais d'Aquitaine, who married Begue Count of Paris, to Lisiard, Count of Fezensac. This, however, did not connect with 'our' Fezensacs. Three of his children by Hildegarde of Vintzau are Delaforce ancestors & Charlemagne's ancestors are very rich in many of ours already discussed above. |
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Sigibert le Boiteux (the Lame) King of Cologne
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Sigibert le Boiteux (the Lame) King of Cologne (?453 - ?509) link to his father = ?NN |
St. Arnulf of Heristal Bishop of Metz
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Arnulf of Heristal Bishop of Metz (13/8/582 - 16/8/640 Remiremont) = Clothilde de Saxe (?583 - ?612)
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Charles 'Martel'
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Charles 'Martel' (676 - 22/10/741) = 1. Rotrude of Austrasia (690 - 714)
Charles 'Martel' (676 - 22/10/741) = 2. Swanhilde of Bavaria, daughter of Theodebert, Duke of Bavaria
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Charlemagne (Kaiser Karl)
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Charlemagne (Kaiser Karl) (2/4/742 Ingelheim, Hesse - 28/1/814 Aachen) King of France 768 - 814
Charlemagne & (among other concubines) Regina or Reginopycrha (770 - ?)
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As can be seen, this tree includes St Arnulf, whom we met in chapter 48 both as the grandfather of our Granny Valtrude & also associated with Pepin of Landen, the father of St Begga, in bullying King Clothaire II. |
Family of Hildegarde de Vintzau
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The family of Waltrada of Lombardy takes us back, not only to the Gothic lines, both Balt & Amal but introduces Attila the Hun. Gundovic is probably the grandson of Athaulf, see chapter 43. Garibald I was an Agilolfing, son of Agivald & grandson of Agilulf Duke of Bavaria (490 - 537) who married a daughter of Godogisel, King of Geneva, the brother of Gundobald in the tree above. |
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Waldrada of Lombardy = 1. Theodebald King of Austrasia 547 (?534 - 555) = 2. (562 Bavaria) Garibald I Duke of Bavaria (?525 - ?590)
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Waltrada of Lombardy first husband was Garibald's brother Theodebald King of Austrasia 547 (?534 - 555). They were the sons of Theodebert of Bavaria King of Austrasia 533-547 (505 - 548) and Deuteria. She was the daughter of the Roman Tonnance III & Industria of Reims, who we have met in the ancestors of Valtrude of Verdun. Waltrada's daughter Romilde married Gisulf de Frioul (?550 - 611), son of Grasulf de Frioul (?525 - 589). Geila de Frioul in the tree above was the daughter of Gisulf & Romilde. Folchaide of Salzburg was the daughter of Robert of Salzburg & Theodora. Robert was the son of Erlebert. Presumably, they were Franks. Emma the Schwabe was of Ansigisel's family above. |
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Contact: Ken Baldry for more information, 17 Gerrard Road, Islington, London N1 8AY +44(0)20 7359 6294 but best to e-mail him |