The Duchy of Alsace ( la, Ducatus Alsacensi, ''Ducatum Elisatium''; german: Herzogtum Elsaß) was a large political subdivision of the
Frankish Empire
Francia, also called the Kingdom of the Franks ( la, Regnum Francorum), Frankish Kingdom, Frankland or Frankish Empire ( la, Imperium Francorum), was the largest post-Roman barbarian kingdom in Western Europe. It was ruled by the Franks du ...
during the last century and a half of
Merovingian
The Merovingian dynasty () was the ruling family of the Franks from the middle of the 5th century until 751. They first appear as "Kings of the Franks" in the Roman army of northern Gaul. By 509 they had united all the Franks and northern Gauli ...
rule. It corresponded to the territory of
Alsace
Alsace (, ; ; Low Alemannic German/ gsw-FR, Elsàss ; german: Elsass ; la, Alsatia) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in eastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine next to Germany and Switzerland. In 2020, it had ...
and was carved out of southern
Austrasia in the last decade of the reign of
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 ...
, probably to stabilise the southern reaches of Austrasia against
Alemannia and
Burgundy. By the
late Middle Ages
The Late Middle Ages or Late Medieval Period was the period of European history lasting from AD 1300 to 1500. The Late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern period (and in much of Europe, the Renai ...
, the region was considered part of
Swabia.
Foundation
The term "Alsace" derives from the
Germanic ''ali-land-sat-ja'', meaning "one who sits in another land." Alsace was
Alemanni territory, but not so much as
Alemannia proper, which was east of the
Rhine
), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source1_coordinates=
, source1_elevation =
, source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein
, source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source2_coordinates=
, so ...
: it was, however, the "other" land in which some Alemanni had settled. In the late
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post- Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Mediter ...
, a district of Alsace (''pagus Alsatiae'') had been established in the region. Under
Chlothar 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 ...
, Alsace and Alemannia were granted their own law, the ''
Pactus Alamannorum''.
In 596,
Childebert II
Childebert II (c.570–596) was the Merovingian king of Austrasia (which included Provence at the time) from 575 until his death in March 596, as the only son of Sigebert I and Brunhilda of Austrasia; and the king of Burgundy from 592 to his ...
bequeathed Alsace to his son
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 ...
, who was raised there. This attached it to Burgundy, but in 610
Theudebert II
Theudebert II () (c.585-612), King of Austrasia (595–612 AD), was the son and heir of Childebert II. He received the kingdom of Austrasia plus the cities (''civitates'') of Poitiers, Tours, Le Puy-en-Velay, Bordeaux, and Châteaudun, as well ...
, Theuderic's brother of Austrasia, forced Alsace' cession to him only to lose it two years later to Burgundy again. In 623, when Chlothar II granted Austrasia to Dagobert, he excluded Alsace, the
Vosges
The Vosges ( , ; german: Vogesen ; Franconian and gsw, Vogese) are a range of low mountains in Eastern France, near its border with Germany. Together with the Palatine Forest to the north on the German side of the border, they form a single ...
, and the
Ardennes, but was shortly after forced to concede it to Dagobert by the Austrasian nobility. Sometime probably between 629 and 631 Dagobert granted it as a dukedom to
Gundoin Gundoin was the first Duke of Alsace in the middle of the seventh century. He was a Frankish nobleman from the Meuse- Moselle basin. He was, according to the author of the '' Vita Sadalbergae'', an "illustrious man (''vir inluster''), opulent in wea ...
, a Frank from the Austrasian heartland of the
Meuse
The Meuse ( , , , ; wa, Moûze ) or Maas ( , ; li, Maos or ) is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea from the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. It has a t ...
valley, a move which tied Alsace more closely to the Austrasian court. Gundoin's duchy comprised both sides of the Vosges, the
Burgundian Gate
The Belfort Gap ( ) or Burgundian Gate ( ) is the area of relatively flat terrain in Eastern France between the Vosges Mountains to the north and the Jura Mountains to the south. It marks the watershed between the drainage basins of the River R ...
, and the
Transjura
The Kingdom of Upper Burgundy was a Frankish dominion established in 888 by the Welf king Rudolph I of Burgundy on the territory of former Middle Francia. It grew out of the Carolingian margraviate of Transjurane Burgundy (''Transjurania'', ) ...
