The New Testament teaches us that “there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:28). This profound passage from St. Paul reminds us that our worldly status does not matter before the Almighty; even the humblest can do great things for Christ. Today we will be profiling a saint whose origins were as humble as they come—a female slave in a foreign land. Yet despite her status, this young woman rose to become a French queen, as well as a model of sanctity. This was St. Balthild (626-680), one of the saintly monarchs of France’s Merovingian period.
Balthild was a Christian Englishwoman, likely born in the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of East Anglia. Later traditions portray Balthild as of noble birth, but this is unlikely, for at a young age she was sold into slavery to Frankish slaver traders and taken over the channel to France. In those days, the Frankish domains were broken into four sub-kingdoms (Neustria, Austrasia, Aquitaine, and Burgundy), all ruled by the scions of the Merovingians, the descendants of King Clovis. Being young, beautiful, and modest, Balthild was deemed fit to serve in the house of Erchinoald, a powerful Neustrian noble.
It was not long before the lovely Balthild attracted Erchinoald’s attention. The powerful lord had recently lost his wife and was looking to remarry. He pressured Balthild to marry him, but Balthild steadfastly refused, even resorting to physically hiding herself to escape Erchinoald’s unwanted advances. This unhappy situation endured for some time, proving a tremendous cross for the pious slave girl. Erchinoald would eventually marry someone else, though we may certainly imagine that Balthild was never quite at ease in the lord’s household.
One day the King of Neustria, Clovis II, came to visit the estate of Erchinoald and noticed Balthild in the lord’s retinue. Clovis was delighted with her beauty, intelligence, and modesty. The king freed her at once from Erchinoald’s slavery and asked for her hand in marriage. This time Balthild consented, and Clovis and Balthild were wed in 649. By age 23, Balthild had gone from slave to Queen Consort of Neustria.
Neustria was a substantial kingdom, corresponding to today’s northwestern France and parts of modern day Belgium. This was the ancestral home of the Franks and the Merovingian dynasty, and if not the most powerful Kingdom of the Franks, at least the most illustrious. As Queen Consort of Neustria, the saintly Balthild was arguably the most influential woman in all the Frankish dominions. She would bear Clovis three sons, all of whom went on to be kings.
As queen, Balthild remained humble, modest, and devoted to charitable works. She founded abbeys and hospitals, the latter of great value in an age when institutional care for the sick was negligible. Having come from servile origins, St. Balthild had a profound detestation for the institution of slavery and used her influence to mitigate it wherever she could. She befriended the saintly Eligius, Bishop of Tournai, who shared her dislike of slavery. Together with Eligius, Balthild worked tirelessly securing the freedom of child slaves, her preferred charitable work for which no expense was too great.
Balthild is also remembered for her generosity in founding abbeys. At least two great abbeys, Corbie and Chelles, were founded by her largesse. It is believed that she is also responsible for the foundation (or at least patronage of) Jumièges, Jouarre, and Luxeuil as well.
After the death of her husband Clovis in 657, she ruled as regent for her young son, Clotaire. Once in charge, she abolished Christian slavery throughout Neustria by edict, thus securing the freedom of untold thousands.
During the latter years of Clotaire’s reign, there was a power struggle in Neustria between the son of Balthild and a powerful noble named Ebroin, the Mayor of the Palace. This conflict saw the rise of Ebroin to preeminence and the withdrawal of the king into a more restrained role. Balthild subsequently saw her influence diminish.
Now in her old age, Balthild retired to her favorite convent at Chelles, outside Paris. In her religious life she insisted on being treated as the lowest of all the sisters, personally caring for the sick and poor for fifteen years until her death in 680 at age 54.
Catholic history has afforded many examples of saintly queens, but what makes St. Balthild unique is her relentless devotion to bettering the lot of the lowest. Her sanctity led to the betterment of her whole people through the abolition of slavery and her truly vast charitable works.
Balthild’s Vita was written shortly after her death by the monks of one of her monasteries. One of the most marvelous relics of Balthild is her full-length chemise (gown, typically worn as an undergarment), which was worn by her in her retirement at Chelles and may have been woven by her own hand.
The feast of St. Balthild is observed on January 30. She is the patron saint of orphans and abandoned children.
Image from Wikimedia Commons
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