Drogo (c.675 – 708) was a

Frankish Frankish may refer to: * Franks, a Germanic tribe and their culture ** Frankish language or its modern descendants, Franconian languages * Francia, a post-Roman state in France and Germany * East Francia, the successor state to Francia in Germany ...

nobleman, the eldest son of Pippin of Heristal and Plectrudis. He was the duke of

Champagne Champagne (, ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, that demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, ...

from the early 690s. Drogo was born shortly after his parents' marriage, which probably took place in 675 or just after. In the early 680s, Pippin arranged the marriage of Drogo with Anstrudis (or Adaltrudis), the daughter of Waratto, the mayor of the palace in

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 ...

, and his wife Ansfledis. The marriage took place toward the end of the decade or in the early 690s. Drogo and Anstrudis had four sons: Arnulf, who succeeded him as duke of Champagne; Hugh, who entered the church and rose to become an archbishop; Gotfrid; and Pippin. The marriage of Drogo and Anstrudis increased his father Pippin's influence in Neustria. Waratto's family properties were located mainly in the vicinity of Rouen. Drogo, however, was made duke in Champagne, a frontier region between Neustria and Austrasia. His power in Champagne was enhanced through his control of the monastery of Montier-en-Der and possibly the monastery of Hautvillers. The ''

Liber Historiae Francorum ''Liber Historiae Francorum'' ( en, link=no, "The Book of the History of the Franks") is a chronicle written anonymously during the 8th century. The first sections served as a secondary source for early Franks in the time of Marcomer, giving a ...

'', a history of the Franks written in Neustria in 727, portrays the Austrasian Drogo as sympathetic to the Neustrians because of his marital connections. He did, however, fall foul of the

abbey of Saint-Denis The Basilica of Saint-Denis (french: Basilique royale de Saint-Denis, links=no, now formally known as the ) is a large former medieval abbey church and present cathedral in the commune of Saint-Denis, a northern suburb of Paris. The building ...

, which sued him in the king's court in a property dispute. King Childebert III ruled in Saint-Denis's favour. Drogo also lost a lawsuit over the villa of

Noisy-sur-Oise Noisy-sur-Oise (, literally ''Noisy on Oise'') is a commune in the Val-d'Oise department and Île-de-France region of France. See also *Communes of the Val-d'Oise department The following is a list of the 184 communes of the Val-d'Oise de ...

with the monastery of Tussonval in 697. Drogo predeceased his father, dying in 707, according to the '' Gesta abbatum Fontanellensium'', or in 708, according to most of the annals. He was buried in the church of Saint Arnulf at

Metz Metz ( , , lat, Divodurum Mediomatricorum, then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers. Metz is the prefecture of the Moselle department and the seat of the parliament of the Grand ...

, to which his four sons made a grant of land in his honour in June 715. The '' Annales Mettenses'' record that Grimoald succeeded Drogo in all his offices, but in fact his son Arnulf succeeded him as duke. The death of Drogo was perceived by later generations as a pivotal event in the history of the

Carolingian dynasty The Carolingian dynasty (; known variously as the Carlovingians, Carolingus, Carolings, Karolinger or Karlings) was a Frankish noble family named after Charlemagne, grandson of mayor Charles Martel and a descendant of the Arnulfing and Pippin ...

. Several of the imperial annals written in the late eighth century begin their year-by-year accounts with 708. These include the ''

Annales Alamannici The ''Annales Almannici'', which are also referred to as the ''Annals of St. Gall'', provide one of the earliest records of Medieval Europe available. The core text of the ''Annales Alamannici'' covers the years 709 through to 799. Spread over se ...

'', ''

Annales Nazariani Annals are a concise form of historical writing which record events chronologically, year by year. The equivalent word in Latin and French is ''annales'', which is used untranslated in English in various contexts. List of works with titles contai ...

'' and '' Annales Laureshamenses''.

References

Sources

* * * * * * {{Authority control 670s births 708 deaths Pippinids 7th-century Frankish nobility