Dhuoda

Biography

Dhuoda, of aristocratic origin, married Bernard, Duke of Septimania, on 29 June 824 in the chapel of the palace of Aix. On 29 November 826, she gave birth to a son, William. The mother and child followed Bernard in his postings that the upheavals of the kingdom imposed. Later, Dhuoda settled in Uzès. A second son, Bernard, was born to her on 22 March 841.

She is known to us by her Liber Manualis, a speculum she wrote between 30 November 841 and 2 February 843 for her eldest son William, when the latter was sent to Charles the Bald, perhaps as a hostage, while the youngest, still a baby, was at his father's house in Aquitaine.

Of her life after writing the Manual, nothing is known.