; there were to be continuous early problems retaining the faithfulness of the
Sundgau.
Etichonid duchy
The creation of a duchy of Alsace corresponded with the creation of counties in the region. Thitherto counties had not been found in most of Austrasia, but by the eighth century they were common in the south. The counts of Alsace were known in contemporary Latin texts by the title (plural ), which may have indicated a slightly different office from that of the traditional (plural ), which was used in the more Romanised parts of Gaul.
![Heiliges Römisches Reich 1000-Alsatia](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/03/Heiliges_R%C3%B6misches_Reich_1000-Alsatia.png)
Under Gundoin's successors, the famous
Etichonids
The Etichonids were an important noble family, probably of Frankish, Burgundian or Visigothic origin, who ruled the Duchy of Alsace in the Early Middle Ages (7th–10th centuries). The dynasty is named for Eticho (also known as Aldarich), who r ...
, the counties — Alsace was already generally divided into a
Nordgau and
Sundgau — were brought under direct ducal control. From the very beginning, Gundoin had used monasteries and monastic foundation as tools in spreading his authority and in developing his regional economy by employing the industry of monks for secular benefit. Alsace was first spoken of as a in the 730s, though the correspondence of Alsace with the territory of the early can be inferred quite easily (for example, known dukes of Alsace referring to earlier dukes as their predecessors can only mean that the territorial unit of rule was the same). The term , "Duchy of Alsace", only came into use under
Louis the Pious
Louis the Pious (german: Ludwig der Fromme; french: Louis le Pieux; 16 April 778 – 20 June 840), also called the Fair, and the Debonaire, was King of the Franks and co-emperor with his father, Charlemagne, from 813. He was also King of Aqui ...
, though there exists disputed evidence of its use as early as 735–737.
Later history
Following the suppression of the Alemanni in 742–746 by
Carloman, son of
Charles Martel
Charles Martel ( – 22 October 741) was a Frankish political and military leader who, as Duke and Prince of the Franks and Mayor of the Palace, was the de facto ruler of Francia from 718 until his death. He was a son of the Frankish statesm ...
, the duchy of Alsace was dissolved in 742 when a successor for the deceased
Duke Liutfrid was not named. While some historians have suggested an antipathy between the Etichonids and the
Arnulfings
The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , ''asteriskos'', "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star.
Computer scientists and mathematicians often voc ...
to explain the dissolution of their power in Alsace, the Etichonids were allied with Charles Martel as early as the 720s, when he campaigned against the Alemanni, who were a constant thorn in the side of their Alsatian cousins. Some have interpreted the tripartite web of support between Alsatian monasteries, the Etichonid dukes and counts, and
Theuderic IV
Theuderic IV (c. 712 – 737) or Theuderich, Theoderic, or Theodoric; in French, ''Thierry'' was the Merovingian King of the Franks from 721 until his death in 737. He was the son of king Dagobert III.
During his reign, his realm was controlle ...
as evidence of an attempt to stay outside of Arnulfing (subsequently
Carolingian) control. In 722, Martel first defeated the Alemanni and in 744 some rebellious Alemans invaded Alsace, implying that it was considered loyal to Martel's successors, Carloman and
Pepin the Short. Even Liutfrid himself may have died fighting on behalf of the Carolingians against the Alemanni. In any case, the peaceful dissolution of the duchy in Alsace mirrored the similar efforts of the Carolings elsewhere (notably
Provence
Provence (, , , , ; oc, Provença or ''Prouvènço'' , ) is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which extends from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the Italian border to the east; it is bor ...
), while it was also part of a larger effort — which was notably violent in Alemannia and
Aquitaine
Aquitaine ( , , ; oc, Aquitània ; eu, Akitania; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Aguiéne''), archaic Guyenne or Guienne ( oc, Guiana), is a historical region of southwestern France and a former administrative region of the country. Since 1 Janu ...
— to replace dukes, who had the power to command armies, with counts, who were royal officers responsible to and representative of royal power.
Alsace remained a distinct unit after 742. With the rise in influence of
Hugh of Tours
Hugh may refer to:
*Hugh (given name)
Noblemen and clergy French
* Hugh the Great (died 956), Duke of the Franks
* Hugh Magnus of France (1007–1025), co-King of France under his father, Robert II
* Hugh, Duke of Alsace (died 895), modern-day ...
