Other Events and Attributes:

• Appointments / Titles: Count of Vivarais
• FSID: 949D-L4R

Family/Spouse: Unknown. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. de Gellone, Cunegonde was born in 800 in Kingdom of the Franks; died on 15 Jun 835 in Milan, Milano, Lombardia, Italy; was buried after 15 Jun 835 in Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio, Milan, Milano, Lombardia, Italy.

Other Events and Attributes:

• FSID: L19Q-3DY
• Appointments / Titles: Between 790 and 811; 2nd Duke of Toulouse
• Life Event: 29 Jun 806, Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert, Hérault, Languedoc-Roussillon, France; Lived as a hermit in the Gellone monastery which he founded

Notes:

When Wilhelm von Gellon Herzog von Aquitanien was born about 0750, in Royaume, Tournai, Hainaut, Belgium, his father, Theoderic I Graf von Autun, was 35 and his mother, Aldana, was 32. He married Kunigunde in 0779. They were the parents of at least 3 sons and 1 daughter. In 806, at the age of 56, his occupation is listed as lebte als einsiedler in dem von ihm gegründeten kloster gellone in Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert, Hérault, Languedoc-Roussillon, France. He died in May 0815, in Hérault, Languedoc-Roussillon, France, at the age of 65, and was buried in Aniane, Hérault, Languedoc-Roussillon, France.

