From Kim Rendfeld:
The marriage was also a reward for the loyalty of Bertrada’s father, Haribert, the count of Laon. In October 741, Mayor of the Palace Charles Martel died, setting off a war for succession between Pippin and Karlomann, his sons by his first wife, and Grifo, his son by his second wife. Grifo and his mother fled to Laon, which was in his territory, but Haribert helped Pippin and Karloman defeat and imprison their half-brother and stepmother in December of that year.
At some point, Pippin did seek to end his marriage to Bertrada, but when and why is unclear. It probably had something to do with their not conceiving right away. This was an age when such a failure was a sign of God’s displeasure.
Two years after the nuptials, Pippin sent an emissary to Pope Zachary asking about illicit marriages. Perhaps he was wondering about consanguinity. He and Bertrada were relatives to the fourth degree (they shared a set of great-grandparents), rather than the preferred seventh. (Read more.)
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