The siege of Laon 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 ...

siege of the rebel Grifo's fortified city of

Laon Laon () is a city in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. History Early history The holy district of Laon, which rises a hundred metres above the otherwise flat Picardy plain, has always held strategic importance. In ...

in 741. The Frankish army under the Mayors of the Palace, the brothers Carloman and

Pepin the Short the Short (french: Pépin le Bref; – 24 September 768), also called the Younger (german: Pippin der Jüngere), was King of the Franks from 751 until his death in 768. He was the first Carolingian to become king. The younger was the son of ...

, besieged the fortress and took Grifo, the Mayors' half-brother, captive.

Prelude

The

Mayor of the Palace

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 statesma ...

died on 22 October 741. He was survived by three heirs, Carloman,

and Grifo, the latter the son of Charles Martel's second queen, the Bavarian

Swanachild Swanachild (also ''Swanahild'' or ''Serenahilt'') was the second wife of Charles Martel. Reign Swanachild belonged to the clan of the Agilolfing, though her parentage is not quite clear. Her parents could be Tassilo II, duke of Bavaria, and his w ...

. Grifo was encouraged by Swanachild to take control of the entire kingdom. Grifo occupied the city of

and declared war on his brothers.

Siege

Carloman and Pepin mobilized an army, advanced on Laon and captured it after a siege. Grifo was taken prisoner.

Aftermath

The brothers went on to recover provinces that had broken away after Charles' death. Carloman imprisoned Grifo in Neufchâteau in the

Ardennes The Ardennes (french: Ardenne ; nl, Ardennen ; german: Ardennen; wa, Årdene ; lb, Ardennen ), also known as the Ardennes Forest or Forest of Ardennes, is a region of extensive forests, rough terrain, rolling hills and ridges primarily in Be ...

to prevent further revolts at home while the brothers waged war abroad.

Citations

Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Laon, Siege Of (741) Laon 741

741 8th century in Francia Wars of succession involving the states and peoples of Europe