Queen Bertha
Biography
Not much is known the life of Bertha. She was the wife of King Aethelbert of Kent and a pivotal figure in the establishment of Christianity in the late 6th century. She was instrumental in the conversion of her husband, Aethelberht and earned the praises of Pope Gregory the Great.
Early Life
Bertha was born around 565 C.E. to the Merovingian King of Paris, Charibert I (c.517 – 567) and his first wife, Ingoberga. Her father died when she was young and grew up near Tours, surrounded by the influence of St. Martin of Tours (c.316 – 397).
Marriage
Gregory of Tours, in his History of the Franks, briefly tells us that Charibert, “had a daughter who afterwards married a husband in Kent and was taken there.” Unfortunately the date of her marriage is unknown, however, Bede records a stipulation of her betrothal to Aethelberht. For their union to take place, Aethelberht, a pagan king, was to allow Bertha to practice her Christian faith without hinderance.
As Bertha traveled to England, she brought with her a French bishop named Liudhard. An old Roman church was given to them (probably from Aethelberht) named St. Martin. It is currently the oldest church building that is still in use in the English-speaking world.
St. Bertha, wooden statue inside St. Martin’s Church
Queen Bertha and St. Augustine
Augustine the Lesser arrived in Kent in the year 597 C.E. and met King Aethelberht on the Isle of Thanet. This initial meeting was met with hesitation from the king, because he was afraid of Christian magic. It is not recorded if Queen Bertha was with them at this meeting, however, Augustine did bring Frankish translators, according to Bede, to help communicate. It is unclear why Aethelberht was afraid since he was exposed to Christianity because of Bertha. Bede first writes that Aethelberht did know some of the Christian faith because of Bertha, but later writes that Aethelberht said, “The words and promises you bring are fair enough, but because they are new to us and doubtful, I cannot consent to accept them…” Obviously, Bede was not present at the meeting to record what was truly said and historians can safely assume that Aethelberht did have some understanding of Christianity. Either way, it does not change the fact that he accepted Augustine and let them establish themselves in the town of Canterbury. Augustine and his monks began using the church of St. Martin alongside Bertha. There, they worshipped together and began proselytizing to the Anglo-Saxon people.
Stained glass window of St. Bertha and St. Augustine, St. Marks Church
Image: Stained glass window of St. Bertha and St. Augustine, St. Marks Church
A Papal Letter
In 601 C.E., Pope Gregory sent a letter to Queen Bertha full of both admonishment and encouragement. At least two monks from England, Laurentius and Peter, had travelled to Rome and informed Gregory of all that was happening in England. Gregory begins his letter by praising her labors in helping establish Augustine and his mission. He goes on praising her assistance in converting the populace of Kent, however, while this letter was being written Aethelberht had not yet converted to Christianity and Gregory admonishes her for this. He encourages her to focus on the conversion of her husband and her son, because it would benefit the conversion of the whole nation.
Death & Legacy
The date of her death is unknown, but it is assumed she died before Aethelberht, who died in 616, because it seems that he had remarried at some point. She was obviously alive when Pope Gregory wrote his letter to her in 601. Tradition states that she was buried beneath the step of St. Martins church.
Queen Bertha of Kent is relatively unknown in the modern world, but that is most likely due to the fact that not much is known about her life. The few records we have of her tell of her aid in St. Augustine’s mission and the praise of Pope Gregory the Great. She helped bring Christianity to the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Kent and to her husband, Aethelberht. However, she was not successful in converting her son, Ealbald, who became king in 616. She has been venerated since her death.
Related Topics
Further Research & References
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Martin-of-Tours
https://www.nationalchurchestrust.org/church/st-martin-canterbury
https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/learn/histories/women-in-history/queen-bertha-historical-enigma/
https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/basis/gregory-hist.asp#book4
Bede. The Ecclesiastical History of the English People. Translated by Leo Sherley-Price, Penguin Books, 1991.
Pope Gregory I. The Letters of Gregory the Great. Translated by John R.C. Martyn, 3 vols., Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies, 2004.
The Kentish Royal Legend. Edited and translated by Michael Winterbottom, Oxford University Press, 1990.
Abels, Richard. “Bertha: A Merovingian Queen and the Baptism of England.” Speculum 78, no. 4 (2003): 1006-1034.
Blair, Peter Hunter. The World of Bede. Cambridge University Press, 1990.
Wood, Ian. The Merovingian Kingdoms: 450-751. Pearson Education, 1994.
Photos:
Dennis3333, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons. [cropped]
AndyScott, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons. [Not edited]