Desiderata of the Lombards

• Name	Desiderata of the Lombards
  	Father: Desiderius, King of the Lombards Mother: Ansa, Queen of the Lombards
  Person ID, Branch	I11181
  Last Modified	8 May 2025

  
  

• Notes

  Name: Although she is commonly referred to by the name Desiderata there is some debate surrounding her name. One school of thought is that the name derives from an editorial error in a 19th-century copy of the Monumenta Germaniae Historica which capitalised the 'D' in desideratam filiam (Latin for 'desired daughter'). Janet Nelson argues that it is far more likely that Desiderata's name is actually 'Gerperga.' Nelson provides multiple reasons as to why this is the case, firstly, the name fits in with the names of Desiderius' other daughters, all of which end in the suffix 'perga.' Secondly, Carloman's wife was called Gerberga, and this, Nelson believes, explains why when Gerberga fled to Desiderius after Carloman's death, the Annals of Lobbes believed that she was fleeing to her father, due to confusion over the similarities of their names. Additionally, in Pope Stephen III's letter to Charlemagne and Carloman he is not sure of which brother is marrying Gerperga, Nelson argues that this confusion is also caused by the similarity in the names of Desiderius' Daughter and Carloman's wife. [2]

  
  

Spouse / Partner	Charlemagne, Holy Roman Emperor,   b. 2 Apr 747, Aachen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany d. 28 Jan 814, Aachen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany (Age 66 years)  Other Partners: Himiltrude  m. 798;   Hildegarde, Countess in Linzgau  m. 771;   Fastrada  m. 783;   Luitgard  m. 794;   unknown partner
Marriage	770  [1]
She was married to Charlemagne in 770, in order for him to create a bond between Francia and the Kingdom of the Lombards and attempt to isolate his brother Carloman I who ruled over the central territories of Francia. The marriage lasted just one year and there are no known children from the marriage. [2]
Age at Marriage	She : ?? - He : ~ 22 years and 8 months.
Annulled	771  [1]
Family ID	F18	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
Last Modified	21 Jun 2021




• Pedigree

  ← Click to display 1Desiderata of the Lombards 2 3

  
  

• Sources 🟢 Primary Evidence 🟡 Secondary Evidence 🟠 Tertiary Evidence 🔴 Unreliable Evidence

  [S65] Sewell, Robert James. Sewell: A History of the Sewell Family from the Earliest Times, (unknown: manuscript, March 2008). [S304] Wikipedia, Desiderata of the Lombards.