Carly Gould
March 4, 2011
History 1100-002
Lolene Blake
A Noblewoman’s Life
The Life of Lady Balthild, Queen of the Franks
(Late Seventh Century)
The Lady Balthild was sold into slavery when she was young. She was bought by a
prominent governor in the Frank kingdom. He eventually offered her in marriage to King Clovis
II. This is where she received the title ‘Queen of the Franks.’ This source is about her life and
what she accomplished. The author of this source is unknown. The document alludes to it being
written while she was alive by saying, ‘the present great and venerable woman,’ however, he
writes it in past tense, so this was probably written after her death between 680 and 700 CE. “Her
holy death and her holy rites are celebrated on 30 January” reveals this was most likely written in
France where they celebrate her death on January 30 (as opposed to January 25 in other parts).
This document is trying to persuade the reader that Lady Balthild, through her great virtue and
humility, had a great influence over the Frank kingdom. He or she did this by summarizing all
the wonderful things she did in her life in the name of God. It is trying to show how much
influence women had in politics. The text mentions several other women who performed similar
acts of kindness, though Queen Balthild was by far the most prominent. Lady Balthild improved
the power and influence of women and Christianity.
The intended audience is mostly directed to non-Christians as well as those who belong
to the Frank kingdom. It is giving the Frank kingdom and the Christian church legitimacy by
highlighting Lady Balthild’s achievements and power and showing how she accomplished them
through God. This woman donated her money, land, and time to the church so that it could build
monasteries. “...She sent most generous alms of gold and silver to the monasteries of men and
women,” as well as giving of her time to help feed and care for the poor. Also she stopped
heresy from corrupting the Church of god: “by the will of God [acting] through her, and at the
urging of the good priests, the above- mentioned Lady Balthild stopped this impious evil so that
no one would set a price on the taking of holy orders.” These simple actions gave the
government and the Church legitimacy to rule and exist.
Another way she used her power and authority to benefit the Kingdom and Christianity
was by placing her sons on the thrones of nearby countries to maintain peace. “The Burgundians
and the Neustrians were united. And we believe that, with God guiding, and in accordance with
the great faith of Lady Balthild, these three kingdoms kept the harmony of peace among
themselves.” Even after he son took over the throne she still tried to help others. She joined a
monastery and helped the poor and the needy. One interesting thing about the author is that
whenever he or she talks about her deeds, he or she mentions that God placed her in that position
of power or that God guided her to perform that act. From this, we can safely say that the author
must be a Christian and that it why he or she is placing it is such a favorable light. The author is
trying to convert non-believers to believe in God and Christ.
This document reveals that Christianity was a big part of the society and time period.
They must have believed that anything good that happened was ordained of God and if anything
bad happened, they were being punished by God. Whenever anything happens to Lady Balthild,
it is regarded that God is it for the benefit of her and others, such as being sold into slavery as a
child. If not for this, she would not have eventually married the King of the Franks. I also think
they were just starting to realize the power that women had. The author states, “Indeed, we
recall that other queens in the kingdom of the Franks have been noble and worshippers of God...”
The text goes on to explain that many queens of the kingdom of the Franks led productive lives.
They all, one way or another, furthered the kingdom of God. Either they converted kings and
nobles to Christianity or they built monasteries throughout the kingdom. The author is showing
a recurrent theme that women are powerful in their own way and they have influence over others
in positions of authority.
The main points of the document are that Lady Balthild’s life was a blessing for her
kingdom and for Christianity. She truly loved and cared about the people; the poor and the
noble. Another main point is that Queen Balthild’s life illustrated how much power women can
have. She influenced not just her own kingdom, but that of two others as well. She kept peace
between three nations and all because she was humble and listened to God.
In conclusion, the most important idea that the author conveyed was that Lady Balthild
illustrated the power and influence of women and Christianity. I think that the author did an
excellent job of showing how her life affected her and her actions. He, or she, illustrated how
even though she had been sold as a slave, she still tried to help others and, surprisingly, she never
became prideful. She, seemingly, only wanted to do what she thought God wanted her to do to
help those who were suffering. The information he or she gave was accurate and detailed. The
author described many of the people she gave money and land to. They used the resources to
build monasteries and keep current ones open. I think that this source is very useful in showing
how women could influence politics and government, as well as converting others to
Christianity. The life of Lady, Balthild, Queen of the Franks, is a source that draws on the
strength of women and how God uses faithful followers to bless others and in turn blesses the
followers as well.