Basena of Thuringia
Basena von Thuringia , also: Basina (* before 466) was the wife of the Merovingian king Childerich I. Queen of the Franks .
Basena probably came from the Thuringian people , perhaps from their royal family. The historian Gregor von Tours , followed by the Fredegar Chronicle and the Liber historiae Francorum , reports that her first marriage was to Bisinus , King of the Thuringians. In Thuringia she got to know Childerich, who was there in exile after his deposition. After eight years of exile, Childerich was recalled and reinstated as king by his people. Then Basena left her husband and went to Childerich on the grounds that he was the bravest man she knew, so she wanted to connect with him. Then he happily took her as his wife.
This legendary story is viewed with skepticism by scholars, especially since Bisinus ruled in the early 6th century, while Childerich died in 482. The Thuringian origin of Basenas is accepted.
Childerich's and Basena's marriage came from Childerich's son and successor, Clovis I (* 466; † 511) and the daughters Audofleda (* around 470; † after 526), Lantechild and Albofledis, who died soon after Clovis took over power.
A silver spoon with the inscription Basenae (BAS-N) was found in a Weimar grave from the 6th century . It belongs to the collection of the Museum of Prehistory and Early History in Berlin.
literature
- Eugen Ewig : The naming of the oldest Franconian kings and the Merovingian royal family. In: Francia. Volume 18/1, 1991, pp. 21-69, here p. 49
- Erich Zöllner: History of the Franks up to the middle of the sixth century. Beck, Munich 1970
- Reinhard Wenskus : Article Bisinus. In: Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde . Volume 3, 1978, pp. 45-46
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Basena of Thuringia |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Basina of Thuringia |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Wife of the Merovingian king Childerich I. |
| DATE OF BIRTH | before 466 |
| DATE OF DEATH | after 471 |