She was born in late 943 to King
Louis IV of France (920/921–954), ruler of
West Francia, and his wife,
Gerberga of Saxony (d. about 984), sister of the
East Frankish king
Otto I. At the time of her birth, Carolingian rule had already weakened: King Louis attempted to stabilize his reign by marrying an East Frankish princess, while he fought with the reluctant dukes of
Normandy and with the forces of his
Robertian rival
Hugh the Great. When Matilda's brother, 13-year-old
Lothair ascended the French throne in 954, Gerberga acted as
regent. In 964 Matilda was married to
Conrad, the
Welf ruler of the
Kingdom of Burgundy since 937. King Conrad strongly relied on the support of Otto I,
Holy Roman Emperor since 962, Matilda's maternal uncle and husband of Conrad's sister
Adelaide. As her dowry, the young queen brought her husband the city of
Vienne, which her brother Lothair had ceded to her. ==Issue==