Caribert of Laon
Encyclopedia
Caribert Count of Laon
, was the maternal grandfather of Charlemagne
. He was the father of Charles's mother, Bertrada of Laon
. Only his mother is known from contemporary records. In 721, Caribert signed, with his mother Bertrada of Prüm
(also known as Bertha or Beltrada of the Merovingians), the foundation act of the Abbey of Prüm. The same year, also with his mother, he made a donation to the Abbey of Echternach
. By 744, his daughter Bertrada of Laon
(by Bertrada of Cologne
) had married Pepin the Short
, mayor of the palace
of Neustria
and Burgundy
and later king of the Franks. He died before 762, as stated in an act of his daughter and son-in-law.
Laon
Laon is the capital city of the Aisne department in Picardy in northern France.-History:The hilly district of Laon, which rises a hundred metres above the otherwise flat Picardy plain, has always held strategic importance...
, was the maternal grandfather of Charlemagne
Charlemagne
Charlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 and Emperor of the Romans from 800 to his death in 814. He expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800...
. He was the father of Charles's mother, Bertrada of Laon
Bertrada of Laon
Bertrada of Laon, also called Bertha Broadfoot , was a Frankish queen.- Biography :...
. Only his mother is known from contemporary records. In 721, Caribert signed, with his mother Bertrada of Prüm
Bertrada of Prüm
Bertrada , also called Berthe or Bertree, and perhaps a Merovingian princess, is known to be the mother of Caribert of Laon, with whom she is co-founder and benefactor of the Prüm Abbey. They founded the abbey in 721....
(also known as Bertha or Beltrada of the Merovingians), the foundation act of the Abbey of Prüm. The same year, also with his mother, he made a donation to the Abbey of Echternach
Abbey of Echternach
The Abbey of Echternach is a Benedictine monastery in the town of Echternach, in eastern Luxembourg. The Abbey was founded by St Willibrord, the patron saint of Luxembourg, in the seventh century...
. By 744, his daughter Bertrada of Laon
Bertrada of Laon
Bertrada of Laon, also called Bertha Broadfoot , was a Frankish queen.- Biography :...
(by Bertrada of Cologne
Bertrada of Cologne
Bertrada of Cologne , the maternal grandmother of Charlemagne, was the Countess of Laon, married to Caribert, Count of Laon. Their daughter Bertrada of Laon married Pepin the Short, mayor of the palace of Neustria and Burgundy and later the king of the Franks. Charles, the eldest son of their...
) had married Pepin the Short
Pippin the Younger
Pepin , called the Short or the Younger , rarely the Great , was the first King of the Franks of the Carolingian dynasty...
, mayor of the palace
Mayor of the Palace
Mayor of the Palace was an early medieval title and office, also called majordomo, from the Latin title maior domus , used most notably in the Frankish kingdoms in the 7th and 8th centuries....
of Neustria
Neustria
The territory of Neustria or Neustrasia, meaning "new [western] land", originated in 511, made up of the regions from Aquitaine to the English Channel, approximating most of the north of present-day France, with Paris and Soissons as its main cities...
and Burgundy
Kingdom of Burgundy
Burgundy is a historic region in Western Europe that has existed as a political entity in a number of forms with very different boundaries. Two of these entities - the first around the 6th century, the second around the 11th century - have been called the Kingdom of Burgundy; a third was very...
and later king of the Franks. He died before 762, as stated in an act of his daughter and son-in-law.