Theudebald or Theutbald was the
Duke of Alamannia from 730 until his deposition. He was a son of
Gotfrid and brother and co-ruler with
Lantfrid from 709.
In 727, Theudebald expelled
Pirmin, the founder of
Reichenau Abbey, out of a hatred for
Charles Martel
Charles Martel (; – 22 October 741), ''Martel'' being a sobriquet in Old French for "The Hammer", was a Franks, Frankish political and military leader who, as Duke and Prince of the Franks and Mayor of the Palace, was the de facto ruler of ...
(''ob odium Karoli''), whose influence in Alamannia he detested. During a military campaign in 730, Lantfrid was killed and Theudebald became sole duke. In 732, Theudebald was chased out of Alemannia by
Charles Martel
Charles Martel (; – 22 October 741), ''Martel'' being a sobriquet in Old French for "The Hammer", was a Franks, Frankish political and military leader who, as Duke and Prince of the Franks and Mayor of the Palace, was the de facto ruler of ...
, but upon Charles' death in 741 he returned to claim his dukedom.
In 742, Theudebald rebelled against the nominal authority of the
Merovingian
The Merovingian dynasty () was the ruling family of the Franks from around the middle of the 5th century until Pepin the Short in 751. They first appear as "Kings of the Franks" in the Roman army of northern Gaul. By 509 they had united all the ...
monarchy which was then being exercised by the two
mayors of the palace Pepin the Short
the Short (; ; ; – 24 September 768), was King of the Franks from 751 until his death in 768. He was the first Carolingian dynasty, Carolingian to become king.
Pepin was the son of the Frankish prince Charles Martel and his wife Rotrude of H ...
and
Carloman; the
Basques
The Basques ( or ; ; ; ) are a Southwestern European ethnic group, characterised by the Basque language, a Basque culture, common culture and shared genetic ancestry to the ancient Vascones and Aquitanians. Basques are indigenous peoples, ...
,
Bavarii
The Baiuvarii or Bavarii, sometimes simply called Bavarians (; ) were a Germanic people who lived in and near present-day southern Bavaria, which is named after them.
They began to appear in records by the 6th century AD, and their culture, lang ...
, and
Saxons
The Saxons, sometimes called the Old Saxons or Continental Saxons, were a Germanic people of early medieval "Old" Saxony () which became a Carolingian " stem duchy" in 804, in what is now northern Germany. Many of their neighbours were, like th ...
all revolted simultaneously. That same year Theudebald invaded the
Duchy of Alsace, then ruled by
Duke Liutfrid. The Alsatian duke was probably killed alongside his son fighting for the mayors. In 744, Pepin invaded the
Swabian Jura
The Swabian Jura ( , more rarely ), sometimes also named Swabian Alps in English, is a mountain range in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, extending from southwest to northeast and in width. It is named after the region of Swabia. It is part of th ...
and chased Theudebald from his mountain redoubt. He was defeated in Alsace by Pepin's select band of warriors. In 745, Carloman had to march on the duke again, this time defeating him and executing many at the
blood court of Cannstatt. Alamannia was subjected once and for all. Its subsequent history was much affected by the violence with which its ducal independence was snuffed out.
Sources
*
Reuter, Timothy. ''Germany in the Early Middle Ages 800–1056''. New York: Longman, 1991.
*Hummer, Hans J. ''Politics and Power in Early Medieval Europe: Alsace and the Frankish Realm 600 – 1000''. Cambridge University Press: 2005.
*
Bachrach, Bernard S. ''Merovingian Military Organization, 481–751''. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1971.
Alemanni.
{{Authority control
8th-century Frankish nobility
8th-century dukes in Europe
Alemannic monarchs
Frankish warriors