Basina of thuringia biography of barack

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Basina of Thuringia

Queen of Thuringia

Basina or Basine (c. The Chronicle of Fredegar, compiled in the mid-seventh century, adapts Gregory's story in Book III with variations that enhance the mythic aura around the Merovingian origins to bolster Frankish identity amid contemporary political fragmentation.[9] Similarly, the anonymous eighth-century Liber Historiae Francorum reiterates Basina's desertion of Basinus in Chapter 6, quoting her explicit criteria for an ideal husband—"a man who is bold in war and vigorous in his intercourse with women, a man who is a lover of foreign peoples and despises his own, a man who is cruel to his own subjects but kind to foreigners"—before her union with Childeric, framing the episode to glorify Frankish conquests and royal virility in a Neustrian context.[10] These later texts, while derivative, reflect biases toward promoting Merovingian legitimacy and cultural superiority, often amplifying dramatic or sexual elements for rhetorical effect.[1]Archaeological evidence from fifth-century Frankish sites offers indirect context but no direct corroboration of Basina's personal story.

Title Of Nobility: Queen of Thuringia, between 456 and 465,. Then Basina 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. Thuringia faced pressures from the resulting migrations and power vacuums. 438 \endash 477) was remembered as a queen of Thuringia in the middle of the ...

The Thuringian kingdom, located in what is now central Germany, occupied a precarious geopolitical position, bordered by the expanding Salian Franks to the west and the waning influences of Hunnic successor states to the east, making such royal marriages essential for maintaining stability and deterring invasions.Basinus ruled over a relatively modest kingdom compared to the rising Frankish powers under leaders like Childeric I, with Thuringia focused more on internal consolidation than aggressive expansion.[4] Historical accounts portray Basinus as a host to exiled Frankish nobility, indicating diplomatic ties but limited military ambition.[2] Basina, as queen, played a key role in these relations, but her tenure was marked by growing dissatisfaction with her husband's perceived lack of vigor and dominance.[4]According to Gregory of Tours, Basina abandoned Basinus around 463 during Childeric I's exile in Thuringia (c.

Upon his return Childeric was joined by the wife of his host, Queen Basina, who bore Childeric his son Clovis.
Spouse?: ?Basina of Thuringia
Father?: ?Merovech
Burial?: ?Tournai? "Book II". The History of the Franks. 62.

  • ^Gregory of Tours (28 February 1976). For as she herself said, "I want to have the most powerful man in the world, even if I have to cross the ocean for him".[3]

    Childeric and Basina were the parents of the Frankish king Clovis I, who is remembered as the first medieval king to rule Gaul.[4]

    According to the Gesta episcoporum Cameracensium, the Frankish King Ragnachar, and his brother Richar, from the area of Cambrai were related to Basina.[5]

    Marriage and children

    In 463, Basina married Childeric I, son of Merovech and his wife, and had the following children:

    1. Clovis I (466 – 511)
    2. Audofleda (467 – 511) – queen of the Ostrogoths and wife of Theodoric the Great
    3. Lantechildis (468 – ?)
    4. Albofledis (470 – ?).

    Portrayals

    Queen Basina of Thuringia is the central antagonist in the 2005 film, The Brothers Grimm.

    438 \endash 477) was a queen of Thuringia in the middle of the fifth century.

    Biography
    She left her husband, king Bisinus and went to Roman Gaul. King Basinus, as the earliest historically attested ruler of the Thuringians (fl. (Bisinus King of Thuringia THURINGIA was born in Thueringen, Germany 1780 and died in 509 in Thueringen, Germany 1780.)


    • .

    He decisively defeated the Roman magister Syagrius at the Battle of Soissons in 486, annexing northern Gaul, and later subdued the Thuringians themselves, extending Frankish control eastward.[2] His victory over the Visigoths at the Battle of Vouillé in 507 expelled them from Aquitaine, while the defeat of the Alamanni prompted his pivotal conversion to Nicene Christianity around 496, baptized by Bishop Remigius of Reims alongside 3,000 warriors—an event that aligned the Franks with Gallo-Roman elites and imperial traditions, crediting the dynasty's ascent in contemporary accounts.[2] These achievements, rooted in the stability of his Thuringian-Frankish parentage, transformed the Merovingians from tribal leaders into a Gaul-spanning power.[1]Upon Clovis's death in 511, his sons—Theuderic I, Clodomir, Childebert I, and Chlotar I—divided the realm, perpetuating Basina's legacy through partitioned yet expansive rule that incorporated Thuringia fully by 531 under Theuderic I.[2] This dynastic spread extended via strategic marriages of descendants, including Clovis's sister Audofleda to Ostrogothic king Theodoric the Great around 493, forging eastern ties, and unions of Clovis's granddaughters, such as those linking to Burgundian royalty, which amplified Merovingian prestige across Europe.[7] Basina's bold initiative in abandoning her first husband for Childeric exemplified female agency in early medieval politics, portraying her as an archetype of ambition that facilitated these power shifts and enduring alliances.[2]

    Sources and Depictions

    Historical Accounts

    The primary historical account of Basina of Thuringia derives from Gregory of Tours' Historia Francorum, completed around 594 CE, approximately a century after the events it describes in the mid-fifth century.

