Bonifacius, often shortened to Boniface, was the second

Duke of Alsace The Duchy of Alsace (, ''Ducatum Elisatium''; ) was a large political subdivision of the Frankish Empire during the last century and a half of Merovingian rule. It corresponded to the territory of Alsace and was carved out of southern Austrasia in ...

, in the mid 7th century. He is an obscure figure and his background is unknown, but charter evidence and

onomastics Onomastics (or onomatology in older texts) is the study of proper names, including their etymology, history, and use. An ''alethonym'' ('true name') or an ''orthonym'' ('real name') is the proper name of the object in question, the object of onom ...

make him a relative of the families of

Gundoin Gundoin was the first Duke of Alsace in the middle of the seventh century. He was a Frankish nobleman from the Meuse-Moselle basin. He was, according to the author of the '' Vita Sadalbergae'', an "illustrious man (''vir inluster''), opulent in we ...

and Wulfoald, a powerful extended kin group in

Austrasia Austrasia was the northeastern kingdom within the core of the Francia, Frankish Empire during the Early Middle Ages, centring on the Meuse, Middle Rhine and the Moselle rivers. It included the original Frankish-ruled territories within what had ...

. He succeeded Gundoin as duke in Alsace and was himself succeeded by Adalrich, founder of the

Etichonids The Etichonids were an important noble family, probably of Franks, Frankish-Burgundians, Burgundian origin, who ruled the Duchy of Alsace in the Early Middle Ages (7th–10th centuries). The dynasty is named for Adalrich, Duke of Alsace, Eticho ( ...

. Boniface had trouble keeping the people of the Sornegau from revolting. Boniface founded the a hunting lodge on the site of the future village of Wihr-au-Val around 660. Until the 10th century it was known as ''Bonifacii Villare''. He "was involved" in the foundation of Gregoriental monastery around 662 and he was the first recorded donor to the abbey of Weissenburg in 661. This last donation was conditional: the gift passed to the monastery only upon the death of the granter, though such a practice had died out by the 780s. It does not indicate that Boniface died in 661.

Sources

*Hummer, Hans J. ''Politics and Power in Early Medieval Europe: Alsace and the Frankish Realm 600 – 1000''. Cambridge University Press: 2005. {{Authority control Dukes of Alsace 7th-century Frankish nobility 7th-century dukes in Europe