Emma of Burgundy (d. 939)
Emma of Burgundy (d. 939)
Queen of France. Died in 939 (some sources cite 935); daughter of Robert, count of Paris, also known as Robert I (c. 865–923), king of France (r. 922–923), and Beatrice of Vermandois (880–931); sister of Hugh the Great (or Hugh the White), count of Paris and duke of Burgundy (d. 956); married Raoul also known as Ralph or Rudolf (son of Richard, duke of Burgundy and Aquitaine), duke of Burgundy, king of France (r. 923–936).
Emma of Burgundy, queen of France, was an important military figure. In addition to political skills such as negotiation, she organized the defense of Laon in the early 10th century. She led forces that captured Avalon in 931, and in 933 conducted a siege against Château Thierry; Pauline Stafford notes that the castle was surrendered directly to Emma and not to her husband Rudolf. Leagued with her father Robert, count of Paris, Rudolf had driven Charles III the Simple, king of France, from his throne. Rudolf and Emma supported Robert on his throne until his death in 923; then Rudolf became king and ruled from 923 to 936.
suggested reading:
Stafford, Pauline. Queens, Concubines, and Dowagers: The King's Wife in the Early Middle Ages. Athens, GA: University of Georgia Press, 1983.