Clotilde facts for kids
Quick facts for kids SaintClotilde |
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A lithograph of Saint Clotilde
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| Queen of All the Franks | |
| Born | c. 474 Lyon, Burgundy |
| Died | 03 Jun 548 AD Tours, Francia |
| Venerated in | Eastern Orthodox Church, Catholic Church, Lutheranism |
| Canonized | Pre-Congregation |
| Feast | June 3 (June 4 in France) |
| Attributes | wearing a crown and holding a church; with a battle in the background, in memory of the Battle of Tolbiac. |
| Patronage | brides, adopted children, parents, exiles, notaries, widows, the lame |
Clotilde (born around 474, died 548) was a very important queen of the Franks. She is also known by names like Clothilde or Clotilda. Her name comes from an old Frankish word meaning "famous in battle."
Clotilde was the second wife of Clovis I, who was the King of the Franks from 481 to 509. Their marriage happened in 493. Her husband's family, the Merovingian dynasty, ruled the Frankish kingdoms for over 200 years.
Clotilde is honored as a saint by both the Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church. She played a big part in her husband, King Clovis, becoming a Christian. Later in her life, she was known for her kindness, giving to the poor, and helping others. Many people believe she helped spread Christianity across western Europe.
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Biography of Queen Clotilde
Clotilde was born in Lyon, which was part of the Kingdom of Burgundy at the time. She was the daughter of King Chilperic II of Burgundy. After her grandfather, King Gondioc, died in 473, his sons, including Clotilde's father, divided the kingdom.
Stories about Clotilde and Clovis's marriage became popular from the 500s onwards. These stories sometimes changed the real facts. One famous writer, Gregory of Tours, wrote that Clotilde's father was killed by his brother, Gundobad. He also wrote that Clotilde's mother was drowned and Clotilde herself was sent away. However, many historians today think this part of the story might not be completely true.
After her father's death, Clotilde's mother likely lived with Godegisil, another of her father's brothers. Soon after, in 493, King Clovis asked to marry Clotilde, and they were wed.
Clotilde's Children
Clotilde and Clovis had several children:
- Ingomer (born and died in 494).
- Chlodomer (495–524), who became King of the Franks at Orléans.
- Childebert I (496–558), who became King of the Franks at Paris.
- Chlothar I (497–561), who became King of the Franks at Soissons. He later became King of all Franks.
- Clotilde (500–531), who married Amalaric, the King of the Visigoths.
Clovis Converts to Christianity
Clotilde was raised as a Christian. She worked hard to convince her husband, Clovis, to give up his old pagan beliefs and become a Christian.
According to Gregory of Tours, when Clotilde had their first child baptized, the baby sadly died soon after. Clovis was upset, but Clotilde insisted on baptizing their next child, Chlodomer. Even though Chlodomer became ill, he soon got better. After that, they had more healthy children.
Clotilde's biggest success came in 496. That year, King Clovis converted to Christianity. He was baptized by Bishop Remigius of Reims on Christmas Day. The story says that before a big battle, the Battle of Tolbiac, Clovis prayed to God. He promised to be baptized if he won the battle. When he did win, Clovis kept his promise and became a Christian.
After his conversion, Clovis and Clotilde built the Church of the Holy Apostles in Paris. This church is now known as the Abbey of St Genevieve.
Why Clovis's Conversion Was Important
Clotilde was a Catholic Christian. This was unusual because many other groups, like the Goths and Burgundians, were Arian Christians. When Clovis became Catholic, it meant he had the support of the Byzantine Empire (the Eastern Roman Empire). The Romans were also Catholics. This helped him in his wars against other Arian Gothic tribes.
Because the Franks eventually became very powerful in Western Europe, Catholicism became the main type of Christianity. Arianism, the other form, slowly disappeared.
Later Years of Clotilde
After Clovis died in 511, Clotilde went to live at the Abbey of St. Martin in Tours.
In 523, Clotilde's sons went to war against her cousin, King Sigismund of Burgundy. Sigismund was captured and later died. Some stories say Clotilde encouraged her sons to fight because of what happened to her parents. However, some historians don't believe this. Her eldest son, Chlodomer, was killed in a later battle against the Burgundians. Her daughter, also named Clotilde, also died around this time.
Clotilde tried to protect her three grandsons (Chlodomer's children) from her other sons, Childebert and Chlothar. Sadly, she was not always successful. Only one grandson, Clodoald (also known as Cloud), managed to escape and later became a priest. Clotilde also tried to stop arguments and fights between her own children, but she couldn't always prevent them.
After these difficult times, Clotilde focused on living a holy life. She spent her time building churches and monasteries. She preferred to stay away from the power struggles of the royal court. Churches linked to her can be found in Laon and Rouen.
On June 3, 548, Clotilde died peacefully at the tomb of St. Martin in Tours. Her sons, Chlothar and Childebert, carried her body in a funeral procession to the Basilica of the Holy Apostles in Paris. She was buried there next to her husband, Clovis I.
Veneration of Saint Clotilde
Clotilde is honored as a saint. She is considered a patron saint for queens, widows, brides, and people who are in exile. In a region called Normandy, she is especially honored as the patroness of people who are lame (have difficulty walking), those who died violently, and women who have difficult husbands.
In art, Clotilde is often shown at the baptism of Clovis. She is also sometimes shown praying at the shrine of Saint Martin. There are beautiful images of her, including a stained glass window from the 1500s in Les Andelys. Her holy items (relics) survived the French Revolution and are now kept in the Église Saint-Leu-Saint-Gilles in Paris.
Clotilde is the patron saint of Les Andelys, Normandy. In 511, she founded a convent there for young noble girls. This convent was later destroyed. In its place, a church was built, which has a statue of Saint Clotilde. Also in Les Andelys is Saint Clotilde's Fountain. People believe that the water from this spring can heal skin diseases.
See also
In Spanish: Clotilde (reina) para niños
- List of Catholic saints
- List of Frankish queens
