Ansbert of Moselle

Ansbertus' existence is open to doubt and his ancestry is conjectural. He is first mentioned in the much later Liber Historiae Francorum, as is his wife Blithilde / Bilichilde ("Ansbertus nobilissimus genuit Arnoldum ex Blitchildi filia Clotharii regis Francorum, et Feriolum et Modericum et Tarsiciam.").

The Carolingian dynasty published a number of suspect links, including this one, to legitimize their rule by providing them with a Merovingian ancestry.

Medieval genealogies called him Ansbertus "Duke of the Moselle," son of Duke Wambert (died 528), son of Duke Adalbert (died 491), son or grandson of the semi-mythical King Pharamond of the Franks. Contemporary research suggests he might have been a member of the Gallo-Roman Ferreolus family, perhaps a son of Ferreolus of Rodez and his wife Deuteria.

Ansbertus From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (May 2011) (Extracted from Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ansbertus)

Ansbertus was a mythical Gallo-Roman Senator. Proposed, by some modern genealogists, to be the son of Ferreolus, Senator of Narbonne and his wife Saint Dode. This would perhaps make him the great-grandson of Tonantius Ferreolus and wife Papianilla.

The much later Liber Historiae Francorum states that an Ansbertus married Blithilde (also called Bilichilde), and that she was the daughter of "Lothar the father of Dagobert", and then continues the line to the Pippinids through his son Arnoald and his grand-daughter Itta (mother of Pepin of Landen).

Chronological Problems

William of Malmesbury in his History of the Kings of England, repeats the line, without naming his source[1]

The chronological problems with the line as presented, have led modern genealogists to try to re-construct the line in various different ways to fix them.

Marriage and Issue

Some modern reconstructions posit that Ansbertus' wife must be, instead of a daughter of Lothar II, a daughter of Lothar I and make her the offspring of his brief relationship with Waldrada, proposing the following offspring:

• Arnual or Arnoldus or Arnoald, Bishop of Metz and Margrave of Schelde
• Saint Munderic, Bishop of Arisitum
• Tarsicius or Tarsice

However the contemporary source "The History of the Franks", by Gregory of Tours, our main source on the Merovingian's [sic] during the time of this supposed union, does not ascribe to Waldrada any children by her brief unmarried relationship with Chlothar.[2]

Footnotes

1. Chronicle of the Kings of England", William of Malmesbury, page 64
2. "The History of the Franks" IV.9, by Gregory of Tours

Sources

• "Europe after Rome : a new cultural history 500-1000", by Julia M H Smith, Oxford University Press 2005 : "The Carolingian dynasty...appropriated the Roman past into its ancestry by a genealogy that claimed that its sainted (and historically attested) founder, Arnulf of Metz (d.c. 643) was the grandson of the (mythical) Merovingian princess Blithild and her (equally mythical) husband Ansbert, hailed as a Roman senator."
• The Royal Ancestry Bible Royal Ancestors of 300 Colonial American Families by Michel L. Call (chart 2074) ISBN 1-933194-22-7
• Weis, Frederick Lewis Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonist Who Came To America Before 1700 (7th ed.), lines 180 (all) & 190-9
• New England Historic and Genealogical Register 101:112
• Christian Settipani, Les Ancêtres de Charlemagne (France: Éditions Christian, 1989).
• Christian Settipani, Continuite Gentilice et Continuite Familiale Dans Les Familles Senatoriales Romaines A L'epoque Imperiale, Mythe et Realite, Addenda I - III (juillet 2000- octobre 2002) (n.p.: Prosopographica et Genealogica, 2002).
• Various Monumenta Germaniae Historica (Leipzig: Verlag Karl W. Hiersemann, 1923-1925).

  ---

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ansbertus (an older version, date not cited)

Ansbertus (505 or ca 535 – 570 or 611), "Ansbertus nobilissimus genuit Arnoldum ex Blitchildi filia Clotharii regis Francorum, et Feriolum et Modericum et Tarsiciam.", was a Gallo-Roman Senator. He was the son of Ferreolus, Senator of Narbonne (born 470) and his wife Saint Dode. He was the great-grandson of Tonantius Ferreolus and wife Papianilla.

