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Merovingian Duchy & Kingdom of Aquitaine
AD 555 - 781
When the great empire-builder of the
Franks, Clovis,
conquered the
Roman
domain of Soissons
in 486, he opened the way for expansion deep into Gaul. By around 500 Clovis
had reached the Loire and inflicted a defeat on the
Burgundians, and in 507 he defeated the
Visigoths,
whose kingdom of Toulouse had governed southern France since it was
established in 418. The victory pushed the Visigoths into Spain, but
although the Franks secured Bordeaux and Auvergne, Aquitaine's position was
much less clear. The Visigoths may have retained portions of Aquitaine, and
probably battled against Frankish vassals to see who could secure the
region. In the end it was the Franks who won, and Aquitaine was first
confirmed as a possession in 555, when a duke was appointed to govern it.
The capital of the new region was Toulouse, the former Visigoth capital, and
despite Visigoth and Frankish rule, the region was probably still heavily
Romanised after over four centuries of inclusion within the empire, latterly
as the province of Aquitania.
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555 - 560 |
Chramn / Chram |
Son of Chlothar I of the
Franks.
First duke of Aquitaine. |
|
560 |
Chramn has several times risen in rebellion
against his father, but during his final rebellion he has to flee to
Brittany
and the court of Canao of
Bro Erech.
Chlothar pursues him, defeats the combined forces of Chramn and Canao, and
Chramn is strangled and placed in a cottage which is then burned down. |
|
561 - 583 |
When Chlothar I of the
Franks dies in 561 his domains are partitioned between his sons. One of
them, Charibert I, gains
Neustria,
which also includes Aquitaine,
Bordeaux and Toulouse.
Charibert dies in 567 without a surviving male heir, so Neustria is reunited
with Soissons under Chilperic I. It is he who assigns his greatest general,
Desiderius, to co-rule Aquitaine with another general, Bladast.
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Toulouse was a Roman city until AD 418, but even a century
and-a-half of barbarian rule would not have erased the very
strong Roman appearance of the city
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583 - 587 |
Desiderius |
General under Chilperic I of the
Franks. |
|
584 - 585 |
Following the death of Chilperic I, Desiderius
makes peace with the king's brother in
Burgundy, Guntramn. However, either in the same year or in 585, the rule
of Desiderius and Bladast is challenged by Gundoald. This usurper is backed
by the Byzantine emperor, Maurice, and he manages to capture Poitiers and
Toulouse, which are at least partially the domains of Guntramn. A Burgundian
army marches against Gundoald and he flees to Comminges (now
Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges) and is besieged. The followers of Gundoald hand
him over for execution. |
|
583 - 587 |
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Bladast |
Co-ruler. |
|
584/585 |
Gundoald / Gundowald / Gombaud |
Illegitimate son of Chlothar I? Pretender. Executed. |
|
587 - 589 |
Astrobald / Austrovald |
Probably count of Toulouse until 587, then duke of
Aquitaine. |
|
587 |
Astrobald is appointed as the successor to Desiderius in
Aquitaine and Bordeaux by Guntramn of
Burgundy and is immediately sent into the Basque country to pacify its
people. The mission is hardly a success as the duke loses many of his men
and the Basques are still to be found as far as the Garonne by 602. |
|
589 - 592 |
Sereus / Severus |
Identity and existence is uncertain. |
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602 |
A separate duchy is created in Gascony, probably out of
Aquitaine's territory. |
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629 |
Dagobert I
swiftly secures
Neustria from his base in
Austrasia on his father's
death, preventing his half-brother Charibert II from gaining it. Instead,
Charibert is given Aquitaine, which includes Agen, Cahors, Perigueux, and
Saintes. In addition to this he already holds possessions in Gascony.
Charibert is the first known ruler in Aquitaine since 592, and the region's
first king.
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629 - 632 |
Charibert / Caribert II |
Son of Chlothar II, king of the
Franks.
