| Bertha of Burgundy | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Queen consort of the Franks | |
| Tenure | 996–1000 |
| Born | 964 |
| Died | 16 January 1010 |
| Spouse | Odo I, Count of Blois Robert II of France |
| House | Elder House of Welf |
| Father | Conrad of Burgundy |
| Mother | Matilda of France |
Bertha of Burgundy (964 – 16 January 1010) was queen of the Franks as the second wife of King Robert II.
Bertha was the daughter of King Conrad of Burgundy[1] and his wife Matilda, daughter of King Louis IV of France and Gerberga of Saxony. She was named for her father's mother, Bertha of Swabia. She first married Count Odo I of Blois in about 983.[2] They had several children, including Odo II.[1]
After the death of her husband in 996, Bertha's second cousin Robert, the eldest son of King Hugh Capet of France, wished to marry her. He had recently repudiated his first wife, Susanna, who was many years his senior. The union was opposed by King Hugh, who feared that political problems could be caused by religious authorities due to their consanguinity. The marriage nevertheless went ahead around the time of Hugh's death in October 996, which left Robert as sole king. Pope Gregory V and his successor Sylvester II pronounced anathemas against Robert for his "incestuous" marriage and the pair were forced to separate, but Robert several times attempted to rejoin her.[3]
References
- ^ a b Stefan Weinfurter, The Salian Century: Main Currents in an Age of Transition, transl. Barbara M. Bowlus, (University of Pennsylvania Press, 1999), 46.
- ^ Burgundy and Provence 879-1032, Constance Brittain Bourchard, The New Cambridge Medieval History, Vol. III, ed. Timothy Reuter, (Cambridge University Press, 1999), 342.
- ^ Bourchard, Constance (1981). "Consanguinity and Noble Marriages in the Tenth and Eleventh Centuries". Speculum. 56: 276–77. ISSN 0038-7134.
| French royalty | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Susanna of Italy | Queen consort of the Franks 996–1000 | Succeeded by Constance of Arles |