 Abt 0790 -
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| Name |
UNKNOWN Aeda |
| Birth |
Abt 0790 |
| Gender |
Female |
| Notes |
- Aeda and her husband Billung are named as members of the Frankish nobility and the parents of Oda, who with her husband Liudolf of Saxony were the progenitors of the Liudolfing dynasty who provided the first non Carolingian Emperors of Germany.[1]
Nothing more is known about Aeda. If her daughter was born about 806, then her birth could be about 785-790 but neither date is sure.
Research Notes
In some sources and online genealogies, Aeda is said to be the same person as Adelheid, the eldest daughter of Pippin (Pepin), King of Italy, and granddaughter of Charlemagne.[1]
This is based on the Fasti Corbeienses but this is known to be a forgery created in the 1750s by Johann Christoph Harenberg,[1] which creates doubt as to its accuracy.
If Oda was born in 806 then it would be impossible for Adelheid to be her mother, given her own birth in about 798.[1] If Oda was born later, then the chronological difficulties vanish, but it seems unlikely that if Aeda was a granddaughter of Charlemagne, this wouldn't be noted in the only original source that names her.
Leaving these notes temporarily to see if anything needs to be retained.
Research Notes
His Profile most likely is meant to represent Aeda, the Franconian wife of Count Billung (ca. 780–ca. 850), a nobleman in the Nordthüringgau of the Saxon territories. Aeda (also spelled Æda or Ata), remains a somewhat enigmatic figure in early medieval genealogy, known primarily through her role as the mother of Oda, the wife of Count (later Duke) Liudolf of Saxony, whose marriage helped elevate the Liudolfing (Ottonian) dynasty. Flourishing in the 9th century during the Carolingian Empire's consolidation, Aeda bridged Frankish and Saxon worlds at a time when Charlemagne's descendants integrated conquered regions like Saxony. Her Frankish origins, as noted in contemporary sources, symbolized the cultural and political fusion following the Saxon Wars (772–804). Though scant details survive about her personal life, Aeda's legacy endures through her daughter's influential progeny, who ascended to German kingship and Holy Roman emperorship. Estimated to have been born around the late 8th century (perhaps ca. 785–795, based on her daughter's birth ca. 806), her death date is unknown, but she likely lived into the mid-9th century.
Her LNAB should be "Carolingian" (but better merged, see below), since she is mentionedin context to her daughter Oda in the "Carmen de Primordiis Cœnobii Gandersheimensis",[2] where Count (later Duke) Liudolf's wife is named as "... praenobilis Oda, edita Francorum clara de stirpe potentum, Filia Billungi, cuiusdam principis almi, atque bonae famae generosae scilicet Aedae." (= ... very noble Oda, of Franconian origin from a powerful family, daughter of Billung, a certain noble prince and of a noble woman of good reputition, namely Aeda.) Her precise origin, however is mentioned in a charter dated 885 by which is stated, that the Calbe monastery was founded by "Oda comitissa, Pipini regis Italiæ ex filia neptis, Hliudolfi Ducis vidua" (= the Countess Oda, granddaughter of King Pipin of Italy through his daughter, and widow of Duke Liudolf).[3]. If this can be trusted, Aeda was the daugther of Carloman, who became King Pippin I of Italy.
The name Adelheid (Adelaid) is a misattribution and should not be used. This name appears in some 19th-century genealogies, such as those influenced by the "Annales Necrologici Fuldenses" or speculative works linking the Billungs to broader German nobility. The similarity between "Aeda" and "Adelheid" (both suggesting nobility) likely prompted the confusion. No primary source supports "Adelheid." The name gained traction due to its popularity among later Carolingian princesses (e.g., Adelaide of Paris, wife of Louis the Stammerer), but chronological and familial evidence contradicts a connection. Scholars like those at the Henry Project dismiss this as a later embellishment.
The place of birth is not known, but given her origin as a Franconian princess it is much likely NOT Saxony. As for her place of death, which also is unsure, it can be assumed that it was somethere in the Duchy of Saxony indeed, and should be "Herzogtum Sachsen, Ostfrankenreich". It is not to be confused with the modern state of Saxony in Germany. The two have little in common.
This profile therefore should be merged into its counterpart Adelais (Carolingian) des Francs (abt.0798-aft.0810), which then might be improved a bit, using this notes here. Gutknecht-98 04:19, 16 August 2025 (UTC)
Sources
↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Stewart Baldwin, Todd A. Farmerie & Peter Stewart, 'Aeda: wife of Billung' in The Henry Project: The Ancestors of King Henry II of England. Electronic edition American Society of Genealogists (https://fasg.org/projects/henryproject : accessed 17 August 2025).
↑ Carmen de Primordiis Cœnobii Gandersheimensis, MGH SS IV, p. 306; 20-24.
↑ Regesta Historiæ Brandenburgensis, p. 24.
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| Person ID |
I58017 |
Freeman-Smith |
| Last Modified |
27 Jan 2026 |
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