Desiderata (d. 773)
Desiderata (d. 773)
Queen of the Franks. Name variations: Desideria; Ermengarde. Birth date unknown; died in 773; daughter of Desiderius, king of the Lombards, and Queen Ausa ; became second wife of Charlemagne (Charles I), king of the Franks (r. 768–814), Holy Roman emperor (r. 800–814), in 770 (annulled 771). Charlemagne had five wives: Himiltrude ; Desiderata (d. 773); Hildegarde of Swabia (c. 757–783); Fastrada (d. 794); and Luitgarde (d. 800).
The marriage of Desiderata, daughter of the Lombard king, and Charlemagne, Holy Roman emperor, was arranged by Bertha (719–783), Charlemagne's mother. Daughter and mother-inlaw exchanged a warm affection, but, within one year of the marriage, Charlemagne repudiated Desiderata in 771 for reasons unknown and sent her back to her family. When Desiderata heard of her husband's marriage to Hildegarde of Swabia that same year, she retired to a monastery founded by her parents where her sister was abbess. Desiderata died two years later in 773.