Theodo (about 625 – 11 December c. 716), also known as Theodo V and Theodo II, was the Duke of Bavaria from 670 or, more probably, 680 to his death. It is with Theodo that the well-sourced history of Bavaria begins. He strengthened his duchy internally and externally and, according to the medieval chronicler Arbeo of Freising, he was a prince of great power whose fame extended beyond his borders.

Life

Theodo's descendance has not been conclusively established. A member of the Agilolfing dynasty, his father possibly was Duke Theodo IV of Bavaria (d. 680) and his mother was probably Fara of Bavaria (b. 600), daughter of one of the Kings of the Lombards and by her mother a granddaughter of Gisulf I of Friuli (b. 577). Theodo established his capital at ''Ratisbona'' (modern

Regensburg Regensburg or is a city in eastern Bavaria, at the confluence of the Danube, Naab and Regen rivers. It is capital of the Upper Palatinate subregion of the state in the south of Germany. With more than 150,000 inhabitants, Regensburg is the f ...

). He married Folchaid, of the Frankish (possibly Robertian as the daughter of Robert II) aristocracy in

Austrasia Austrasia was a territory which formed the north-eastern section of the Merovingian Kingdom of the Franks during the 6th to 8th centuries. It was centred on the Meuse, Middle Rhine and the Moselle rivers, and was the original territory of the F ...

, to build diplomatic ties there. He intervened in Lombard affairs by harbouring the refugees Ansprand and Liutprand, whom he assisted militarily on his return to claim the Iron Crown. Liutprand later married his daughter Guntrude. Theodo also defended his duchy ably from the Avars (with some failure in the east). Theodo is the patron to the four great missionaries of Bavaria: Saint Rupert,

Saint Erhard Saint Erhard of Regensburg was bishop of Regensburg in the 7th century. He is identified with an Abbot Erhard of Ebersheimmunster mentioned in a Merovingian diploma of 684. Ancient documents call him also Erard and Herhard. Life Peter Nugent, w ...

, Saint Emmeram, and probably Saint Corbinian. He was the first to draw up plans for the Bavarian church, aiming both at a deeper cultivation of the countryside as well as greater independence from the Frankish Kingdom by a closer association with the Pope. He was the first Bavarian duke to travel to Rome, where he conferred with Pope Gregory II. The diocesan seats were placed in the few urban centres, which served as the Duke's seats: Regensburg, Salzburg, Freising and Passau. Two of his children are involved with the death of Saint Emmeram. Theodo's daughter Uta had become pregnant by her lover. Fearing her father's wrath, she confided to Emmeram and the saint promised to bear the blame, as he was about to travel to Rome. Soon after his departure, Uta's predicament became known and in keeping with the agreement she named Emmeram as the father. Her brother Lantpert went after Emmeram and greeted him as "bishop and brother-in-law," i.e., ''episcope et gener noster''! Then he had Emmeram cut and torn into pieces. Theodo had the remains of the saint moved to Regensburg. Nothing more is known of Lantpert and Uta.

Marriage and issue

According to the Renaissance historians Ladislaus Sunthaym (c.1440–1512/13) and Johannes Aventinus (1477–1534), Theodo married Regintrud, possibly a daughter of King Dagobert I of

. However, the '' Verbrüderungsbuch'' codex of St Peter's Abbey, Salzburg only mentions one Folchaid, probably a daughter of the Robertian count Theutacar in Wormsgau. They had the following children: * Theodbert, Duke of Bavaria in Salzburg 711/12–c.719 * Theobald, Duke of Bavaria in

c.711/12–717/19 * Tassilo II, Duke of Bavaria in

Passau Passau (; bar, label=Central Bavarian, Båssa) is a city in Lower Bavaria, Germany, also known as the Dreiflüssestadt ("City of Three Rivers") as the river Danube is joined by the Inn from the south and the Ilz from the north. Passau's popu ...

(?) 717–719 * Grimoald, Duke of Bavaria in Freising c.716–724 * a daughter who married her Agilolfing cousin Duke Gotfrid of

Alamannia Alamannia, or Alemannia, was the kingdom established and inhabited by the Alemanni, a Germanic peoples, Germanic tribal confederation that had broken through the Roman ''Upper Germanic Limes, limes'' in 213. The Alemanni expanded from the Main ...

From another wife named Gleisnot of Friuli: * Lantpert of Bavaria * Uta. Theodo was eventually succeeded by his four other sons, between whom he divided his duchy sometime before 715. As early as 702, his eldest son Theodbert had been reigning from Salzburg and from 711 or 712 was the co-ruler of his father. It is impossible to see if this division was territorial (as with the Merovingians) or purely a co-regency (as with the later princes of Benevento and Capua). If so, Theodbert's capital was probably Salzburg and the ''Vita Corbiniani'' informs that Grimoald had his seat in Freising. References to Theobald and the Thuringii implies perhaps a capital at Regensburg and this leaves Tassilo at Passau. All of this is educated conjecture.

Ordinals

Some historians have distinguished between a Duke Theodo I, ruling around 680, and a Duke Theodo II, reigning in the early eighth century. Theodo I is associated with events involving Saint Emmeram, Uta and Lantpert, while Theodo II is associated with Saints Corbinian and Rupert, the ecclesiastical organisation and the division of the Duchy. However, no contemporary source indicates a distinction between different Dukes of that name. To complicate matters even further, Bavarian tradition has referred to Theodo I and Theodo II as Theodo IV and Theodo V respectively to differentiate them from legendary Agilolfing ancestors Theodo I to III, all who would have reigned before 550.

References

Die Genealogie der Franken und Frankreichs
* {{Authority control 620s births 716 deaths 7th-century dukes of Bavaria 8th-century dukes of Bavaria Agilolfings Year of birth uncertain