| Theuderic II | |
|---|---|
| King of Burgundy | |
| Reign | 595–613 |
| Predecessor | Childebert II |
| Successor | Clotaire II |
| King of Austrasia | |
| Reign | 612–613 |
| Predecessor | Theudebert II |
| Successor | Sigebert II |
| Born | c. 587 |
| Died | c. 613 (aged 26) |
| Spouse | Ermenberga (m. 606; annulled 607) |
| Issue | Sigebert II Childebert Corbus Merovech |
| House | Merovingian dynasty |
| Father | Childebert II |
| Mother | Faileuba |
Theuderic II (also spelledTheuderich,Theoderic orTheodoric; inFrench,Thierry) (c. 587–613), king ofBurgundy (595–613) andAustrasia (612–613), was the second son ofChildebert II.[1] At his father's death in 595, he receivedGuntram's kingdom of Burgundy, with its capital atOrléans, while his elder brother,Theudebert II, received their father's kingdom of Austrasia, with its capital atMetz. He also received the lordship of the cities (civitates) ofToulouse,Agen,Nantes,Angers,Saintes,Angoulême,Périgueux,Blois,Chartres, andLe Mans. During his minority, and later, he reigned under the guidance of his grandmotherBrunhilda, evicted from Austrasia by his brotherTheudebert II.
In 596,Clotaire II, king ofNeustria, andFredegund, Clotaire's mother, tookParis, which was supposed to be held in common. Fredegund, then her son'sregent, sent a force toLaffaux and the armies of Theudebert and Theuderic were defeated.
In 599, Brunhilda was forced out of Austrasia by Theudebert and she was found wandering nearArcis inChampagne by a peasant, who brought her to Theuderic. The peasant was supposedly rewarded with thebishopric of Auxerre. Theuderic welcomed her and readily fell under her influence, which was inclined to vengeful war with Theudebert at the time. Soon, Theuderic and his brother were at war. He defeated Theudebert atSens, but their cousin Clotaire's restless warmaking prompted them to ally against him. They resumed the fight against Neustria and, in 600, defeated Clotaire atDormelles (nearMontereau) on theOrvanne. The land between theSeine and theOise was divided between Theuderic and Theudebert, with Theuderic receiving the territory between the Seine and theLoire including theBreton frontier. They also campaigned together inGascony, where they subjugated the local population and instated Genialis as duke.
At this point, however, the two brothers took up arms against each other resulting in Theuderic's defeat of Theudebert atÉtampes. Theuderic's kingdom was invaded by Clotaire in 604, and was also confronted by Clotaire's son Merovech and his mayorLandric. Theuderic met them at Étampes on theLouet, but Theudebert refused him aid. Theuderic won the day, but hismayor of the palace,Berthoald was killed. The next mayor,Protadius, a partisan of Brunhilda, encouraged war with Austrasia, but the nobles assassinated him and battle was never met, a pact being enforced by Theuderic's men. In 610, he lostAlsace, theSaintois, theThurgau, and Champagne to his brother and his men east of theJura were soundly defeated by theAlemanni. However, he routed Theudebert atToul (c.611) and later atTolbiac in 612. He captured the fleeing Theudebert in the latter battle and gave him over—after taking his royal paraphernalia—to his grandmother Brunhilda, who had him put up in a monastery. BishopLudegast is said to have beseeched him in a fable to spare Theudeberts life.[2][3] Brunhilda probably had Theudebert murdered (along with his son Merovech) to allow Theuderic to succeed to both thrones unhindered. Theuderic died ofdysentery in his Austrasian capital ofMetz in late 613[4] while preparing a campaign against his longtime enemy, Clotaire, who had, based on a treaty with Theuderic during the last fraternal war, retaken the duchy ofDentelin.
Theuderic marriedErmenberga, the daughter of theVisigothic king ofSpain,Witteric, atChalon in 606, However, the next year (607), he sent her home in disgrace and a quadruple alliance of Clotaire, Theudebert, Witteric, and theLombard kingAgilulf connived against him, but it all came to naught. Thus depriving himself of the opportunity of having legitimate offspring, he was succeeded by his sonSigebert II under the regency of Brunhilda.
Theuderic had four sons by unnamed mistresses:
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.
Theuderic II Born: 587 Died: 613 | ||
| Preceded by | King of Burgundy 595–613 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | King of Austrasia 612–613 | |
Merovingian dynasty (400–751 AD) | |||
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