Saint Rieul,

Bishop of Reims The Archdiocese of Reims (traditionally spelt "Rheims" in English) ( la, Archidiœcesis Remensis; French: ''Archidiocèse de Reims'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastic territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. Erected as a diocese ...

, was bishop of that town from 673 to around 689. He was a supporter of

Ebroin Ebroin (died 680 or 681) was the Frankish mayor of the palace of Neustria on two occasions; firstly from 658 to his deposition in 673 and secondly from 675 to his death in 680 or 681. In a violent and despotic career, he strove to impose the aut ...

. Ebroin's supporters, which included Rieul, Praejectus,

St. Agilbert of Paris Agilbert ( 650–680) was the second bishop of the West Saxon kingdom and later Bishop of Paris. He is venerated as a saint within the Catholic Church, with his feast day falling on 11 October. The date and place of Agilbert's birth are unknown ...

, and St. Ouen of Rouen, held a council of bishops that sat in judgment on Leger, at Marly, near

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

. Praejectus’ murderer may have been a supporter of Leger, who was later murdered on October 2, 679.

False oaths

After their defeat at the

Battle of Lucofao The Battle of Lucofao (or Bois-du-Fays) was the decisive engagement of the civil war that afflicted the Frankish kingdoms during and after the reign of Dagobert II (676–79). In the battle, the Neustrian forces of Theuderic III and his majordomo ...

in late 679 or early 680, Austrasian Dukes Martin and

Pepin of Herstal Pepin II (c. 635 – 16 December 714), commonly known as Pepin of Herstal, was a Frankish statesman and military leader who de facto ruled Francia as the Mayor of the Palace from 680 until his death. He took the title Duke and Prince of the Fr ...

fled the battlefield. Martin went to

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 ...

. Bishop Rieul and one Agilbert lured him to Ecry on the pretext of negotiations with King

Theuderic III Theuderic III (or Theuderich, Theoderic, or Theodoric; french: Thierry) (c. 651–691) was the king of Neustria (including Burgundy) on two occasions (673 and 675–691) and king of Austrasia from 679 to his death in 691. Thus, he was the king of ...

, giving false assurances, by swearing upon reliquaries that Martin did not know were empty. Trusting them, Martin went to Ecry where he and his supporters were killed.Wood, Ian N., ''The Merovingian Kingdoms'', (1994) Longman. p. 234

References

7th-century Frankish bishops Bishops of Reims 7th-century Frankish saints {{france-bishop-stub