| Bertha | |
|---|---|
| Queen consort of Kent | |
 Bertha of Kent: Stained glass window in the chapter house ofCanterbury Cathedral, England | |
| Born | c. 565 |
| Died | c. 601 |
| Spouse | Æthelberht of Kent |
| Issue | Eadbald of Kent Æthelburg of Kent Æðelwald |
| Dynasty | Merovingian |
| Father | Charibert I |
| Mother | Ingoberga |
| Religion | Chalcedonian Christianity |
Bertha orAldeberge (c. 565[1]– d. in or after 601) was aFrankish princess who became queen ofKent. She enabled the 597Gregorian mission, led byAugustine, which resulted in theconversion to Christianity ofAnglo-Saxon England.
Bertha was aFrankish princess, the daughter ofCharibert I and his wifeIngoberga, granddaughter of the reigning KingChlothar I and great-granddaughter ofClovis I andClotilde.[2] Her father died in 567, her mother in 589. Bertha had been raised nearTours.[3] Her marriage to thepaganÆthelberht of Kent, in 580, was on condition that she be allowed to practise her religion.[4] She brought her chaplain,Liudhard, with her toEngland.[5] A former Roman church was restored for Bertha just outsideCanterbury and dedicated toMartin of Tours. It was the private chapel of Queen Bertha beforeAugustine arrived from Rome. The presentSt Martin's Church, Canterbury continues on the same site, incorporating Roman walling of the original church in thechancel. It is acknowledged byUNESCO as the oldest church in the English-speaking world where Christian worship has taken place continuously since 580. St Martin's (withCanterbury Cathedral andSt Augustine's Abbey) make up Canterbury's UNESCOWorld Heritage Site.[6]
Pope Gregory I requested that Bertha convert her husband to Christianity and upbraided her for not doing so. When Gregory decided to send amission led by Augustine to restore Christianity to England in 596, the Pope requested that Bertha incline her husband's heart to give a favourable reception. Augustine was supposed to move on but upon arrival in 597 he decided to found the Abbey of St Peter and Paul on land granted by Æthelberht.[7] Without her support and Æthelberht's good will, monastic settlements and the cathedral would likely have been developed elsewhere.[8] In 601, Pope Gregory addressed a letter to Bertha, in which he complimented her highly on her faith and knowledge of letters.[4]
Anglo-Saxon records indicate that Bertha had two children:Eadbald of Kent andÆthelburg of Kent. She is named in the genealogies of various of the medieval accounts of the 'Kentish Royal Legend'.[9]
The date of her death (possibly 606) is disputed.[4]
TheCity of Canterbury celebrates Queen Bertha in several ways.
There is a wooden statue of Bertha in St Martin's Church.[8]
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