Hunald of Aquitaine
Encyclopedia
Hunald Duke of Aquitaine
(735-744 or 748), succeeded his father Odo the Great in 735.
He refused to recognize the high authority of the Frankish
mayor of the palace
, Charles Martel
, whereupon Charles marched south of the Loire
, seized Bordeaux
, and Blaye
, but eventually allowed Hunald to retain Aquitaine
on condition that he should promise fidelity.
From 736 to 741, the relations between Charles and Hunald seem to have remained amicable. But upon Charles's death in 741, Hunald declared war against the Franks
, crossed the Loire and burned Chartres
. Menaced by Pepin and Carloman, Hunald begged for peace in 745 and retired to a monastery, probably on the Île de Ré
.
We find him later in Italy
, where he allied himself with the Lombards
and was stoned to death. He had left the duchy of Aquitaine to Waifer
, who was probably his son, and who struggled for eight years in defending his independence.
At the death of Pepin and at the beginning of the reign of Charlemagne, there was a last rising of the Aquitanians. This revolt was directed by a certain Hunald and was repressed in 769 by Charlemagne
and his brother Carloman. Hunald sought refuge with the duke of the Gascons
, Lupus
, who handed him over to his enemies. In spite of the opinion of certain historians, this Hunald seems to have been a different person (Hunald II) from the old duke of Aquitaine.
Duke of Aquitaine
The Duke of Aquitaine ruled the historical region of Aquitaine under the supremacy of Frankish, English and later French kings....
(735-744 or 748), succeeded his father Odo the Great in 735.
He refused to recognize the high authority of the Frankish
Franks
The Franks were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a...
mayor of the palace
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....
, Charles Martel
Charles Martel
Charles Martel , also known as Charles the Hammer, was a Frankish military and political leader, who served as Mayor of the Palace under the Merovingian kings and ruled de facto during an interregnum at the end of his life, using the title Duke and Prince of the Franks. In 739 he was offered the...
, whereupon Charles marched south of the Loire
Loire
Loire is an administrative department in the east-central part of France occupying the River Loire's upper reaches.-History:Loire was created in 1793 when after just 3½ years the young Rhône-et-Loire department was split into two. This was a response to counter-Revolutionary activities in Lyon...
, seized Bordeaux
Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
, and Blaye
Blaye
Blaye is a commune and subprefecture in the Gironde department in Aquitaine in southwestern France.-Population:Its inhabitants are called Blayais or the Blayaises.-Geography:...
, but eventually allowed Hunald to retain Aquitaine
Aquitaine
Aquitaine , archaic Guyenne/Guienne , is one of the 27 regions of France, in the south-western part of metropolitan France, along the Atlantic Ocean and the Pyrenees mountain range on the border with Spain. It comprises the 5 departments of Dordogne, :Lot et Garonne, :Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Landes...
on condition that he should promise fidelity.
From 736 to 741, the relations between Charles and Hunald seem to have remained amicable. But upon Charles's death in 741, Hunald declared war against the Franks
Franks
The Franks were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a...
, crossed the Loire and burned Chartres
Chartres
Chartres is a commune and capital of the Eure-et-Loir department in northern France. It is located southwest of Paris.-Geography:Chartres is built on the left bank of the Eure River, on a hill crowned by its famous cathedral, the spires of which are a landmark in the surrounding country...
. Menaced by Pepin and Carloman, Hunald begged for peace in 745 and retired to a monastery, probably on the Île de Ré
Île de Ré
Île de Ré is an island off the west coast of France near La Rochelle, on the northern side of the Pertuis d'Antioche strait....
.
We find him later in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, where he allied himself with the Lombards
Lombards
The Lombards , also referred to as Longobards, were a Germanic tribe of Scandinavian origin, who from 568 to 774 ruled a Kingdom in Italy...
and was stoned to death. He had left the duchy of Aquitaine to Waifer
Waifer of Aquitaine
Waifer was the duke of Aquitaine from 748 to 768, succeeding his newly-monastic father Hunold....
, who was probably his son, and who struggled for eight years in defending his independence.
At the death of Pepin and at the beginning of the reign of Charlemagne, there was a last rising of the Aquitanians. This revolt was directed by a certain Hunald and was repressed in 769 by Charlemagne
Charlemagne
Charlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 and Emperor of the Romans from 800 to his death in 814. He expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800...
and his brother Carloman. Hunald sought refuge with the duke of the Gascons
Gascony
Gascony is an area of southwest France that was part of the "Province of Guyenne and Gascony" prior to the French Revolution. The region is vaguely defined and the distinction between Guyenne and Gascony is unclear; sometimes they are considered to overlap, and sometimes Gascony is considered a...
, Lupus
Lop II of Gascony
Lupo II is the third-attested historical duke of Gascony , appearing in history for the first time in 769...
, who handed him over to his enemies. In spite of the opinion of certain historians, this Hunald seems to have been a different person (Hunald II) from the old duke of Aquitaine.
Sources
- Oman, CharlesCharles OmanSir Charles William Chadwick Oman was a British military historian of the early 20th century. His reconstructions of medieval battles from the fragmentary and distorted accounts left by chroniclers were pioneering...
. The Dark Ages 476-918. Rivingtons: London, 1914. - Higounet, Charles. Bordeaux pendant le haut moyen age. Bordeaux, 1963.
- J.Vaissette, Histoire génerale de Languedoc, vol. i. (ed. of 1872 seq.); Th. Breysig, H Hahn, L Oelsner, S Abel and B Simson, Jahrbücher des deutschen Reichs.