Saint Balthild, also known as Bathilde d'Ascagnie, Batilde, Bathylle, Bathild, or Bathilda (626 or 627 – January 30, 680), was the wife and queen of Clovis II, king of Burgundy and Neustria (639 – 658). Her name comes from Old English and means "bold battle". Events July 2 - In the early morning, Li Shimin, the future Emperor Tang Taizong of China, eliminated two of his brothers, Li Yuanji and the crown prince Li Jiancheng in a coup détat at the Xuanwu Gate in Changan. ... Events April 11 - Paulinus, a Roman missionary, baptizes King Edwin of Deira December 12 - Battle of Nineveh: Byzantine Emperor Heraclius defeats the Persians Births Deaths November 10 - Justus, Archbishop of Canterbury Categories: 627 ... January 30 is the 30th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events October 10 - Battle of Kerbela November 12 - The Sixth Ecumenical Council opens in Constantinople The Bulgars subjugate the country of current-day Bulgaria Pippin of Herstal becomes Mayor of the Palace Umayyad caliph Muawiyah I succeeded by Yazid I ibn Muawiyah Erwig deposes Wamba to become king of the... Clovis II (or Chlodowech or Chlodwig, modern French Louis, modern German Ludwig) (637-November 27, 655) succeeded his father Dagobert I in 639 as King of Neustria and Burgundy. ... The following is a list of the Kings of Burgundy // Kings of the Burgundians Gebicca (late 4th century–407) Godemar Giselcar Gundicar (413–436) Aetius moves the Burgundians into Sapaudia (Upper Rhone Basin) Gunderic/Gundioc (436–473) opposed by Chilperic I (443–c. ... Neustria & Austrasia The territory of Neustria originated in A.D. 511, made up of the regions from Aquitaine to the English Channel, approximating most of the north of present-day France, with Paris and Soissons as its main cities. ... Events Dagobert I succeeded by Clovis II as king of the Franks in Neustria and Burgundy During the Islamic conquest of Persia, Susa is destroyed Births Deaths Pippin I of Landen, father of Gertrude of Nivelles Categories: 639 ... Events The union of Slavic tribes falls apart after Samos death Births Deaths King Samo of the Slavs Categories: 658 ... Note: This page contains phonetic information presented in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) using Unicode. ...

Statue of St. Bathilde, Queen of the Franks during the seventh century.

An Anglo-Saxon, perhaps a relative of King Ricbert of East Anglia, the last pagan king there, she was sold into slavery as a young girl (some accounts suggest by Vikings others, by the Anglo-Saxon king), the young Balthild served as a lady in waiting in the household of Erchinoald, Clovis' mayor of the palace. Balthild was beautiful, intelligent, modest, and attentive to the needs of others. Erchinoald (whose wife had died) was attracted to Balthild and wanted to marry her. But she did not want to marry him: she hid herself away and waited until Erchinoald remarried. Next, King Clovis noticed her and asked her hand in marriage sometime in 649. Balthild was 19 years old when she became queen. Different versions of this story suggest Clovis was somewhere between the ages of 12 and 16 years old at the time. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1006x1603, 2063 KB) Summary Statue of Saint Bathilde, Queen of France in the 7th Century and Saint. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1006x1603, 2063 KB) Summary Statue of Saint Bathilde, Queen of France in the 7th Century and Saint. ... ( 6th century - 7th century - 8th century - other centuries) Events Islam starts in Arabia, the Quran is written, and Arabs subjugate Syria, Iraq, Persia, Egypt, North Africa and Central Asia to Islam. ... Paganism (from Latin paganus) and Heathenry are catch-all terms which have come to connote a broad set of spiritual/religious beliefs and practices of a natural religion, as opposed to the Abrahamic religions. ... The Buxton Memorial Fountain, celebrating the emancipation of slaves in the British Empire in 1834, London. ... The name Viking is a loan from the native Scandinavian term for the Norse seafaring warriors who raided the coasts of Scandinavia, Europe and the British Isles from the late 8th century to the 11th century, the period of European history referred to as the Viking Age. ... A lady-in-waiting is a female personal assistant at a noble court, attending to a queen, a princess or other noblewoman. ... Erchinoald (also Erkinoald and, in French, Erchenout) succeeded Aega as the mayor of the palace of Neustria and Burgundy in 641 and remained such until his death in 658. ... Mayor of the Palace was an early medieval title and office, also known by the Latin name, maior domus or majordomo, used most notably in the Frankish kingdoms in the 7th and 8th centuries. ... Events July 5 - Martin I becomes pope Arabs conquer Cyprus Reccaswinth succeeds his father Chindaswinth as king of the Visigoths. ...

Even as queen, she remained humble and modest. She is famous for her charitable service and generous donations. From her donations, the abbies of Corbie and Chelles were founded (and likely others such as those of Jumièges, Jouarre, and Luxeuil). She bore her husband three children, all who became kings: Clotaire, Childeric, and Theuderic. Corbie is a commune of the Somme département, in northern France. ... Chelles is the name of two communes of France: Chelles in the Oise département Chelles in the Seine-et-Marne département This article consisting of geographical locations is a disambiguation page, a list of pages that otherwise might share the same title. ... The ruins of the abbey of Jumièges still exemplify the Romanesque style of architecture. ... Luxeuil-les-Bains is a town and commune of eastern France, in the Haute-Saône département. ... Clotaire III (652 - 673) was a son of King Clovis II. In 657 he became the nominal ruler of the three Frankish kingdoms, but was deprived of Austrasia in 663, retaining Neustria and Burgundy until his death. ... Childeric II (c. ... Theuderic II (or Theuderich, Theoderic, or Theodoric; in French, Thierry) (587-613), king of Burgundy (595-613) and Austrasia (612-613), was the second son of Childebert II. At his fathers death in 595, he received the kingdoms of Orleans and Burgundy. ...

When Balthild's husband died between 655 and 658, Clotaire, the eldest son and heir to the throne, became succeeded at age five. Balthild served as the queen regent until he came of age in 664, when she was forced into a convent. As queen, she was a capable stateswoman. She abolished the practice of trading Christian slaves and even sought the freedom of children sold into slavery. As the story goes, after Balthild's three children were of age and "established in their respective territories" (Clotaire in Neustria, Childeric in Austrasia, and perhaps Theuderic in Burgundy), Balthild entered the abbey and gave up her royal rank. She dedicated the rest of her life serving the poor and the infirmed. Events November 15 - Northumbrian king Oswiu defeats the pagan Mercian king Penda in the Battle of Winwaed Empress Saimei ascends to the throne of Japan. ... Events The union of Slavic tribes falls apart after Samos death Births Deaths King Samo of the Slavs Categories: 658 ... Events September, Synod of Whitby Births Deaths Xuanzang, famous Chinese Buddhist monk. ... As a noun, Christian is an appellation and moniker deriving from the appellation Christ, which many people associate exclusively with Jesus of Nazareth. ... Austrasia & Neustria Austrasia formed the north-eastern portion of the Kingdom of the Merovingian Franks, comprising parts of the territory of present-day eastern France, western Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands. ...

Balthild died on January 30, 680. She is buried at the Abbey of Chelles outside of Paris. Balthild was canonised by Pope Nicholas I about 200 years after her death. The Eiffel Tower has become a symbol of Paris throughout the world. ... ... Nicholas I,(Rome c. ...

External links

• January 30, 680, Once a Slave, Humble Queen Bathilde Died.
• St. Bathilde from the Catholic Encyclopedia.