He married Blithilde, also called Bilichilde (ca 538 – ca 603), "Blithilde filia Clotharii regis Francorum." or "filiam Hlotharii regis Francorum.", daughter of Chlothar I, King of the Franks, and wife Waldrada, a Lombard princess, before 555 and they had:

• Arnual or Arnoldus or Arnoald, Bishop of Metz and Margrave of Schelde
• Saint Munderic, Bishop of Arisitum
• Tarsicius or Tarsice

Sources

• The Royal Ancestry Bible Royal Ancestors of 300 Colonial American Families by Michel L. Call (chart 2074) ISBN 1-933194-22-7
• Weis, Frederick Lewis Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonist Who Came To America Before 1700 (7th ed.), lines 180 (all) & 190-9
• New England Historic and Genealogical Register 101:112
• Christian Settipani, Les Ancêtres de Charlemagne (France: Éditions Christian, 1989).
• Christian Settipani, Continuite Gentilice et Continuite Familiale Dans Les Familles Senatoriales Romaines A L'epoque Imperiale, Mythe et Realite, Addenda I - III (juillet 2000- octobre 2002) (n.p.: Prosopographica et Genealogica, 2002).
• Various Monumenta Germaniae Historica (Leipzig: Verlag Karl W. Hiersemann, 1923-1925).

  ---

http://wespatterson.com/biblical/charlemagne.htm

This site traces the ancestry of Charlemagne through Ansbertus all the way to Abraham. There are about 53 generations between Ansbertus and Abraham. I'm not going to add those names right now because it's a little sketchy and conflicts with other sources.

Ausbert of Moselle was born about 527 in Austrasia on the Schelde, a river which passes through Antwerp. About 556, he married Princess Blithildus of Sessions (born about 541 in Paris), daughter of Clothaire I, King of Franks, and Princess Radegonda of Thuringia. Ausbert and Princess Radegonda were parents of Arnoldus (or Arnoul), Bishop of Metz. Ausbert died in 570.

1. Fact 1: Either This Ansbertus Or His Son Was A Gallo Roman Senator.

2. Fact 2: Aka Ferreolus DE Moselle, Duke.

(http://masseyfamgenealogy.tripod.com/a47.htm#i7411)

According to the French Wikipedia page on Faux Merovingiens: http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ansbert_le_s%C3%A9nateur#Ansbert_le_s....

Ansbert le sénateur

Ansbert serait l'époux de la princesse Blitilde prétendue fille du roi Clotaire Ier ou Clotaire II. Ils seraient les parents d'un fils nommé Arnold, selon plusieurs documents médiévaux dont le premier d'entre eux est la Commemoratio genealogiae domni Karoli gloriossimi imperatoris établie par les scribes de l'évêché de Metz vers 810. Les premières versions de cette généalogie donnent Clotaire Ier comme père de Blitilde et c'est vers 870 que l'on voit apparaître Clotaire II comme père.

Personnage probablement réel (Ansbert n'est pas nommé dans les documents contemporains, mais n'apporte rien aux généalogies - c'est sa femme qui transmettrait le sang mérovingien - et comme la racine Ans se retrouve dans Anségisel, on considère son existence comme possible) mais mal relié généalogiquement par les scribes de l'évêché de Metz à la fin du IXe siècle. En effet, ces scribes ont probablement repris des documents authentiques pour établir la généalogie, mais en ont fait des lectures erronées. Même le nom de Blitilde n'est pas forcément faux, c'est sa qualité de maillon entre les Mérovingiens et les Carolingiens qui est suspect et est rejetée.

Grégoire de Tours donne une liste assez complète des enfants de Clotaire Ier où Blitilde ne figure pas. Quant à la thèse qui propose Blitilde comme une fille de Clotaire II, c'est une aberration chronologique : Arnould est un contemporain et probablement du même âge que Clotaire II qui est, selon ces généalogies, le père d'une grand mère de ce même Arnould.

In English:

Senator Ansbertus:

Ansbertus would be the husband of Princess Blithilde, the supposed daughter of King Clotaire I or Clotaire II. They are the parents of a son named Arnold, according to several medieval documents. The first of these, the Commemoratio genealogie domni Karoli gloriossimi imperatoris was written by the scribes of the Bishopric of Metz in about 810. Early versions of this genealogy suggest Clotaire I as the father of Blithilde, while around 870 this changed to Clotaire II.

He is probably a real character (Ansbertus is not named in contemporary documents, but he adds nothing to the pedigrees - it's his wife that would bring in Merovingian blood - and considering the lifespan of Ansegisel, it is possible that he did exist), but he was poorly connected genealogically by the scribes of the Bishop of Metz at the end of the 9th century. Indeed, these scribes probably took his name from authentic documents to establish the genealogy, but interpreted them incorrectly. Even the name of Blithilde is not impossible, but her being a link between the Merovingians and Carolingians is suspect and generally rejected.