The abbey of Saint-Guilhem-le-Desert in the Gellone valley (30 kilometers northwest of Montpellier) owes its name to Guilhem, a French knight of the medieval period. Born sometime in the late 8th century, Guilhem was the grandson of Charles Martel, the Duke of Aquitane, and one of the Emperor Charlemagne's chosen knights. He fought bravely against the Saracens (Muslims) of Spain and became famous as the hero of medieval ballads due to his knightly prowess and chivalrous character. A devout Christian who ended his days (died 812 AD) in the monastery at Gellone, he endowed the abbey with a relic of the True Cross, given to him by Charlemagne. Because of this relic, the monastery soon prospered and became an important place of pilgrimage in southern France.
With the development of the great medieval pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela (the shrine of Saint James in northwestern Spain) in the 10th century, Saint-Guilhem-le-Desert became a recognized stage on one of the four major routes leading to Compostela. By the middle of the 11th century this influx of pilgrims to the Gellone valley enabled the monks to rebuild their monastery on a larger scale, using the architectural techniques of the early Romanesque style. The present abbey church dates from that period.
The life of the monastery continued, influenced from time to time by national events and the wider crosscurrents of history until its slow decline in the 18th century and its suppression during the French Revolution in 1790. In the 19th century the abbey was vandalized and fragments of its buildings are found scattered all over the region, even as far away as the Cloisters museum, north of New York City. Reconstructed in the 20th century, today the abbey is the parish church of the small, picturesque village of Saint-Guilhem-le-Desert. No archaeological evidence has come to light indicating the sanctity of the site in pre-Christian times.
Biographical information about Guilhem
William a grandson of Charles Martel. He was born in France around the middle of the 8th century. His mother Aldana was a daughter of Charles Martel, so he was a cousin of Charlemagne. As a close kinsman of Charlemagne he spent his youth in the imperial court. William was made Count of Toulouse in 790, and Charlemagne placed his young son (Louis the Pious, who was to inherit Aquitaine), in his wardship. He was the second count of Toulouse and held the title from 790 until 811.
The following detailed information on Saint-Guilhem-le-Desert can be found on the Languedoc website.
Guilhem dedicated the next thirteen years to sustaining the southern frontiers of the Frankish empire. He was renowned as one of the most valiant warriors of his time. He married twice; his second wife, the Lady of Orange was apparently the widow of a Saracen Lord that he killed and whose estates he seized. Guilhem's exploits became famous and he evolved into the hero of medieval ballads of knightly prowess and chivalry. He is the hero of the Chanson de Guillaume, an early chanson de geste, and of several later sequels.
In 804 Guilhem retired to the Abbey of Aniane. (For many centuries it was regarded as entirely laudable for men to abandon their wives and families to become monks). In 806 he headed a group of monks who set off to found the Abbey of Gellone (now Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert). Before his death, Charlemagne had given the young Guilhem a reliquary, which was believed to contained pieces of the True Cross. (Hundreds of such bogus relics were in circulation even before the Crusades). Guilhem left this one to his Abbey, where it remains to this day. The jewelled reliquary is carried through the village in procession once a year on the 3rd May - St Guilhem's feast day. Replicas made of biscuit are available in the Abbey Church. The faithful claim that they provide protection against lightening.
Guilhem is known by several different names, some of them reflecting his appearance, some his conquests, some his later religious life, and some merely confusion with other semi legendary Guilhems. He was Guilhem the short nosed - French Guillaume au Court Nez, or the Marquis au court nez - a disfigurement incurred during his battle with that pesky Moorish giant who lived in the castle at Gellone. He was also Guillaum de Narbonne; Guillaume Fierabrace, Guillaume d'Orange, and Guilhem de Gellone and Saint Guilhem.
According to the book Holy Blood Holy Grail Guilhem was the son of "Theodoric, king of the Jews of Septimania" crowned in 768. Through him the bloodline of Jesus became the bloodline of Frankish royalty. This fantasy was later incorporated into the plot of the best-selling novel The Da Vinci Code.
The town of Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert
The town Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert lies in the Gellon valley just North of Gignac, east of the new A75 motorway, about 30 kilometres Northwest of Montpellier. It is really more of a village with a population of around 250.
The village has retained its medieval personality with old houses in amber stone, an ancient tower, and a shady square with a fountain and traditional plain trees. It sprawls organically along the Verdus stream, surrounded by cliffs, verdant with thyme, oak and pine trees. The prison tower is a vestige of the medieval village and still dominates it. It is a simple square crenelated tower, pierced by a simple window.
Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert is counted among the Plus Beaux Villages (most beautiful villages) of France, classed, since 1999 a National Site. It is home to numerous artists, many of whom may be found in their studios around the square.
Overlooking the village, on the side of the cliff, is a castle of Visigoth origin. It was only ever a modest fortress but has attracted colourful stories involving Visigoths, Saracens and troubadours. According to legend this castle was once the abode of a Saracen giant, called Don Juan, who was defeated in improbable circumstances by the eponymous Guilhem in single combat.
The Abbey of Saint-Guilhem-le-Desert
The Abbey is located in the town of Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert in the Gellone Valley not far from Montpellier, in the Hérault département. It is a Benedictine foundation dedicated to Saint-Sauveur. It was founded in 804 by Guilhem of Orange, Duke of Aquitaine and second Count of Toulouse, a member of Charlemagne's court, later known as Saint Guilhem.
As the medieval pilgrimage route to the shrine of Saint James of Compostella in Spain developed in the 10th century, the monastery of Saint-Guilhem-le-Desert became a staging point on one of the four main routes through Europe leading to it. Like all such staging points it benefited financially from its more than usually gullible pilgrim visitors. By the middle of the 11th century the monks were rich enough to rebuild their monastery on a larger scale in the latest Romanesque style. The present abbey church dates from this period.
By the twelfth century, the abbey had been renamed in honour of its founder. And as the site in the Gellone Valley had been selected because it was a virtual desert, we now know it at the Abbey of Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert. By 1206, a new cloister had been built at Saint-Guilhem incorporating columns and pilasters which are now located in an American museum. Many of them recall classical Roman columns, but they depart from classical models in their variety of design.
During the 14th to 16th centuries, progressively declined. Under the 'commende' system the abbot was nominated by the king, who selected from among the members of the high clergy (rather than being elected by the monks of the community). The system inevitably led to abuse and for centuries successive Abbots from aristocratic families accumulated titles and neglected their monastic duties.
Like other French religious buildings, Saint-Guilhem suffered in the Wars of Religion during and after the Reformation. In 1569 the Abbey was pillaged by Protestants and sculptures were damaged. Furniture and fittings were sold off to pay for repairs, and for a garrison to protect the Abbey. By 1670 the monastery was in a state of advanced decay. The monks called upon the congregation of Saint-Maur to undertake repair work to save the buildings from ruin and re-establish the monastic life.
The abbey declined in the 18th century. In 1783, it was attached to the bishopric of Lodeve, losing its independence. Monks from Saint-Maur occupied the monastery until the French Revolution, by which time the community had been reduced to six monks. It was suppressed in 1790 during the French Revolution, and the buildings sold ominously to a stonemason. The abbey church escaped vandalism as it became a parish church, but the rest was vandalised. Various businesses were established in the cloister, including a spinning business and a tannery. Private houses were established in the buildings around the cloister and the cloister itself which was used as a stone quarry.
Fragments of the abbey may be found all over the region, and even much further away. You can see some of those columns of the cloister dating from before 1206 in the Cloisters museum, north of New York (part of New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art). It is difficult to know who best deserves the title of Most Cretinous Philistine - the people who sold them, those who bought them, or those who now decline to return them. The cumulative damage of these various acts of vandalism was so severe that it is now impossible to determine the number and sequence of its columns - or even the dimensions of the cloister.
In 1840, the abbey was taken in hand by the Monuments Historiques. Restoration since 1960 has tried to restore the original aspect of the building. A new cloister has been built. Since the end of the 1970s, a community of monks from Carmel Saint Joseph has made the abbey their home.
The abbey is one of several World Heritage sites in the Languedoc. In 1987, the Abbey of Gellone was classed as a French Historical Monument. On the 5 December, 1998, it was classified as a World Heritage site by UNESCO as part of the "Paths of Saint James" - the pilgrimage routes of St-Jacques de Compostela.

