Ansa, Queen of the Lombards

Ansa and Desiderius inherited land from the late King Aistulf which she used to found the Monastery of St. Michele and St. Pietro (later San Salvatore) in 753, where they would eventually appoint their eldest daughter Anselperga to abbess which was likely a political move to gain more support and power.

[1] Simultaneously, her husband was appointed an officer in the royal court while serving as Duke of Tuscia, leading her to take the throne as Queen of the Lombards alongside Desiderius.

[2] Paul the Deacon, a prominent historical writer and a Lombard himself, wrote Ansa’s epitaph praising her efforts, in which he said: “The fatherland was wounded by wars and now falling into ruin.

She gave birth for us to one who would hold the scepters of the realm”[3] Ansa’s epitaph continues to praise her for political moves mainly involving her children, which he believed would ensure the longevity of the Lombards.

The foundation of the monastery was part of a series of aristocratic constructions and donations at the time, which was most likely an effort to increase stability and insurance against an invasion by the Franks.