I know little about Ranulf II’s mistress, the mother of Ebalus Manzer. The lack of documentation is because she was a mistress and religious monks were the main record keepers of the day.

She is my 29 x great-grandmother.

We don’t know when or where she was born or who her family was. Since we know her son, Ebalus, was born between 870 and 875, it is likely she was born between 840 and 855.

Titles

As a mistress it is unlikely she held any official titles related to the Duchy of Aquitaine. If she did have any titles, she’d have inherited them from her parents, or from anyone else she married.

Family

Her son with Ranulf II, Duke of Aquitaine, was Ebalus Manzer¹ . We know Ebalus was born ‘ex concubina‘¹ in Aquitaine, so she lived in Aquitaine between 870 and 875.

The word ‘Manzer’ is a Jewish word meaning ‘illegitimate’². There is no connection to Judaism from Ebalus’ father’s side, so it is reasonable to conclude his mother was Jewish.

The word ‘Manzer’ doesn’t translate into ‘bastard’, but rather refers to a ’son of an illegitimate relationship’². There are many types of illegitimate relationships – she could have been someone else’s wife, or she could have been a commoner.

We know Ebalus’ father’s family didn’t like him; could this have been for religious reasons? Despite all this Ebalus still managed to become Duke of Aquitaine like his father before him.

Death

I know nothing about how, where or when she died. I don’t know where they buried her.

Lineage

She is my 29 x great-grandmother.

References

1. Aquitaine, Dukes; Medieval Lands; Charles Cawley; 2019-02-16[↩][↩]
2. What Is a “Mamzer”?; Chabad.org; (Retrieved 2018-07-07) [↩][↩]