 It is possible that the union of Charlemagne and Himiltrude was a Germanic form of marriage with fewer obligations than the sacramental marriage of the Church—what some medievalists have called "Friedelehe"—although the concept is controversial.Paul the Deacon writes in his "Gesta Episcoporum Mettensium" that Pepin was born "ante legale connubium" or "before legal marriage", but his precise meaning is unclear