Flaochad
Encyclopedia
Flaochad was the mayor of the palace
of Burgundy
from 639 to 642. He was appointed by Nanthild
, the queen mother
, who gave him her niece, Ragnobert, in marriage. She called together the chief magnates and bishops of the kingdom at Orléans
and he was acclaimed mayor.
The Burgundian patrician Willibad
had a long-running feud with Flaochad when the latter was appointed mayor. Flaochad immediately set out to destroy Willibad. At a court at Chalon
, Flaochad tried to assassinate him, but, failing, instead left his palace to challenge him to a duel, which Flaochad's brother Amalbert prevented from happening.
Finally Flaochad convinced Clovis II
to hold a court near Autun
and summon Willibad. The two Burgundian magnates met in battle and Willibad was killed. Flaochad only survived him eleven days, dying of a fever. According to Fredegar, who seems to have been personally interested in this event, the last which he recorded, both were the victims of divine judgement, for they had sworn friendship in holy places and had subsequently despoiled land to enrich themselves and made war on each other.
Flaochad is the last mayor in Burgundy independent of Neustria
. Upon his death, Erchinoald
of Neustria became mayor.
Mayor of the Palace
Mayor of the Palace was an early medieval title and office, also called majordomo, from the Latin title maior domus , used most notably in the Frankish kingdoms in the 7th and 8th centuries....
of Burgundy
Kingdom of Burgundy
Burgundy is a historic region in Western Europe that has existed as a political entity in a number of forms with very different boundaries. Two of these entities - the first around the 6th century, the second around the 11th century - have been called the Kingdom of Burgundy; a third was very...
from 639 to 642. He was appointed by Nanthild
Nanthild
Nanthild , also known as Nantéchilde, Nanthechilde, Nanthildis, Nanthilde, or Nantechildis, was a Frankish queen consort and regent, the third of many consorts of Dagobert I, king of the Franks ....
, the queen mother
Queen mother
Queen Mother is a title or position reserved for a widowed queen consort whose son or daughter from that marriage is the reigning monarch. The term has been used in English since at least 1577...
, who gave him her niece, Ragnobert, in marriage. She called together the chief magnates and bishops of the kingdom at Orléans
Orléans
-Prehistory and Roman:Cenabum was a Gallic stronghold, one of the principal towns of the Carnutes tribe where the Druids held their annual assembly. It was conquered and destroyed by Julius Caesar in 52 BC, then rebuilt under the Roman Empire...
and he was acclaimed mayor.
The Burgundian patrician Willibad
Willibad
Willibad, Willebad, or Willihad was the Patrician of Burgundy in the first half of the seventh century. Willibad may have been a Frank or perhaps a Burgundian, one of the last representatives of the native nobility which had been subdued by the Franks in 534.The centre of Willibad's power was...
had a long-running feud with Flaochad when the latter was appointed mayor. Flaochad immediately set out to destroy Willibad. At a court at Chalon
Chalon
The Chalon are one of eight divisions of the Ohlone people of Native Americans who lived in Northern California. Chalon is also the name of their spoken language, listed as one of the Ohlone languages of the Utian family...
, Flaochad tried to assassinate him, but, failing, instead left his palace to challenge him to a duel, which Flaochad's brother Amalbert prevented from happening.
Finally Flaochad convinced Clovis II
Clovis II
Clovis II succeeded his father Dagobert I in 639 as King of Neustria and Burgundy. His brother Sigebert III had been King of Austrasia since 634. He was initially under the regency of his mother Nanthild until her death in her early thirties in 642...
to hold a court near Autun
Autun
Autun is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in Burgundy in eastern France. It was founded during the early Roman Empire as Augustodunum. Autun marks the easternmost extent of the Umayyad campaign in Europe.-Early history:...
and summon Willibad. The two Burgundian magnates met in battle and Willibad was killed. Flaochad only survived him eleven days, dying of a fever. According to Fredegar, who seems to have been personally interested in this event, the last which he recorded, both were the victims of divine judgement, for they had sworn friendship in holy places and had subsequently despoiled land to enrich themselves and made war on each other.
Flaochad is the last mayor in Burgundy independent of Neustria
Neustria
The territory of Neustria or Neustrasia, meaning "new [western] land", originated in 511, made up of the regions from Aquitaine to the English Channel, approximating most of the north of present-day France, with Paris and Soissons as its main cities...
. Upon his death, Erchinoald
Erchinoald
Erchinoald succeeded Aega as the mayor of the palace of Neustria in 641 and succeeded Flaochad in Burgundy in 642 and remained such until his death in 658. According to Fredegar, he was a relative of Dagobert I's mother...
of Neustria became mayor.
Sources
- Geary, Patrick J. Before France and Germany. Oxford University Press: 1988.
- Wallace-Hadrill, J. M.John Michael Wallace-HadrillJohn Michael Wallace-Hadrill CBE was Professor of Mediaeval History at the University of Manchester , a Senior Research Fellow of Merton College in the University of Oxford , Chichele Professor of Modern History, University of Oxford and a Fellow, All Souls College, Oxford...
The Long-Haired Kings and other Studies in Frankish History. Butler & Tanner Ltd: London, 1962. - Lewis, Archibald R. "The Dukes in the Regnum Francorum, A.D. 550-751." Speculum, Vol. LI, No. 3. July, 1976. pp 381 – 410.