Bertachar
Bertachar (or Berthachar) was a king of Thuringia from about 510 until about 525, co-ruling with his brothers Hermanfrid and Baderic.[1][2]
Bertachar was probably not a Thuringian himself.[3] Frankish sources, such as Venantius Fortunatus, make the three brothers sons of King Bisinus. They are sometimes considered as sons of Bisinus' wife Menia,[1] or else as sons of Basina, who is called a wife of Bisinus by the Frankish historian Gregory of Tours.[4] Many scholars, however, reject Bisinus' marriage to Basina as ahistorical, leaving Menia as his only known wife.[5]
Bertachar's rule probably began between 507 and 511. He was murdered by his brother Hermanfrid, who later murdered Baderic to become sole ruler of Thuringia.[6] This assassination may have taken place as early as 525.[7]
Bertachar had at least one daughter and, depending on the source, one or several sons. His sons are unnamed.[8] His daughter, Radegund, married the Frankish king Chlothar I and founded Holy Cross Abbey in Poitiers. She is revered as a saint in the Catholic Church. Two hagiographies of her were produced by her friends Baudovinia and Venantius Fortunatus.[9][10] Fortunatus specifies that she was "from the Thuringian region", a daughter of King Bertachar and a granddaughter of King Bisinus.[11]
Notes
[edit]- ^ a b Jarnut 2009, p. 288, contains a family tree.
- ^ Martindale 1980, pp. 1336, contains a family tree.
- ^ Neumeister 2014, p. 91.
- ^ Mladjov 2014.
- ^ Hartmann 2009, p. 13.
- ^ Martindale 1980, pp. 225–226, s.v. "Berthacharius".
- ^ Burns 1984, p. 95.
- ^ Neumeister 2014, p. 90.
- ^ Halsall 2001, p. 125.
- ^ Jarnut 2009, pp. 283–84.
- ^ Fortunatus, p. 365: Beatissima igitur Radegundis natione barbara de regione Thoringa, avo rege Bessino, patruo Hermenfredo, patre rege Bertechario.
Sources
[edit]- Primary sources
- Venantius Honoricus Clementianus Fortunatus, Vita Sanctae Radegundis, ed. Bruno Krusch. MGH SS rer. Merov. 2 (Hanover, 1888), 364–377.
- Secondary sources
- Burns, Thomas S. (1984). A History of the Ostrogoths. Indiana University Press.
- Halsall, Guy (2001). "Childeric's Grave, Clovis' Succession, and the Origins of the Merovingian Kingdom". In Ralph Mathisen; Danuta Shanzer (eds.). Society and Culture in Late Antique Gaul. Routledge. pp. 130–147.
- Hartmann, Martina (2009). Die Königin im frühen Mittelalter. Kohlhammer Verlag.
- Jarnut, Jörg (2009). "Thüringer und Langobarden im 6. und beginnenden 7. Jahrhundert". In Helmut Castritius; Dieter Geuenich; Matthias Werner (eds.). Die Frühzeit der Thüringer: Archäologie, Sprache, Geschichte. De Gruyter. pp. 279–290.
- Martindale, John R., ed. (1980). The Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire: Volume II, AD 395–527. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-20159-4.
- Mladjov, Ian (2014). "Barbarian Genealogies". In H. B. Dewing (trans.); Anthony Kaldellis (eds.). The Wars of Justinian by Prokopios. Hackett. pp. 560–566.
- Neumeister, Peter (2014). "The Ancient Thuringians: Problems of Names and Family Connections". In Janine Fries-Knoblach; Heiko Steuer; John Hines (eds.). The Baiuvarii and Thuringi: An Ethnographic Perspective. Boydell. pp. 83–102.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
