Audulf or Audwulf, (

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

: Audulfus) was a Frisian king at the time of the Great Migration, (around 600). Nowadays historians mostly think that there was a Frisian king in the first half of the 7th century with the name Audulf, containing the words ''adel'' and ''

wolf The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly u ...

''. The land this king ruled was probably the central rivers area of the Netherlands. The written sources do not contain any information of this monarch, but there are some golden coins found with the words “Audulfus” and “Frisia” on them. The land where the Frisian people once lived was at that time divided, each with his own ruler.* (2003), ''Kings of the Noardsea'' Excavations in the north of Friesland, in the area called

Westergo Westergoa was one of the seven sealands and one of the three that now lie within the borders of today's Dutch province of Friesland. Later it was one of the three goaen of Frisia. In the Middle Ages Westergoa most probably formed the political c ...

proved that some kind of power has existed in that time in the province of

Friesland Friesland (, ; official fry, Fryslân ), historically and traditionally known as Frisia, is a province of the Netherlands located in the country's northern part. It is situated west of Groningen, northwest of Drenthe and Overijssel, north of ...

. The coins were found in the Netherlands at

Escharen Escharen is a village in the Dutch province of North Brabant. It is located in the former municipality of Grave. Since 2022 it has been part of the new municipality of Land van Cuijk. History The village was first mentioned between 1200 and 122 ...

in nearby

Arnhem Arnhem ( or ; german: Arnheim; South Guelderish: ''Èrnem'') is a city and municipality situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands about 55 km south east of Utrecht. It is the capital of the province of Gelderland, located on both banks of ...

and also in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. Most are dated between 600 and 630. At the beginning of 2006 a coin stamp of Audwulf with the words ''AUDWULF FRISIA'' was found in the Frisian village

Wijnaldum Wijnaldum (; fry, Winaam) is a village in northwest Friesland, the Netherlands. The village lies within the municipality of Harlingen, however, prior to 1984, it was a part of the municipality of Barradeel. The village center has approximately 1 ...

at the place which earlier was searched for the ''keningshal'' of the Frisian kings. Another interesting finding that is brought in context with Audulf is the treasure trove of

Wiuwert Wiuwert ( nl, Wieuwerd ) is a village in Súdwest-Fryslân municipality in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands. It had a population of around 277 in January 2017. Wiuwert is known for the Labadist community and the natural mummification in t ...

. One of the coins has the inscription ''VICTORIA AUDUFO'', probably made to remember a remarkable victory on another people. Some think this people were the Franks who fought the Frisian for control of the

Rhine ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , so ...

delta.

Sources

*K.P.H. Faber, ''Audulfus, een Friese Koning, in Fryslân'', Nieuwsblad voor geschiedenis en cultuur, no.4, 4e jaargang, December 1998 *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Audulf Medieval Frisian rulers 7th-century monarchs in Europe