Portret van Lotharius II after 1661

This is Pieter de Jode the Younger’s portrait of Lothair II, made sometime in the 17th century. Jode was working in a very different cultural and political context from Lothair, who lived in the 9th century, and this image serves as a powerful example of how historical figures are consistently reimagined through the biases of later generations. Look closely at the text included in the image, which relates to Lothair’s marital life. Lothair divorced his wife, Teutberga, in order to marry his mistress, Waldrada. His attempts to legitimize his heir by Waldrada were unsuccessful, revealing the power of the church to constrain even a king’s personal life. What can an image like this tell us about how society’s views on marriage, succession, and morality have changed over time? While portraits can offer an intimate glimpse into a person's life, they often reveal more about the values of the society that produced them.