Queen
Judith (797/805 – 19 April 843), also known as
Judith of Bavaria, was the daughter of Count
Welf and
Saxon noblewoman,
Hedwig, Duchess of Bavaria (780–826). She was the second wife of King
Louis the Pious, which brought her the title of Empress of the Franks. Marriage to Louis marked the beginning of her rise as an influential figure in the Carolingian court. She had two children with Louis, a daughter
Gisela and a son,
Charles the Bald. The birth of her son led to a major dispute over the imperial succession, and tensions between her and Charles' half-brothers from Louis' first marriage. She would eventually fall from grace when Charles' wife, the new empress
Ermentrude of Orléans, rose to power. She was buried in 846 in
Tours.