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Birth:          ABT 1054 of Vlaardingen, Zuid-Holland
Death:          15 Oct 1094 Montreuil-sur-Loire, France

Notes
d 1093/4
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bertha_of_Holland
Bertha of Holland (c. 1055 – 15 October 1094), also known as Berthe or Bertha of 
Frisia and erroneously as Berta or Bertrada, was queen consort of the Franks from 
1072 until 1092, as the first wife of King Philip I. Bertha's marriage to the king in 1072 
was a result of peace negotiations between him and her stepfather, Count Robert the 
Frisian of Flanders. After nine years of childlessness, the royal couple had three 
children, including Philip's successor, Louis the Fat. Philip, however, grew tired of his 
wife by 1090, and repudiated her in 1092 in order to marry the already married 
Bertrada of Montfort. That marriage was a scandal since both Philip and Bertrada were 
already married to other people, at least until Queen Bertha died the next year.
Early life[edit]

Bertha was the daughter of Count Floris I of Holland and his wife, Gertrude of 
Saxony.[1] She is erroneously referred to as Matilda (Machtilda) by Chronologia 
Johannes de Beke.[2] Bertha had six siblings and both of her parents came from large 
families. Her father ruled a territory vaguely described as "Friesland west of the Vlie", 
which is where Bertha spent her childhood.[3] Count Floris I was assassinated in 
1061,[3] and two years later her mother remarried to Robert of Flanders.[4] Robert, 
now known as Robert the Frisian, became guardian of Bertha and her six siblings.[3] 
In 1070, Robert the Frisian became involved in a war with King Philip I of France over 
succession to the County of Flanders.[3][5] Within two years, Robert and Philip 
concluded a peace treaty which was to be sealed by a marriage; Robert's own 
daughters were too young, but their half-sister Bertha was just the right age.[3] Robert 
thus agreed to the marriage of his stepdaughter to King Philip. Bertha married Philip, 
thus becoming queen of the Franks, probably in 1072.[3][4]

Queenship[edit]

Bertha was, at the time, the lowest ranking woman to marry a French king; no suitable 
princess could be found, since they were all too closely related to Philip for the 
marriage to any of them to be seen as perfectly valid by the Church. Bertha had no 
kings among her traceable ancestors and lacked even tenuous links with the 
Carolingian that her predecessors could claim. Consequently, contemporary 
chroniclers did not even try to present her lineage as more exalted than that of a 
count's daughter. Nevertheless, the shortage of royal candidates made Bertha a 
suitable choice.[6] The regal title she gained by this marriage was prestigious, but had 
little meaning, as she was confined to her husband's small royal domain that covered 
little more than areas around Paris and Orléans.[3]

Little is known about Bertha's queenship. She co-signed only three donation charters. 
However, she plays a prominent role in the hagiography titled Vita Arnulfi. The 
hagiography describes how she used her regal power (vi regia) to expel Abbot Gerard 
of Saint-Médard and reinstate the former abbot, Pontius, who had been removed due 
to his mismanagement of the abbey. Saint Arnulf of Soissons warned her that doing so 
would incur the wrath of God and lead to her being driven out of the kingdom into 
exile, where she would die despised and miserable. The queen furiously refused to 
listen to him. Although all the extant versions of Vita Arnulfi refer to the queen as 
Bertrada, it is clear that the queen mentioned in the hagiography is Bertha of Holland, 
given that the events mentioned in it took place while Bertha was queen and more 
than a decade before she was replaced as such by Bertrada. The hagiography, 
however, was written after Bertha died and during Bertrada's queenship, which might 
explain the name confusion.[3]

Childlessness[edit]

For six years, King Philip and Queen Bertha were troubled by their childlessness and 
especially by the lack of male children,[5] which was not unusual among the early 
male members of the House of Capet.[4] Things suddenly took a different course, 
however, when the Queen had three children in quick succession: a daughter named 
Constance in 1078 and two sons, the long-hoped heir named Louis in 1081 and Henry, 
born in 1083 and who died in infancy.[4][5] The birth of the long-awaited heir apparent 
had such a great impact that a story of a miracle developed around it. Reportedly, the 
couple's fertility was only restored thanks to the prayers of a hermit, Saint Arnulf of 
Soissons. Arnulf informed Queen Bertha that she was expecting a son and that it 
would be appropriate to give him the Carolingian name of Louis. A daughter named 
Constance soon followed. Bertha gave birth to one more son, named Henry, but he 
appears to have died in infancy or childhood.[3][5]

Repudiation[edit]

After the birth of three children, the marriage began breaking apart. The King became 
tired of his wife but the reasons are unclear. Contemporary chroniclers give different 
explanations. According to the English historian William of Malmesbury, Philip 
complained that Bertha was "too fat", though he was himself becoming too obese to 
ride a horse.[4][5] In 1092, Philip announced his decision to divorce "the noble and 
virtuous daughter of Florent count of Holland and stepdaughter of Robert the Frisian" 
and marry the already married Bertrada of Montfort, the wife of Count Fulk IV of Anjou. 
The repudiated queen withdrew to the fortress of Montreuil-sur-Mer, which was part of 
her dower land.[4] By doing so, Philip infuriated his stepfather-in-law. Bertha died soon 
thereafter, on 15 October 1094[7] This simplified matters for Philip who was now free 
to remarry – though not the Countess of Anjou, whose husband Fulk was still living.[5]

In 1108, Philip died. The son of the queen who had been repudiated ostensibly for her 
obesity ascended the French throne as Louis VI. Both he and her fraternal nephew, 
Count Floris II of Holland, were nicknamed "the Fat".[3]

Issue[edit]

Together, Philip and Bertha had three children:
1.Constance (1078 – 14 September 1126), married Hugh I of Champagne before 1097 
and then, after her divorce, to Bohemund I of Antioch in 1106.
2.Louis VI of France (1 December 1081 – 1 August 1137).
3.Henry (1083 – died young).

Parents
____ Floris I (Florens) (ABT 1017 - 28 Jun 1061)
OF SAXONY Gertrude (ABT 1028 - 4 Aug 1113)

Siblings
OF HOLLAND Adele (ABT 1050 - 1085)
____ Dietrich (Dirk) V (ABT 1052 - 17 Jun 1091)
OF HOLLAND Bertha (ABT 1054 - 15 Oct 1094)

Marriage To ____ Philip (Philippe) I (BEF 23 May 1053 - 29 Jul 1108)
    m. 1072 dv. 1091 his 1st

Notes

Parents
____ Henry I (4 May 1008 - 4 Aug 1060)
YAROSLAVNA Anna Agnesa (1036 - 1075)

Children by ____ Philip (Philippe) I BEF 23 May 1053 - 29 Jul 1108
____ Constance (1078 - 14 Sep 1125)
____ Louis VI "le Gros" ("the Fat") (1 Dec 1081 - 1 Aug 1137)

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