Odilo (died 18 January 748) was an Alamanni

Alamanni

The Alamanni, Allemanni, or Alemanni were originally an alliance of Germanic tribes located around the upper Rhine river . One of the earliest references to them is the cognomen Alamannicus assumed by Roman Emperor Caracalla, who ruled the Roman Empire from 211 to 217 and claimed thereby to be...

c nobleman, a son of Gotfrid

Gotfrid

Gotfrid, Gotefrid, or Gottfried was the Duke of Alemannia in the late seventh century and until his death. He was of the house of the Agilolfing, which was the dominant ruling family in Bavaria....

 of the house of the Agilolfings.
He ruled Thurgau

Thurgau

Thurgau is a northeast canton of Switzerland. The population, , is . In 2007, there were a total of 47,390 who were resident foreigners. The capital is Frauenfeld.-History:...

 until 736, when with the death of Hugbert of Bavaria

Hugbert of Bavaria

Hugbert of the Agilolfings was duke of Bavaria from 725 to 736 . He was son of the duke Theudebert and Regintrud, the probable daughter of the Seneschal Hugobert and Irmina of Oeren....

 the older line of the Agilofing became extinct and he inherited the rulership of Bavaria

Bavaria

Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...

, which he held until his death in 748.

Odilo presided over the establishment of bishoprics in Bavaria in 739, when the dioceses of Regensburg

Diocese of Regensburg

The Diocese of Regensburg is a Roman Catholic ecclesiastical territory seated in Regensburg, Germany. Its district covers parts of northeastern Bavaria; it is subordinate to the archbishop of Munich and Freising. The diocese has 1.3 million Catholics, constituting 81% of its population...

, Freising, Passau, and Salzburg were established by St. Boniface, followed in 741 by Würzburg.

In 741, Odilo married Hiltrud

Hiltrud

Hiltrud was a daughter of Charles Martel and Rotrude of Treves.She married Odilo I of Bavaria. After his death in 748, she became regent for her son Tassilo. She died in 754.-Reference/Source:*...

, daughter of the Frank

Frankish Empire

Francia or Frankia, later also called the Frankish Empire , Frankish Kingdom , Frankish Realm or occasionally Frankland, was the territory inhabited and ruled by the Franks from the 3rd to the 10th century...

ish 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...

, but a year later he found himself at war with Martel's sons Carloman

Carloman

Carloman is the name of several members of the Frankish ruling family. It is also one translation of the Bulgarian name "Kaliman":* Carloman, father of Pepin I Carloman is the name of several members of the Frankish ruling family. It is also one translation of the Bulgarian name "Kaliman":*...

 and Pepin the Short. Odilo had to accept Frankish overlordship over Bavaria, but remained duke. After his death, Grifo

Grifo

Grifo was the son of the Frankish major domo Charles Martel and his second wife Swanahild.After the death of Charles Martel power may well have been intended to be divided among Grifo and his half-brothers Pepin the Younger and Carloman...

, half-brother of Carloman and Pepin, sought to establish his own rule in Bavaria, but was defeated by Pepin who installed Odilo's infant son Tassilo III as duke of Bavaria.

Odilo is accepted as the founder of the abbeys Niederaltaich

Niederaltaich Abbey

Niederaltaich Abbey or Niederaltaich Monastery is a house of the Benedictine Order founded in 731 , situated in the village of Niederalteich on the Danube in Bavaria....

, Mondsee

Mondsee Abbey

Mondsee Abbey was a Benedictine monastery in Mondsee in Upper Austria.-History:The region of the Mondseeland, in which Mondsee is located, was formerly part of Bavaria. In 748 Mondsee Abbey was founded by Odilo, Duke of Bavaria. The abbey tradition was that the first monks came from Monte Cassino...

, and a number of others. He ordered that the Lex Baiuvariorum

Lex Baiuvariorum

The Lex Baiuvariorum was a collection of the tribal laws of the Bavarii of the sixth through eighth centuries. The first compilation was edited by Eberswind, first abbot of Niederaltaich, in 741 or 743. Duke Odilo, founder supplemented the code around 748...

, the tribal law of the Bavarii

Bavarii

The Bavarii were a Germanic tribe whose name emerged late in Teutonic tribal times. The full name originally was the Germanic *baio-warioz. This name has been handed down as Baiwaren, Baioaren, Bioras, latinised Bavarii, Baioarii. or Bavarii, Bavarians, Bajuwaren, Bajuvarii, Bajuwaren and Baiern....

, be written down.

Odilo and Hiltrud were the parents of Tassilo III.

Odilo was buried in Gengenbach Abbey

Gengenbach Abbey

Gengenbach Abbey was a Benedictine monastery in Gengenbach in the district of Ortenau, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.-History:It was founded by Saint Pirmin sometime after his expulsion from Reichenau in 727 and settled by monks from Gorze Abbey. It enjoyed good relations with the Carolingian...

.