Assassinated? |
632 |
Charibert's forces subdue the Basque people to the north of the Pyrenees
before the end of his reign, placing the region under the control of
Aquitaine. The king's early death, possibly an assassination, prevents
further expansion. The death of his infant son soon afterwards makes
assassination by one of his brothers look even more likely. |
|
632 |
Chilperic |
Infant son. Never crowned. Assassinated. |
632 |
With the death of the only heir, the kingdom passes to Dagobert I of
Austrasia,
the person most likely to be behind the assassinations. His hold on
Aquitaine is short-lived, as the people rebel and elect Boggis as their
duke. The Gascons rebel in the same year. The Gascons are defeated, but
Boggis remains in Aquitaine, ruling semi-autonomously. |
|
632 - c.660 |
Boggis / Bodogisel |
Possible son of Charibert II? First duke of Aquitaine
since 592? |
|
632 |
Arimbert |
Gascon rebel leader. |
660 |
The situation in the south of
Francia is uncertain at this time. Felix becomes duke in 660, but it is
not certain that he succeeds the previous duke or whether there is a break.
Felix may be in the service of the Franks, but he may also be independent.
The Basques may be his subjects, but they may equally be his allies. His
territory encompasses Bordeaux, Narbonensis (including Toulouse),
Novempopulania, and Vasconia, but does not reach as far north as the Loire. |
|
660 - 670 |
Felix of Aquitaine |
Patrician of Toulouse and then duke of Aquitaine. |
|
670 - 676/688 |
Lupus / Lupo / Otsoa I of Aquitaine |
Length of reign uncertain. |
688 |
The date at which the reign of Lupus ends and that of Odo begins is highly
unclear. The possible candidates include 688, 692, or 700. Records for this period in Aquitaine are poor, and even Odo's parentage is uncertain.
Lupus is considered to be the probable ancestor of the Gascon dynasty of
Lupus II and of the Eudonian dynasty of Aquitaine. |
|
688 - 735 |
Odo / Eudes the Great |
Abdicated. |
715 - 718 |
While a state of civil war exists in
Francia, Odo declares himself to be independent in 715, which suggests
that he has been a Frankish vassal up to this point. He takes part in that
civil war by allying himself to Daniel Chilperich against Charles Martel,
the mayor of the palace. When Chilperich loses, Odo makes peace with Charles
by handing over Chilperich and his
Neustrian
power base. |
721 |
A greater threat appears after
Visigoth Spain is overrun by the
Umayyad Islamic empire. In this year Odo inflicts a major defeat on the
invaders at the Battle of Toulouse. |
732 |
With Odo forced to fight alongside him, the
Carolingian mayor of the
Merovingian palace, Charles
Martel, defeats an army of 90,000 Saracens at Tours, ending the
northwards expansion of the
Islamic
empire from Spain. |
|
735 - 748 |
Hunald / Chunoald I |
Son. Abdicated and entered a monastery. |
c.735 |
Hunald refuses to acknowledge the authority of Charles Martel, so the latter
marches against him. Bordeaux is taken, as is Blaye, but Hunald is allowed
to remain in Aquitaine after swearing to remain loyal. |
|
748 - 767 |
Waifer |
Son? Struggled to defend Aquitaine's independence.
Murdered. |
|
767 - 769 |
Hunald (II) |
Possibly the same Hunald as in 735? |
768 - 769 |
After leading an abortive uprising against increasingly powerful Carolingian
rule in Francia,
Hunald II flees to Gascony and seeks protection from Lupus II. Although
Lupus is opposed to the young
Frankish kings, Charlemagne and Carloman, he is also opposed to Hunald's family, so
Lupus hands him over. |
|
768 - 781? |
Lupus II |
Duke of Gascony, |
781 |
It is unclear whether Lupus II is able to extend his authority from Gascony
to also govern Aquitaine, but it seems likely, as the duchy passes into the
hands of the Carolingians in 781, to be governed by minor members of the
dynasty as a sub-kingdom. |
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