Aemma

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Aemma († 642 ), also known as Emma or Ymme , was the second wife of Eadbald , the King of Kent .

He disowned his first wife, whose name is unknown, and married Aemma in 618, who was either the daughter of a Merovingian Franconian king or the daughter of a high Franconian nobleman. The Franconian influence at the court of Kent was obvious, especially since Eadbald himself was half Merovingian. Along with the marriage ceremony came the king's baptism and an increase in Christian influence in Kent.

Controversy over the origin of Aemmas

There are three theories about Aemma's family origin:

  1. In the 19th century it was assumed that she was an Austrasian princess and daughter of Theudebert II . This theory advocated William George Searle and David H. Kelley.
  2. The name Aemmas as the daughter of the Frankish king suggests that Chlothar II was her father, since he was the only ruling king in the Frankish empire in 618, the year of their marriage . This theory is also supported by the fact that a grandson of Eadbald received the name Hlothhere , derived from Chlothar .
  3. According to Kelley, Aemma could also have been the daughter of Erchinoald , as the name element Erchin increased in the subsequent kings . Erchindoald, as the Baldthilde episode shows , had close contacts in Britain.

Aemma has been shown to have three children: Eormenred , Eorcenberht and Eanswith .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ William George Searle: Anglo-Saxon Bishops, Kings and Nobles. Cambridge 1899, p. 258-259 (English).
  2. ^ Anthony Richard Wagner: Pedigrees and progress. Essays in the genealogical interpretation of history. London 1975 (English).
  3. ^ DW Rollason: The Mildrith Legend: A Study in Early Medieval Hagiography in England. Leicester University Press, Leicester 1982, ISBN 0-7185-1201-4 , pp. 45 (English).
personal data
SURNAME Aemma
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Emma; Ymme
BRIEF DESCRIPTION second wife of Eadbald, King of Kent
DATE OF BIRTH 6th century or 7th century
DATE OF DEATH 642