Gundobald or Gombald (died after 998) was the

Archbishop of Bordeaux The Archdiocese of Bordeaux (–Bazas) (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Burdigalensis (–Bazensis)''; French: ''Archidiocèse de Bordeaux (–Bazas)''; Occitan: ''Archidiocèsi de Bordèu (–Vasats)'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or a ...

from 989 to his death. He was the ''episcopus Gasconum'', bishop of the

Gascons Gascony (; ) was a province of the southwestern Kingdom of France that succeeded the Duchy of Gascony (602–1453). From the 17th century until the French Revolution (1789–1799), it was part of the combined Province of Guyenne and Gascon ...

, from 978, holding the episcopal dignity in all the Gascon sees. He was the third son of

Sancho IV of Gascony The name Sancho () is an Iberian name of Basque origin (Santxo, Santzo, Santso, Antzo, Sans). Sancho stems from the Latin name Sanctius. Feminine forms of the name are Sancha, Sancia, and Sanchia (), and the common patronymic is Sánchez and ...

and thus a brother of Sancho V and William II, successive

dukes of Gascony The Duchy of Gascony or Duchy of Vasconia was a duchy located in present-day southwestern France and northeastern Spain, an area encompassing the modern region of Gascony. The Duchy of Gascony, then known as ''Wasconia'', was originally a Franki ...

. In 977, he refounded the monastery of

La Réole La Réole (; ) is a commune in the Gironde department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. Geography La Réole is located on the right bank of the Garonne, southeast of Bordeaux by rail. La Réole station has rail connections to Age ...

. He and his brother William together had complete control of the ecclesiastical and secular administration of Gascony, which allowed the duchy to prosper and reenter history after a period of obscurity during their rule. Gundobald was eventually elevated to the archiepiscopal dignity of Bordeaux. He dedicated the monastery at

Maillezais Maillezais () is a commune in the Vendée department in the Pays de la Loire region in western France. It was once an island in the Marais Poitevin, until monks of the Maillezais Abbey dug canals in the 13th century. Remains of the sea wall ar ...

. In June 989, he led the

synod of Charroux A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word ''synod'' comes from the Ancient Greek () ; the term is analogous with the Latin word . Originally, ...

, at which the

Peace of God The Peace and Truce of God () was a movement in the Middle Ages led by the Catholic Church and was one of the most influential mass peace movements in history. The goal of both the ''Pax Dei'' and the ''Treuga Dei'' was to limit the violence o ...

was first proclaimed. He pronounced excommunication on all those who plundered churches, assaulted the clergy, or robbed the rustic poor.Jordan, 26.

Sources

*Higounet, Charles. ''Bordeaux pendant le haut moyen age''. Bordeaux, 1963. *

Jordan, William Chester William Chester Jordan (born April 7, 1948) is an American medievalist who serves as the Dayton-Stockton Professor of History at Princeton University; he is a recipient of the Haskins Medal for his work concerning the Great Famine of 1315–131 ...

. ''Europe in the High Middle Ages''. London: Viking, 2003.

Notes

{{authority control Archbishops of Bordeaux 10th-century archbishops Bishops of Bazas