Ansa, Queen of the Lombards

Who is Ansa, Queen of the Lombards?

Ansa or Ansia belonged to an aristocratic family of Brescia and was the wife of Desiderius, King of the Lombards. The Latin name does not imply a Romano-Italic origin, as Romans and Lombards in the eighth century tended to take either German or Latin names. She was probably a Lombard, the daughter of Verissimo and sister of King Hildeprand, Arechis, and Donnolo, and niece of King Liutprand.

In or around 753, she founded the monastery of S. Michele and S. Pietro at Brescia. Her husband meanwhile, had become a royal officer and the couple moved first to the royal court, and then to Tuscany, when Desiderius became 'Duke of Tuscia'. After the death of King Aistulf, Desiderius managed to take the throne and Ansa become queen, actively collaborating with her husband, especially in religious matters. In Brescia, she expanded the previously founded monastery, which became the monastery of San Salvatore, endowed it with exceptional wealth and made her daughter Anselperga the abbess. The jurisdiction of San Salvatore subjugated an entire network of monasteries in Lombardy, Emilia and Tuscany, creating a federation directly controlled by the sovereign.