Berthoald

Berthoald (or ''Bertoald'') (died 604) was the mayor of the palace of Burgundy from some time before 603 (when he is first mentioned as mayor under King

Theuderic II Theuderic II (also spelled Theuderich, Theoderic or Theodoric; in French, ''Thierry'') (587–613), king of Burgundy (595–613) and Austrasia (612–613), was the second son of Childebert II. At his father's death in 595, he received Guntram's ki ...

) until his death in the next year. According to the Burgundian chronicler

Fredegar The ''Chronicle of Fredegar'' is the conventional title used for a 7th-century Frankish chronicle that was probably written in Burgundy. The author is unknown and the attribution to Fredegar dates only from the 16th century. The chronicle begin ...

, he was moderate, sensible, brave, and honest. In 604, Theuderic, at the suggestion of his grandmother

Brunhilda Brunhilda may refer to: * Brunhild, a figure in Germanic heroic legend * Brunhilda of Austrasia (c. 543–613), Frankish queen * ''Brunhilda'' (bird), a genus of birds See also * * * Broom-Hilda, an American newspaper comic strip * Broomhild ...

, sent Berthoald to inspect the royal ''

villa A villa is a type of house that was originally an ancient Roman upper class country house. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the fall of the Roman Republic, villas became s ...

e'' along the Seine, in order to have him away from court so that he might be conveniently killed. Brunhilda intended to raise her paramour

Protadius Protadius (died 606) was the mayor of the palace of Burgundy from 604, when he displaced his rival Berthoald, until his death two years later. He was originally the noble lover of Brunhilda, the grandmother of and regent for King Theuderic II. ...

to Berthoald's honours. Berthoald and three hundred men were at Arèle when King

Clotaire II Chlothar II, sometime called "the Young" (French: le Jeune), (May/June 584 – 18 October 629), was king of Neustria and king of the Franks, and the son of Chilperic I and his third wife, Fredegund. He started his reign as an infant under the r ...

Neustria Neustria was the western part of the Kingdom of the Franks. Neustria included the land between the Loire and the Silva Carbonaria, approximately the north of present-day France, with Paris, Orléans, Tours, Soissons as its main cities. It late ...

—alerted by some means to his presence— sent an army under his son Merovech and his mayor

Landric Landric (or Landeric, french: Landry, † 613) was the mayor of the palace of Neustria. According to the ''Vita Aldegundis'', he and his probable brother Gundoland were uncles of Saint Aldegunda. The chief sources for his reign are the ''Chronicle ...

to assault him. Berthoald fled to

Orléans Orléans (;"Orleans"
(US) and Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...

Étampes Étampes () is a commune in the metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located south-southwest from the center of Paris (as the crow flies). Étampes is a sub-prefecture of the Essonne department. Étampes, together with the neighboring ...

and met the forces of Merovech and Landric. Defeating them with the aid of Berthoald, he took

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

. Berthoald was killed in battle, having charged the enemy too far, with no regard for his own life, which he knew was in danger at court because of the plottings on behalf of Protadius. Protadius was indeed made mayor of the palace after him. {{DEFAULTSORT:Berthoald 6th-century births 604 deaths Mayors of the Palace