 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Hemma" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(February 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| Emma of Altdorf | |
|---|---|
 Tomb effigy at St. Emmeram's Abbey | |
| Queen consort of the Franks East Frankish queen | |
| Tenure | 843–876 |
| Born | c. 803 |
| Died | (876-01-31)31 January 876 Regensburg |
| Spouse | Louis the German (m. 827) |
| Issue more... | Louis the Younger Irmgard of Chiemsee Carloman of Bavaria Charles the Fat |
| House | Welf |
| Father | Welf of Altdorf |
| Mother | Hedwig of Saxony |
Emma of Altdorf, also known asHemma (c. 803 – 31 January 876), a member of theElder House of Welf, wasQueen consort of East Francia by marriage to KingLouis the German, from 843 until her death.[1]
Her father wasWelf I (d. 825), Count ofAltorf inAlamannia; her mother wasHedwig (Heilwig; c. 775 – after 833), a daughter of theSaxon countIsambart. Emma's elder sister wasJudith, who in February 819 married theCarolingian emperorLouis the Pious, and thereby became Queen consort of the Franks andHoly Roman Empress. The marriage marked a crucial step forward in the rise of the Welf dynasty.
In 827, probably at the instigation of Judith, Hemma marriedLouis the German, the youngest son of Emperor Louis the Pious from his first marriage withErmengarde of Hesbaye, and stepson of Hemma's sister Judith. The wedding ceremony possibly[clarification needed] took place inRegensburg, where Louis the German resided asKing of Bavaria subordinate to his father. In 833, Hemma receivedObermünster Abbey in Regensburg from her husband.
Emperor Louis died in 840. After severe innerdynastic struggles, theCarolingian Empire eventually was divided according to theTreaty of Verdun in 843. The Kingdom of Bavaria was merged with Louis the German's Kingdom ofEast Francia (the predecessor of theKingdom of Germany), and his wife Hemma became the first East Frankish queen.
Hemma is rarely mentioned in contemporary sources; she does not seem to have had much influence on her husband's rule. TheAnnales Bertiniani written by ArchbishopHincmar of Reims however reproach her for a pride which displeased the people of Italy. She is also said to have inordinately favoured her sonCarloman, designated heir of his father in Bavaria, which led to a revolt by his brothers.
Hemma suffered a stroke in 874 and subsequently became paralyzed and speechless; King Louis visited her the last time in 875. She died on 31 January 876, a few months before her husband, and was buried inSt. Emmeram's Abbey, Regensburg. Her tomb, erected around 1300, is considered a masterpiece of medieval sculpture.[2]
By Louis, she had eight children:
Her sons became Kings; three of her daughters became nuns.
| Preceded by vacant | Queen consort of Bavaria 827–843 | Vacant Title next held by herselfas Queen consort of East Francia |
| Preceded by herself as Queen consort of Bavaria | Queen consort of East Francia (Germany) 843–876 | Succeeded by |
| Succeeded by |