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 The ''Chronicle of Fredegar'' is the conventional title used for a 7th-century Frankish chronicle that was probably written in Burgundy. The author is unknown and the attribution to Fredegar dates only from the 16th century. The chronicle begin ...

, he was a son of one Chamar, a Frankish aristocrat, and rose to power under the

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 Gaul ...

king Dagobert I, who appointed him as '' dux'' in the former

Thuringia Thuringia (; german: Thüringen ), officially the Free State of Thuringia ( ), is a state of central Germany, covering , the sixth smallest of the sixteen German states. It has a population of about 2.1 million. Erfurt is the capital and lar ...

n kingdom which

Francia 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 ...

had conquered in 531. His installation was meant to protect the eastern border of the Frankish realm against the threatening

Wends Wends ( ang, Winedas ; non, Vindar; german: Wenden , ; da, vendere; sv, vender; pl, Wendowie, cz, Wendové) is a historical name for Slavs living near Germanic settlement areas. It refers not to a homogeneous people, but to various people ...

under Samo, who had defeated the king at the 631 Battle of Wogastisburg and formed an alliance with

Dervan Dervan or Derwan ( sr-cyr, Дерван, la, Dervanus) was an early duke of the Sorbs (fl. 615–636). According to some historians and Emperor Constantine VII, Dervan was brother of the Unknown Archon, but some historians also think that D ...

, prince of the Sorbian tribes settling in the adjacent region east of the

Saale The Saale (), also known as the Saxon Saale (german: Sächsische Saale) and Thuringian Saale (german: Thüringische Saale), is a river in Germany and a left-bank tributary of the Elbe. It is not to be confused with the smaller Franconian Saal ...

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 ...

n kingdom. To retain his independence he allied with Fara, a descendant of the powerful Agilolfing dynasty in

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total l ...

who ruled over large estates along the Main river. About 640 King

Sigebert III Sigebert III ( 630–656) was the Merovingian king of Austrasia from 633 to his death around 656. He was described as the first Merovingian ''roi fainéant'' —do-nothing king—, in effect the mayor of the palace ruling the kingdom througho ...

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 The Unstrut () is a river in Germany and a left tributary of the Saale. The Unstrut originates in northern Thuringia near Dingelstädt (west of Kefferhausen in the Eichsfeld area) and its catchment area is the whole of the Thuringian Basin. ...

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