Adalbert (died 723) was the

Duke of Alsace The Duchy of Alsace ( la, Ducatus Alsacensi, ''Ducatum Elisatium''; german: Herzogtum Elsaß) was a large political subdivision of the Frankish Empire during the last century and a half of Merovingian rule. It corresponded to the territory of Alsac ...

beginning after 683 and probably until his death. He was the second duke of the family of the Etichonids and the first to inherit the duchy from his father. The son of Adalrich and Berswinda, Adalbert was created

Count of the Sundgau Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

by his father circa 683. It is unknown if Adalbert appointed another count to succeed him after taking over the ducal office, exercised the comital powers himself, or left the office vacant. Under Adalbert, Etichonid control of the offices of the duchy of Alsace and of the monasteries of the region became entrenched. Adalbert seems to have concentrated his power in northern Alsace (the later

Nordgau The Nordgau (from the Germanic for "northern region") can refer to two distinct areas: * Nordgau (Alsace), the Alsatian Nordgau, the medieval County of Nordgau, the northern part of Alsace * Margraviate of the Nordgau The Margraviate of the Nordg ...

) around the Diocese of Strasbourg. He founded the convent of Saint Stephen at Strasbourg and installed his daughter Attala as its first abbess. In 722 he established a monastery in honour of the Saint Michael the Archangel on an island in the

Rhine The Rhine ; french: Rhin ; nl, Rijn ; wa, Rén ; li, Rien; rm, label=Sursilvan, Rein, rm, label=Sutsilvan and Surmiran, Ragn, rm, label=Rumantsch Grischun, Vallader and Puter, Rain; it, Reno ; gsw, Rhi(n), including in Alsatian dialect, Al ...

north of Strasbourg. This last establishment was co-founded by a group of monks from

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

led by the first abbot, Benedict. Honau passed to King Theuderic IV on Adalbert's death. Adalbert's first wife was Gerlinda (perhaps of Aquitaine); his second wife was Ingina, a wealthy woman of Alsace. Adalbert had three daughters:

Eugenia ''Eugenia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the myrtle family Myrtaceae. It has a worldwide, although highly uneven, distribution in tropical and subtropical regions. The bulk of the approximately 1,100 species occur in the New World tropics, ...

Gundlinda Gundelina (or Gundlinda) (c. 692 – c. 740), abbess, she was the third daughter of Duke Adalbert of Alsace and his first wife Gerlinda. She was the younger sister to saints Attala and Eugenia, both nuns and abbess An abbess (Latin: ''abbatis ...

and Attala. The first two entered the nunnery of their aunt

Odilia Odile of Alsace, also known as Odilia and Ottilia, born c. 662 - c. 720 at Mont Sainte-Odile), is a saint venerated in the Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church. She is a patroness saint of good eyesight and of the region of Alsace. ...

at Hohenburg, where Eugenia eventually succeeded as abbess. Gundlinda was later abbess of Niedermünster. In 845 the Emperor Lothair I confirmed all the charters which Adalbert had granted to his foundation at Strasbourg. Some attribute the daughters to Gerlinda while others attribute them to Ingina. Adalbert had two sons: Liutfrid and Eberhard. Liutfrid made Eberhard a count as early as the 720s. The sons are consistently attributed to Ingina.

References

Sources

* *Hummer, Hans J. ''Politics and Power in Early Medieval Europe: Alsace and the Frankish Realm 600 – 1000''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005. See mainly pp 46–55. *Dunbar, A. P. C. ''A Dictionary of Saintly Women'', vol 1. London: 1904. {{Authority control Etichonid dynasty Dukes of Alsace 723 deaths Year of birth unknown