Judith's Gems: Motherhood

Hi there! Welcome back to my column, Judith’s Gems, where I give my advice about homemaking, governance, and everything in between! I hope you enjoyed last week’s installment about how to prepare a charming woodland picnic. It comes in handy more often than you might think!

As my loyal readers will know, I am the wife of Louis “the Pious,” son of Charlemagne. You may think I’m just a member of the entourage, parading behind my husband like all of his attendants and ministers. But although I may not be the ruler of the kingdom of Aquitaine like my husband, I’ve got an important job as well: motherhood! Today I’m going to be sharing my tips and tricks to help you all to be the best mothers you can be. And I’ll also be letting you in on a few secrets about how you can use your maternal role to augment your power.

Now you may ask, “Judith, what does being a mother have to do with queenship and power? Doesn’t having to take care of the kids slow you down?” And yes, I will admit, it can be troublesome at times. Especially if your kid is a little weirdo like my son, Charles. I must have told him a hundred times that he’s not allowed to join his father on hunts, but he just kept begging me to go. Eventually they brought the deer to him, and I’ve never seen anyone so happy to kill an animal. I’m going to have to keep an eye on that boy.

Anyway, when your husband is on the hunt, he doesn’t want to have to worry about keeping track of the kids. Leave Louis in charge, and next thing you know Charles has been trampled and we’re down one heir to the throne. Your husband will be eternally grateful when you take on the job of childcare, and will constantly be reminded of how utterly indispensable you are. He can’t go hunting with the other men unless you are there to keep an eye on your son, which ensures that you will always be necessary in courtly life.

You have to think ahead. One day, your husband won’t be around anymore. If you’re his second wife like I am to Louis, that day might be sooner rather than later. And when that day comes, someone will have to take the throne and ascend to power. If you manage to produce a male heir, that person will most likely be your son. Would you rather have a stranger and perhaps rival who will diminish your role in political life and exile you to a monastery? Or the son that you have had an instrumental role in raising since the time of his birth? I know which I would prefer. Being the mother of a future king means proximity to power. You have the ability to influence the trajectory of the kingdom in the way that you rear your children and the relationship you have with them.

Not to mention, depending on how long your husband lives, your children might still be very young when they take the throne. A child cannot rule on his own, which means he will need significant assistance. And who better to turn to than the woman that has raised him and helped him in every other aspect of his life? There may be other advisors around, but a young king is shaped by the guidance of his mother.

Motherhood also cements your power in the court. If your husband is previously married and has children from that marriage, they may well ascend to the throne assuming that they are legitimate. By having children, particularly a son, you assure that your family will continue to occupy a position of power. This is beneficial not only to you, but also to future generations of your family. If you produce heirs to the throne, your descendants will be well provided for, even long after you are gone.

It’s true that I’m not the king. I’ll never have the role in statecraft that he does. But I’ve managed to carve out a little niche for myself in courtly life. Take when King Herold and his wife visited: just as Louis attended to Herold and bestowed gifts upon him, so I attended to his wife and made offerings to her. I have my own place in the court, and motherhood is an essential part of that. It distinguishes me from the ministers, advisors, and even the king himself.

So there you have it— my take on motherhood and queenship! Be sure to come back for next week’s column, in which I will be discussing the best gifts to give to distinguished palace visitors!