Saint Beuve, Abbess of Saint Pierre de Reims

Saint Beuve (or Bove or Bova) and her brother Balderic (or Baudry) lived in the 7th century in France. According to Christian Settipani, their father was probably Sigobert the Lame, King of Cologne, rather than Sigebert I of Austrasia, as indicated by Flodoard. Together they founded the Abbey of Saint Pierre de Reims. Beuve was the first abbess. Based on an oral tradition recorded by Flodoard, Canon of Reims, three centuries later, Beuve and her brother Balderic were reputed to be children of a king Sigebert, whom Flodoard identified as Sigebert I, king of Austrasia. Many early historians follow Fodoard in this. However, Christian Settipani finds that this contradicts what is known about Sigebert I. Sigebert is known to have had a son, Childebert II, and daughters Ingund (wife of Hermenegild), Clodesinde, betrothed to Authari, king of the Lombards, then to Reccared, king of the Visigoths and probably a daughter married to Duke Chrodoald. Sigebert I may have had other daughters mentioned by his contemporaries, but the case of an unknown son is much less certain. According to the Salic law, on the death of a Frankish king, all his sons would share the kingdom. It is more likely that Beuve and Balderic are the offspring of Sigobert the Lame (d. 507), king of Cologne. They have a niece Doda who succeeds Beuve as abbess of Saint Pierre de Reims, and who later obtains from a prince named Pepin letters of protection for this community. It is clear that this prince can only be Pepin of Landen, mayor of the palace of Austrasia. Apart from Baldéric and Beuve, the only other known child of Sigobert is Chlodéric, who died in 508, so Doda, if she is the daughter of Chlodéric, was born at the latest in 508. Pépin of Landen became mayor of the palace in 613 at the earliest, giving Doda an age of at least 105 years at the time of signature of the act of protection, although it is not clear that Pepin was already mayor at the time the act was issued.