Have you ever heard of Queen Nanthilde? Because she’s kind of awesome...

Yesterday I wrote about how Nanthilde may have kinda sorta started the process of making an heir without her husband present. Well, whether or not that's true, she did, in fact, give birth to... 1/6 #thread

Clovis II, one of only two male heirs Dagobert had after a lifetime of "debauchery." 

Dagobert up and died in 639 at the Middle Ages-old age of 36 (he got the dysentery, which is a miserable way to go. More on that in later posts; fun!). Without her royal husband there... 2/6

to protect her, did Nanthilde shrivel up? Absolutely not!

She stayed with her son and ruled as regent, working alongside a guy named Æga who ran things as the Mayor of the Palace. However, Æga died three years into his tenure, leaving Nanthilde exposed again... 3/6

Acting quick, she tapped Erchinoald to take Æga’s place - Erchinoald was Dagobert’s maternal uncle and the great-uncle of the new King, bringing blood ties back to the administrative role of Mayor. Then, as if she hadn't already done enough... 4/6

she created a new Mayor position in Burgundy, a place that hadn’t had a Mayor or a King since 607. And when she named the new Mayor for this region, she set him up with a gift: Nanthilde's niece, Ragnabert. Doing this tied the second Mayor to the Royal family... 5/6

a shrewd move and one I doubt happened by chance.

So yeah, Nanthilde... a fine example of a Queen who doesn’t get the press she deserves! 6/6

https://play.acast.com/s/thugs-and-miracles

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