Wilhelm married de Gellone, Kunigunde in 779. Kunigunde was born in 755 in Kingdom of the Franks; died in 795 in Somme, Picardie, France; was buried in 795 in Kingdom of the Franks. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• FSID: LCRR-V1S

Other Events and Attributes:

• Appointments / Titles: Autun, Saône-et-Loire, Bourgogne, France; Count of Autun
• FSID: LH18-RC4

Notes:

PARENTS ARE UNKNOWN:
http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/FRANKISH%20NOBILITY.htm#TheodericIAutundiedbefore804

"THE ORIGIN OF COMTE THEODERIC IS NOT KNOWN."

"Theoderic [Thierry I] & his wife had seven (7) children: TEUDOIN, THEODERIC II, ADALELM, [unknown name], GUILLAUME, ABBA, and BERTA."

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thierry_Ier_d%27Autun

"Aucun document ne mentionne son ascendance." ("NO DOCUMENT MENTIONS HIS ANCESTRY.")

"Il a épousé Alda, très probablement fille de Charles Martel, duc des Francs, qui donne naissance à: Theoden (ou Teudoin), Thierry, Alleaume (ou Adalhelm), Guillaume (ou Guilhem), Abba, et Berta."

!! https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guilhelmides#G%C3%A9n%C3%A9alogie !!

!! https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liste_des_comtes_d%27Autun !!

`

Theoderic married von Herstal, Aldana. Aldana (daughter of Martel, King Charles and de Trèves, Princess Chrotrude) was born in 718 in Kingdom of the Franks; died in 804 in Kingdom of the Franks. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• FSID: LHKK-QWT

Notes:

http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/FRANKSMaiordomi.htm#AldaMTheodericAutun

Other Events and Attributes:

• House: House of Pippinid
• FSID: 99KR-KTJ
• Religion: Roman Catholic
• Life Event: Between 714 and 741, Kingdom of Austrasia; Mayor of the Palace of Austrasia & Neustria; mayor; Hausmeier; Austrasien; 714; 715, 717
• Life Event: 717; Duke and Prince of the Franks, fränkischer Hausmeier, Herzog der Franken, Kuningas, Duc des Austrasiens, Frankish King, Mayor of the Palace
• Appointments / Titles: Between 718 and 741, Kingdom of Neustria (Historical); mayor of the Palace of Neustria
• Military: 10 Oct 732, Tours, Indre-et-Loire, Centre, France; Led the Franks, Saxons, to victory over 500,000 Moors from Hispania (Spain) on 10-10-732

Notes:

Charles, more commonly known as Charles Martel, was a formidable warrior and statesmen who thoroughly deserved his nickname of “the hammer.”
Charles was the son of Frankish statesman Pepin of Herstal and his 2nd wife noblewoman Alpaida, he was born about 688. He had a brother named Childebrand, who later became the Frankish dux (Duke) of Burgundy.
In older historiography, it was common to describe Charles as "illegitimate". But the dividing line between wives and concubines was not clear-cut in eighth-century Francia, and it is likely that the accusation of "illegitimacy" derives from the desire of Pepin's first wife Plectrude to see her progeny as heirs to Pepin's power.

Charles Martel, as Duke and Prince of the Franks and Mayor of the Palace, was the de facto ruler of Francia from 718 until his death, 22 October 741 in Quierzy, France.

Charles Martel married twice, his first wife being Rotrude of Treves. They had the following children:
-Hiltrud,
-Carloman,
-Landrade, also rendered Landres
-Auda, also called Aldana or Alane
-Pepin the Short, also called Pippin

Charles married a second time, to Swanhild, and they had one child:
-Grifo

Charles Martel also had a known mistress, Ruodhaid, with whom he had children:
-Bernard
-Hieronymus
-Remigius. Archbishop of Rouen.

Through his son Pepin the Short, Charles Martel was the grandfather of Charles the Great, otherwise known as Charlemagne. Charlemagne was originally named Charles after his grandfather.

