Chrodobert, Crodobert, or Choadebert (''Crodobertus'' or ''Chrodobertus'') was an
Aleman ''
dux
''Dux'' (; plural: ''ducēs'') is Latin for "leader" (from the noun ''dux, ducis'', "leader, general") and later for duke and its variant forms (doge, duce, etc.). During the Roman Republic and for the first centuries of the Roman Empire, '' ...
'' of the early seventh century (
fl. 631/632). He probably ruled in the south of the region later known as
Swabia.
There is little evidence to suggest the existence of an Aleman duke in the period from c. 610 to c. 630, but
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 ...
records that around 631 an Alemannic army under duke Chrodobert participated in
Dagobert I
Dagobert I ( la, Dagobertus; 605/603 – 19 January 639 AD) was the king of Austrasia (623–634), king of all the Franks (629–634), and king of Neustria and Burgundy (629–639). He has been described as the last king of the Merovingian dyna ...
's assault on the
realm of the Slavs to the east. The Alemannic host (''exercitus Alamannorum'') was one of the three columns of the
Austrasian army (''exercitus regnum universum Austrasiorum''). While the Alemanni won a battle at an unknown location and the
Lombard allies were successful against the Slavs in the
Julian Alps
The Julian Alps ( sl, Julijske Alpe, it, Alpi Giulie, , ) are a mountain range of the Southern Limestone Alps that stretch from northeastern Italy to Slovenia, where they rise to 2,864 m at Mount Triglav, the highest peak in Slovenia. A large p ...
, the main army of Austrasian
Franks
The Franks ( la, Franci or ) were a group of Germanic peoples whose name was first mentioned in 3rd-century Roman sources, and associated with tribes between the Lower Rhine and the Ems River, on the edge of the Roman Empire.H. Schutz: Tools, ...
under Dagobert was defeated at the
Battle of Wogastisburg
According to the contemporary ''Chronicle of Fredegar'', the Battle of Wogastisburg was a battle between Slavs (''Sclav, cognomento Winidi'') under King Samo and Franks under King Dagobert I in 631. The Frankish armies advanced into the area of th ...
.
Chrodobert's authority in Alemannia probably increased after the succession of
Sigebert III
Sigebert III ( 630–656) was the Merovingian king of Austrasia from 633 to his death around 656. He was described as the first Merovingian '' roi fainéant'' —do-nothing king—, in effect the mayor of the palace ruling the kingdom throug ...
to the throne of Austrasia.
The relationship between Chrodobert and both earlier and later dukes of the Alemanni is unknown. It is possible that Chrodobert was the same person as the Hruodi mentioned in the ''passio'' of
Saint Killian
Kilian, also spelled Cillian or Killian (or alternatively ga, Cillín; la, Kilianus), was an Irish missionary bishop and the Apostle of Franconia (Franconia is nowadays the northern part of Bavaria), where he began his labours in the latter ha ...
.
Sources
*Geuenich, Dieter. ''Geschichte der Alemannen''. Verlag Kohlhammer: Stuttgart, 2004. {{ISBN, 3-17-018227-7.
Mittelalter-Genealogie: Chrodobert.
Alemannic rulers
Alemannic warriors
7th-century rulers in Europe