Radulf was the
Duke of Thuringia (''dux Thoringiae'') from 632 or 633 (certainly before 634) until his death after 642.
According to the
Chronicle of Fredegar, he was a son of one Chamar, a
Frankish aristocrat, and rose to power under the
Merovingian king
Dagobert I, who appointed him as ''
dux'' in the former
Thuringian kingdom which
Francia had conquered in 531.
His installation was meant to protect the eastern border of the Frankish realm against the threatening
Wends under
Samo, who had defeated the king at the 631
Battle of Wogastisburg and formed an alliance with
Dervan, prince of the
Sorbian tribes settling in the adjacent region east of the
Saale river. Radulf fought successfully against the Slavs, but subsequently refused the incorporation of the secured territories into the
Austrasia
Austrasia was a territory which formed the north-eastern section of the Merovingian Kingdom of the Franks during the 6th to 8th centuries. It was centred on the Meuse, Middle Rhine and the Moselle rivers, and was the original territory of the F ...
n kingdom. To retain his independence he allied with Fara, a descendant of the powerful
Agilolfing dynasty in
Bavaria who ruled over large estates along the
Main river.
About 640 King
Sigebert III of Austrasia with his
Mayors of the Palace,
Adalgisel and
Grimoald the Elder, marched against the insurgents and at first easily routed Fara's troops, while the Agilolfing himself was killed in battle. Reaching Thuringia however, Duke Radulf, entrenched in his fortress at the
Unstrut river, was not overcome, partially because he had gained the support of significant numbers of the king's forces. In 642, he rebelled against Sigebert and defeated his army, taking the title of ''rex'' or king of Thuringia.
[Reuter, 55.] His success is usually considered an indicator of the ''
roi fainéant'' phenomenon and of undoing of the Merovingians' accomplishments. His sons,
Theotbald and
Heden I, succeeded him.
Sources
*
Reuter, Timothy. ''Germany in the Early Middle Ages 800–1056''. New York: Longman, 1991.
Notes
{{Authority control
Rulers of Thuringia
7th-century Frankish nobility
7th-century Germanic people
7th-century rulers in Europe
Merovingian dynasty
Place of birth unknown
Year of birth unknown
Year of death unknown
Kings of the Thuringians