Gregory of Tours gives a fairly comprehensive list of children of Clotaire I, and Blithilde is not in this list. As for the thesis proposing Blithilde as a daughter of Clotaire II, this appears to be a chronological aberration: Arnold is a contemporary and probably the same age as Clotaire II, who according to these genealogies is the father of a grandmother of the same Arnold.

"190-9,--"sons, it is said, of ANSBERTUS, the Senator (180-5).

Note: on account of his grandmother, is said to be of Imperial descent; m. Blithildis, dau of Clogthar I, King of France, who had Soissons,Vermandois, Piccardy, --YFT, p. 67.

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ansbertus for more information, including controversial information about the Merovingian ancestry of Ansbertus's wife (information not taken seriously here, since it was never independently attested).

As for Ansbertus of Gaul himself, here is his controversial ancestry, not represented in this program's tree, in Ahnentafel style:

1. Ansbertus was presumably the son of 2. Ferreolus of Rodez (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferreolus,_Senator_of_Narbonne), who was a Senator of Narbonne, then Narbo, who lived in Rodez and was also a Senator there. Ferreolus was married firstly ca 531 to a Princess of the Salian Franks, born before 511, daughter of Chlodwig I, without issue, he later married secondly Saint Dode (Ahnentafel 3), born before 509, daughter of King Chloderic of the Ripuarian Franks.

3. Dode (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dode,_Abbess_of_Saint_Pierre_de_Reims) was the daughter of Saint Dode (born before 509) was an Abbess of Saint Pierre de Reims and a French Saint whose Feast Day is April 24. She was the daughter of Chloderic, King of the Franks, and the sister of Munderic.

4. Senator Tonantius Ferreolus (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonantius_Ferreolus_(senator)), 440 or say 450 – 511 or after 517.

5. Industria of Narbonne, then Narbo, born ca 450 or 465, whom Senator Tonantius Ferreolus married before 475

6.

7.

8. Tonantius Ferreolus (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonantius_Ferreolus_(prefect)), 405 or ca 420 – 475, praetorian prefect of Gaul (praefectus praetorio Galliarum) from 451.

9. Papianilla, clarissima femina, born ca 415, niece of Emperor Avitus and the first cousin of another Papianilla, wife of Sidonius Apollinaris

10. Flavius Probus (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flavius_Probus), born ca 420, 430 or 435, married before 450 Eulalia

11. Eulalia, born ca 425, a cousin of Sidonius Apollinaris

12.

13.

14.

15.

16. Ferreolus, born say 390

17. Syagria, clarissima femina (?), born say 390

20. Flavius Magnus (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flavius_Magnus), c. 390 or 405 – 475,

22. Thaumastus I (also called Thaumaste I) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thaumastus), born c. 400, son of #44 and apparently a descendant of another Apollinaris, Prefect of Gaul under Constantine II between 337 and 340.

34. Flavius Afranius Syagrius (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flavius_Afranius_Syagrius), b. ca 345, a subject of debate for those attempting to trace the Carolingian dynasty of France, as well as their numerous descendants, from antiquity. All of these attempts include many speculative and hypothetical connections, rather than being historically documented.

40. Flavius Felix (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flavius_Felix), died in Ravenna, 430

41. Padusia, b. 385

44. Apollinaris, Praetorian Prefect of Gaul

80. Ennodius (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ennodius_(Proconsul)), 355 – after 395, was a Proconsul of Africa in 395.

82. Flavius Julius Agricola (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flavius_Julius_Agricola), 365 – after 421, a Consul of Rome in 421.

Leo: Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonists who came to America bef. 1700, Baltimore, 1995, Weis, Frederick Lewis; Sheppard, Walter, Reference: 163.

http://www.our-royal-titled-noble-and-commoner-ancestors.com/p825.h...

(Wiki)

Ansbertus or Ansbert, Ausbert was a Frankish Austrasian noble, as well as a Gallo-Roman Senator. He is thought to be the son of Ferreolus, Senator of Narbonne and his wife Saint Dode. This would perhaps make him the great-grandson of Sigimerus (son of Clodius) and his wife, a daughter of Ferreolus Tonantius (a Roman Senator and Praetorian Prefect of Gaul). His wife Billihild was reputed to be a daughter of Charibert I, Merovingian King of Paris, and granddaughter of Chlothar I.

Little of his actual life is known. Published centuries later, the Liber Historiae Francorum states that an Ansbertus married Blithilde (also called Bilichilde), and that she was the daughter of "Lothar the father of Dagobert", and then continues the line to the Pippinids through his son Arnoald and his granddaughter Itta (wife of Pepin of Landen).