Teutberga (also spelled Theutberga; died 875) was a Frankish noblewoman and queen consort of Lothair II of Lotharingia. A member of the Bosonid dynasty, she became the central figure in one of the most politically charged marriage disputes of the 9th century. Her struggle to maintain her marriage and royal status against Lothair's efforts to annul the union became a defining case in medieval Church authority over marriage and annulment.
Family background
Teutberga was the daughter of Boso the Elder, Count of Turin and Valois, and Engeltrude. Her brother was
Hucbert, Count of Valois and lay abbot of Saint Maurice’s Abbey.
[Settipani, Christian. Les Ancêtres de Charlemagne, 2nd ed., Éditions Christian, 2014, pp. 188–190.] The Bosonid family held significant influence in Frankish politics, and Teutberga's marriage was likely arranged to reinforce alliances between noble houses and the royal Carolingian line.
Marriage to Lothair II
Around 855, Teutberga married
Lothair II, king of Lotharingia and great grandson of
Charlemagne. The union was politically advantageous but personally strained. Lothair had a long-standing relationship with his concubine Waldrada, with whom he had children. By 857, Lothair sought to annul his marriage to Teutberga, citing alleged misconduct, including charges of incest and abortion—accusations most scholars interpret as politically motivated.
[Riché, Pierre. The Carolingians: A Family Who Forged Europe, University of Pennsylvania Press, 1993, p. 221.]
Political and ecclesiastical conflict
Teutberga's powerful brother Hucbert opposed Lothair's efforts and led an armed revolt to support her. In 858, Teutberga underwent an ordeal by boiling water to prove her innocence, which she survived, strengthening her position.
[McKitterick, Rosamond. The Frankish Kingdoms under the Carolingians, 751–987. Longman, 1983, pp. 132–133.]
Despite several synods attempting to annul the marriage, opposition from the Church intensified. In 863, Pope Nicholas I declared the annulment invalid and ordered Lothair to restore Teutberga as queen. Though Lothair temporarily complied, he continued to seek annulment until his death in 869.[Nelson, Janet L. Charles the Bald. Longman, 1992, pp. 148–149.]
Later life and death
Following Lothair's death, Teutberga retired to a
monastery. She died in 875, without issue. Though she never had children with Lothair, her resistance helped affirm the Church's authority over marriage law in the Carolingian Empire.
Legacy
Teutberga's case became a precedent for debates on royal marriage and papal intervention. Her personal ordeal influenced ecclesiastical doctrine on the indissolubility of marriage and highlighted the political vulnerability of queens in the early medieval period.
See also
Sources
Bibliography