    460–500), represented the tribal leadership that navigated these upheavals through alliances and refuge, such as hosting the exiled Frankish king Childeric I.[2] Basina's position as his queen underscores her likely noble birth within this Germanic elite, though specific ties to Thuringian royalty beyond her marriage are unrecorded.

    Early Marriage to Basinus

    Basina was married to Basinus, king of the Thuringians, in a political union that strengthened alliances within the emerging Germanic kingdoms of central Europe during the mid-5th century.[2] This marriage occurred amid the consolidation of Thuringian power following the death of Attila in 453 and the subsequent fragmentation of the Hunnic empire, which had previously dominated the region.

    basina of thuringia biography of barack

    466) positioned her at the origins of the Merovingian line, which dominated Gaul for over two centuries until the rise of the Carolingians.[2] Gregory notes that Clovis succeeded his father upon Childeric's death in 481 or 482 and went on to conquer much of Gaul, converting to Christianity and establishing the Frankish kingdom as a major European power.[2] While later medieval chroniclers like the 8th-century Liber Historiae Francorum echo Gregory's account of her initiative, they add little new detail, confirming her legacy primarily through this foundational dynastic connection rather than independent exploits.[1] Her story highlights the agency of early medieval queens in forging alliances during a period of migration and Roman decline.[1]

    Thuringian Origins

    Birth and Parentage

    Basina of Thuringia was a Germanic noblewoman active in the mid-5th century, during the height of the Migration Period, but details of her birth and parentage are not documented in surviving historical records.

    590), provides no information on her early life or family origins, focusing instead on her role as the wife of Basinus, king of the Thuringians.[2] Her birth is estimated to the mid-5th century in the Thuringian territory of central Germany, based on the approximate timeline of events involving her marriages and the birth of her son Clovis I (c.

    Concurrently, the Western Roman Empire's withdrawal from Gaul accelerated after Emperor Majorian's failed campaigns and death in 461, leaving northern Gaul vulnerable to barbarian incursions and creating opportunities for Frankish consolidation under figures like Childeric, who had recently returned from exile circa 457.[6]Strategically, Basina's defection likely facilitated a Thuringian-Frankish alliance that bolstered Childeric's expansion into Roman-held territories.[6] This partnership aligned with Childeric's alliances, such as his cooperation with the Romangeneral Aegidius against Visigothic incursions in 463, enhancing Frankish influence in a fragmented Gaul.[6] Basina's journey to Gaul, undertaken after Childeric's recall by the Franks, occurred amid these broader tribal migrations, where she joined him in Tournai, possibly accompanied by elements of her Thuringian entourage to solidify the bond.[2]

    Family and Descendants

    Children

    Basina and Childeric I had at least four known children, with their family centered at the Frankish court in Tournai, where Childeric maintained his kingship amid alliances with Roman authorities and neighboring tribes.[1]Their eldest son, Clovis I, was born around 466 and succeeded his father as king of the Franks in 481 or 482; he would later convert to Catholicism in 496, marking a pivotal shift for the Merovingian dynasty.[1] (citing Gregory of Tours, Historia Francorum II.9, II.27, II.31)Among their daughters was Audofleda, born circa 467, who married Theodoric the Great, king of the Ostrogoths, around 493, forging a key diplomatic link between the Franks and Ostrogoths; she played a role in early court alliances before her death around 511.[1] (citing Gregory of Tours, Historia Francorum II.31)Another daughter, Albofled, was baptized alongside her siblings shortly after Clovis's conversion but died soon afterward, prompting a letter of condolence from Bishop Remigius of Reims to Clovis.[1] (citing Gregory of Tours, Historia Francorum II.31)A third daughter, known as Lantechild or Lantilde, initially followed Arian Christianity but converted and was baptized with Clovis around 496, reflecting the religious transitions within the family during their early years at Tournai.[1] (citing Gregory of Tours, Historia Francorum II.27)Historical records on additional children remain uncertain, with some accounts suggesting possible other daughters, though primary sources provide no further confirmation.[1]Details of Basina's later years are sparse.

    Role in Merovingian Succession

    Basina's marriage to Childeric I forged a crucial alliance between the Thuringian royalty and the Salian Franks, infusing Merovingian lineage with prestigious Germanic bloodlines that bolstered the dynasty's legitimacy in a fragmented post-Roman landscape.[1] As a Thuringian noblewoman who actively sought the union, her integration of Thuringian heritage into the Frankish royal house provided a foundation for expanded influence, particularly as her son Clovis I ascended to power.[2] This linkage not only symbolized inter-tribal consolidation but also positioned the Merovingians as heirs to multiple regional powers, enhancing their claims amid rivalries with Visigoths, Burgundians, and Alamans.[7]Clovis I, reigning from 481 to 511, leveraged this maternal heritage to orchestrate transformative conquests that solidified Merovingian dominance in Gaul.

    Baltimore: Penguin. Queen of the Ostrogoths.