Charles married de Trèves, Princess Chrotrude in 721 in Quierzy, Aisne, Picardie, France. Chrotrude was born on 23 Aug 688 in Trier, Trier, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany; was christened in 695 in Kingdom of Austrasia; died on 22 Oct 724 in Quierzy, Aisne, Picardie, France; was buried after 22 Oct 724 in Abbey of Saint-Arnould, Metz, Moselle, Lorraine, France. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Appointments / Titles: Trier, Trier, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany; Duchess
• Appointments / Titles: Princess of the Franks
• FSID: LCX5-2HB

Notes:

Chrotrude's parentage has never been positively confirmed. She was either the daughter of Lambert of Hesbaye, or the daughter of Leudwin of Treves - see Wikipedia article.

Rotrude (Chrodtrudis) (or Crotude, Chrotrude, or Ruadtrud; died 724) was the first wife of Charles Martel, Mayor of the Palace and de facto ruler of Francia from 718 to 741. She was the mother of Pepin the Short, King of the Franks, and therefore the grandmother of Charlemagne. Rotrude is believed to be the daughter of Lambert, Count of Hesbaye

Rotrude and Charles had five children:
Carloman, Mayor of the Palace
Pepin the Short, King of the Franks and father of Charlemagne
Hiltrude, Duchess Consort of Bavaria, married to Odilo, Duke of Bavaria
Landrade
Auda of France, married to Thierry IV, Count of Autun.

After Rotrude’s death in 724, Charles married Swanachild and had one child Grifo. Charles also had a mistress Ruodhaid with whom he had numerous children.

The only indication of Chrotrud's family membership arises from the information that Wido, lay abbot of Saint-Wandrille († executed 739), a close relative, propinquus, was Karl Martell's. Wido is mentioned as early as 715 as the brother of Bishop Milo of Trier and Reims and as the son of St. Liutwin. If one translates propinquus as brother-in-law and relates the connection to Chrotrud, she becomes a daughter of Liutwin and a member of the Widonen. This line of thought was published by Anton Halbedel in 1915 and has since been taken up several times, but it is only a h y p o t h e s i s .

Rotrude (Chrodtrudis) (or Crotude, Chrotrude, or Ruadtrud; died 724) was the first wife of Charles Martel, Mayor of the Palace and de facto ruler of Francia from 718 to 741. She was the mother of Pepin the Short, King of the Franks, and therefore the grandmother of Charlemagne. Rotrude is believed to be the daughter of Lambert, Count of Hesbaye, although this designation is not without controversy, as discussed below. She is also referred to as Rotrude of Treves.

Traditionally, the information available about the family background of Rotrude was the indication that Wido (Guy), Count of Hornbach and Lay Abbot of Fontenelle, was a propinquus of Martel. This kinship term, vague enough, means a close relationship with women: a brother, a cousin by women or a cousin by marriage. Wido is the brother of Milo, Bishop of Trier, and son of Saint Leudwinus, Bishop of Trier.

Christian Settipani, in his work on the ancestors of Charlemagne, details an analysis by Anton Halbedel, first issued in 1915, and echoed by historians Joseph Depoin, Maurice Chaume and Szabolcs de Vajay. According to this analysis, the word propinquus implies "brother", so that Wido was Rotrude’s brother. Rotrude has therefore often been identified as the daughter of Saint Leudwinus.

However, in Settipani’s Addendum to the Ancestors of Charlemagne,[1] he returns to this problem, reflecting thoughts of the medieval history professor Richard Gerberding, who believed that Rotrude’s background was related directly to the Robertians. He noted that Charles Martel had three wives and that Wido may be a relative of the other two.

Settipani concludes that Rotrude was the daughter of Lambert, Count of Hesbaye, and so sister of Robert I, Duke of Neustria. In addition, Rotrude’s sister was named Landrada and was married to Sigramnus, Count of Hesbaye. Landrada and Sigramnus were parents of Saint Chrodegang, Bishop of Metz. Note that Rotrude and Charles had daughter also named Landrade, who is often erroneously identified as the wife of Sigramnus.[2]

Rotrude and Charles had five children:

Carloman, Mayor of the Palace
Pepin the Short, King of the Franks and father of Charlemagne
Hiltrude, Duchess Consort of Bavaria, married to Odilo, Duke of Bavaria
(perhaps) Landrade
(perhaps) Auda of France, married to Thierry IV, Count of Autun.
After Rotrude’s death in 724, Charles married Swanachild and had one child Grifo. Charles also had a mistress Ruodhaid with whom he had numerous children.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotrude_of_Hesbaye