The Agilolfings were a noble family that ruled the
Duchy of Bavaria on behalf of their
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 ...
suzerains from about 550 until 788. A cadet branch of the Agilolfings also ruled the
Kingdom of the Lombards
The Kingdom of the Lombards, also known as the Lombard Kingdom and later as the Kingdom of all Italy (), was an Early Middle Ages, early medieval state established by the Lombards, a Germanic people, on the Italian Peninsula in the latter part ...
intermittently from 616 to 712.
They are mentioned as the leading dynasty in the ''
Lex Baiuvariorum'' (c. 743). Their Bavarian residence was at
Regensburg
Regensburg (historically known in English as Ratisbon) is a city in eastern Bavaria, at the confluence of the rivers Danube, Naab and Regen (river), Regen, Danube's northernmost point. It is the capital of the Upper Palatinate subregion of the ...
.
The dynasty's eponymous ancestor is
Agilulf, a semi-legendary prince of the
Suebi
file:1st century Germani.png, 300px, The approximate positions of some Germanic peoples reported by Graeco-Roman authors in the 1st century. Suebian peoples in red, and other Irminones in purple.
The Suebi (also spelled Suavi, Suevi or Suebians ...
and descendant of
Hermeric, the 5th-century Suevic king of
Galicia, possibly identical with one Agilulf, a steward of the
Visigothic
The Visigoths (; ) were a Germanic people united under the rule of a king and living within the Roman Empire during late antiquity. The Visigoths first appeared in the Balkans, as a Roman-allied barbarian military group united under the comman ...
king
Theoderic II, who was executed in 457.
The first duke identified with the Agilolfing line in German historiography is
Garibald I (''Gariwald'').
However, doubt has been cast on Garibald's membership in the Agilolfing family in modern scholarship,
[Carl I. Hammer: ''From Ducatus to Regnum. Ruling Bavaria under the Merovingians and early Carolingians.'' 2007;
Britta Kägler: ''„Sage mir, wie du heißt …“. Spätantik-frühmittelalterliche Eliten in den Schriftquellen. Das Beispiel der frühen Agilolfinger.'' In: Hubert Fehr, Irmtraut Heitmeier (eds.): ''Von Raetien und Noricum zur frühmittelalterlichen Baiovaria.'' EOS, St. Ottilien 2012, S. 183–196.] which makes
Tassilo I (r. 591–610) the first ascertained member of the dynasty.
The Agilolfings had close ties to the Merovingians. Garibald I himself married
Waldrada, the widow of Merovingian king
Theudebald, in 555, after her marriage to
Chlothar I was annulled on grounds of
consanguinity.
As they had their fate intertwined with the Merovingian dynasty, they opposed the rise of the
Carolingian mayors of the palace, who finally deprived the Agilolfings of their power.
Rulers of Bavaria
*
Garibald I, Duke of Bavaria 548–591
*
Tassilo I, King of Bavaria 591–610
*
Garibald II, Duke of Bavaria 610–630
*
Theodo, Duke of Bavaria 680–716
*
Lantpert, son of Theodo, murderer of
Emmeram of Regensburg
*
Uta, daughter of Theodo
*
Theodbert, son of Theodo, Duke in
Salzburg
Salzburg is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020 its population was 156,852. The city lies on the Salzach, Salzach River, near the border with Germany and at the foot of the Austrian Alps, Alps moun ...
ca. 702–719
*
Theobald, son of Theodo, Duke of parts of Bavaria ca. 711–719
*
Tassilo II, son of Theodo, Duke in
Passau
Passau (; ) is a city in Lower Bavaria, Germany. It is also known as the ("City of Three Rivers"), as the river Danube is joined by the Inn (river), Inn from the south and the Ilz from the north.
Passau's population is about 50,000, of whom ...
ca. 716–719
*
Grimoald, son of Theodo, Duke in
Freising ca. 716–725, later ruling all of Bavaria
*
Hugbert, son of Theudbert, Duke of Bavaria 725–737
*
Odilo, son of
Gotfried of Allemania, Duke of Bavaria 737–748
*
Grifo, 748 (half-Carolingian usurper)
*
Tassilo III, son of Odilo, Duke of Bavaria 748–788, deposed by
Charlemagne
Charlemagne ( ; 2 April 748 – 28 January 814) was List of Frankish kings, King of the Franks from 768, List of kings of the Lombards, King of the Lombards from 774, and Holy Roman Emperor, Emperor of what is now known as the Carolingian ...
*
Theodo, son of Tassilo III, became a monk
Rulers of Italy
*
Gundoald, Duke of Asti, son of Garibald I
*
Theodelinda, daughter of
Garibald I of Bavaria, Queen of the Lombards
*
Adaloald, son of Theodelinda and
Agilulf, King of the Lombards 616 to 626
*
Gundeberga, daughter of
Agilulf and Theodelinda, married King
Arioald
*
Aripert I, son of Gundoald, King of the Lombards 653–661
*
Godepert, eldest son of Aripert, King of the Lombards 661–662 jointly with
*
Berthari, younger son of Aripert, King of the Lombards 661–662 and 672–688
*
Cunincpert, son of Berthari, King of the Lombards 688–700
*
Liutpert, son of Cunincpert, King of the Lombards 700–701
*
Raginpert, son of Godepert, King of the Lombards 701
*
Aripert II, son of Raginpert, King of the Lombards 701–712
At the Austrasian court
*Chrodoald, nobleman at the court of
Dagobert I, killed in 624
*Fara, opponent to
Sigebert III
Sigebert III ( 630–656) was the Merovingian dynasty, Merovingian king of Austrasia from 633 to his death around 656. He was described as the first Merovingian ''roi fainéant'', or "do-nothing king", with the mayor of the palace in fact ruling ...
References
Further reading
*
*
External links
Biographies of some AgilolfingiansTentative Genealogy of Early Agilolfings, according to Jörg Jarnut
{{Authority control
Duchy of Bavaria
Lombard families
Merovingian period
Baiuvarii