, who was a conscious ancestor of the Etichonid dukes, Louis the Pious first made reference to the ''ducatus alsicensi'' in 816, though it was still a ''ducatus'' without a ''dux''. In 829, Louis's youngest son,
Charles, was made duke of Alsace, Alemannia and
Rhaetia, but in 831 his share of the empire was expanded and was made into a kingdom. By the
Treaty of Verdun
The Treaty of Verdun (), agreed in , divided the Frankish Empire into three kingdoms among the surviving sons of the emperor Louis I, the son and successor of Charlemagne. The treaty was concluded following almost three years of civil war and ...
(843) it was made part of the kingdom of
Middle Francia
Middle Francia ( la, Francia media) was a short-lived Frankish kingdom which was created in 843 by the Treaty of Verdun after an intermittent civil war between the grandsons of Charlemagne resulted in division of the united empire. Middle Franc ...
under
Lothair I, to the displeasure of
Louis the German
Louis the German (c. 806/810 – 28 August 876), also known as Louis II of Germany and Louis II of East Francia, was the first king of East Francia, and ruled from 843 to 876 AD. Grandson of emperor Charlemagne and the third son of Louis the P ...
, who would have liked to see it attached to Alemanni in his
East Francia. Upon Lothair's death in 855, Alsace became a part of
Lotharingia
Lotharingia ( la, regnum Lotharii regnum Lothariense Lotharingia; french: Lotharingie; german: Reich des Lothar Lotharingien Mittelreich; nl, Lotharingen) was a short-lived medieval successor kingdom of the Carolingian Empire. As a more durable ...
in the threefold division of Middle Francia.
Lothair II, because of his kinship with the still-powerful Etichonids, had firm support in Alsace throughout his tumultuous reign. In 867, he created the first Duke of Alsace in over a century when he granted the ''ducatum Elisatium'' to his illegitimate son
Hugh, who had an ancient Etichonid name. In 869, Lothair granted protection of his kingdom to Louis the German immediately before his death on a trip to
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
. When Louis fell ill later that year, Charles, now king of all
West Francia
In medieval history, West Francia (Medieval Latin: ) or the Kingdom of the West Franks () refers to the western part of the Frankish Empire established by Charlemagne. It represents the earliest stage of the Kingdom of France, lasting from about ...
, tried to annex Alsace and made Hugh swear allegiance to him, but Louis recovered and by the
Treaty of Meerssen
The Treaty of Mersen or Meerssen, concluded on 8 August 870, was a treaty to partition the realm of Lothair II, known as Lotharingia, by his uncles Louis the German of East Francia and Charles the Bald of West Francia, the two surviving sons of ...
(870) Alsace was attached to East Francia at long last. There is little evidence for an Alsatian dukedom after that, though some have interpreted references to an ''Uto dux'' in 999 as implying that the ''ducatus Elisatium'' was still not attached to the
Duchy of Swabia by then. It eventually would be, however.
Dukes
*
Gundoin Gundoin was the first Duke of Alsace in the middle of the seventh century. He was a Frankish nobleman from the Meuse- Moselle basin. He was, according to the author of the '' Vita Sadalbergae'', an "illustrious man (''vir inluster''), opulent in wea ...
, ''fl''. 630s
*
Boniface
Boniface, OSB ( la, Bonifatius; 675 – 5 June 754) was an English Benedictine monk and leading figure in the Anglo-Saxon mission to the Germanic parts of the Frankish Empire during the eighth century. He organised significant foundations o ...
, until ''c''. 662
*
Adalrich, ''c''. 662–after 683
*
Adalbert, after 683–723
*
Liutfrid
Liutfrid (died probably 742), also spelled Leodefred, Leudefred, or Leudefrid, was the Duke of Alsace, the third in a line of Etichonid dukes dating back to circa 670. He succeeded his father Adalbert in 723.
In the 720s he made his younger broth ...
, 723–after 742
*
Charles, 829–831
*
Hugh, 867–885
*
Udo
Udo is a masculine given name. It may refer to:
People Medieval era
*Udo of Neustria, 9th century nobleman
* Udo (Obotrite prince) (died 1028)
* Udo (archbishop of Trier) (c. 1030 – 1078)
* Lothair Udo II, Margrave of the Nordmark (c. 1025 ...
, fl. c. 999
Notes
Sources
*
*
{{Alsace topics
History of Alsace