Lantfrid (also ''Landfrid'' or ''Lanfred'', Latinised ''Lantfridus'' or ''Lanfredus'') (died 730) was duke of

Alamannia Alamannia, or Alemannia, was the kingdom established and inhabited by the Alemanni, a Germanic tribal confederation that had broken through the Roman '' limes'' in 213. The Alemanni expanded from the Main River basin during the 3rd century a ...

under Frankish sovereignty from 709 until his death. He was the son of duke Gotfrid. Lantfrid's brother was Theudebald. Following Gotfrid's death in 709 and the accession of Lantfrid and his brother Theudebald, the Frankish '' maior domus''

Pepin of Herstal Pepin II (c. 635 – 16 December 714), commonly known as Pepin of Herstal, was a Frankish statesman and military leader who de facto ruled Francia as the Mayor of the Palace from 680 until his death. He took the title Duke and Prince of the ...

invaded Alamannia and fought against yet another duke, Willehari, whose territory was restricted to the

Ortenau The Ortenau, originally called Mortenau, is a historic region in the present-day German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the right bank of the river Rhine, stretching from the Upper Rhine Plain to the foothill zone of the Black For ...

in western Alamannia. This campaign can be seen as an attempt by Pepin to impose royal authority on the duchy following the death of Gotfrid and also to assert his right to influence or even control the succession within the duchy. Pepin’s campaign against Willehari might therefore have taken place to assist Lantfrid and Theudebald in their claim to the duchy. However, both Lantfrid and Theudebald were hostile to Pepin’s successor. After Pipin’s death in 714, Lantfrid dissolved all links with the royal court and its new ''maior domus'' Charles Martell. Alamannic resistance against Frankish supremacy was tenacious. In 722

Charles Martel Charles Martel ( – 22 October 741) was a Frankish political and military leader who, as Duke and Prince of the Franks and Mayor of the Palace, was the de facto ruler of Francia from 718 until his death. He was a son of the Frankish statesm ...

forcefully subdued the duchies of Alamannia and

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total l ...

but in the following year both duchies again rose against

Carolingian The Carolingian dynasty (; known variously as the Carlovingians, Carolingus, Carolings, Karolinger or Karlings) was a Frankish noble family named after Charlemagne, grandson of mayor Charles Martel and a descendant of the Arnulfing and Pippi ...

supremacy.R. Schieffer, ''Die Karolinger,'' p. 42 In 724

Pirmin Saint Pirmin (latinized ''Pirminius'', born before 700 ( according to many sources), died November 3, 753 in Hornbach), was a Merovingian-era monk and missionary. He founded or restored numerous monasteries in Alemannia (Swabia), especially in ...

founded the

Reichenau Abbey Reichenau Abbey was a Benedictine monastery on Reichenau Island (known in Latin as Augia Dives). It was founded in 724 by the itinerant Saint Pirmin, who is said to have fled Spain ahead of the Moorish invaders, with patronage that included Charl ...

under the protection of Charles Martel, Lantfrid and Theudebald considered this a provocation and in 727 Theudebald ''ob odium Karoli'' ("out of hatred against Charles") evicted first Pirmin and, in 732, his successor Heddo from Reichenau. The

Abbey of St. Gall The Abbey of Saint Gall (german: Abtei St. Gallen) is a dissolved abbey (747–1805) in a Catholic religious complex in the city of St. Gallen in Switzerland. The Carolingian-era monastery existed from 719, founded by Saint Othmar on the spot ...

, however, founded 719 by the Alamannic monk

Otmar Othmar, also spelled Otmar or Ottmar, is a masculine German given name, derived from the Germanic name ''Audamar'', from the elements ''aud'' "wealth, prosperity" and ''mar'' "fame". Notable people with the name include: *Saint Othmar *Othmar Am ...

, was favoured by the dukes of Alamannia and the regional aristocracy. Between 724 and 730 Lantfrid usurped the right to issue a law-code whereas up until then law-giving had been one of the major activities of the Merovingian kings. He instigated a revision of the Laws of the Alamans ('' Lex Alamannorum Lantfridus''), a sign and an expression of his claim to be an independent ruler. Even though in the law-code the king is mentioned as ''dominus'', there is no reference to the role of the ''maior domus'', which is an indication of Lantfrid’s loyalty towards the Merovingian dynasty.J. M. Wallace-Hadrill, ''The Long-Haired Kings,'' p. 239 In 730 Charles Martell invaded the duchy with an army once again. Lantfrid's death is recorded for the same year. Whether this occurred as a result of the fighting is not clear. His brother Theudebald succeeded to the duchy as sole ruler.

References

Bibliography

*E. Ewig (2001). ''Die Merowinger und das Frankenreich''. 4th ed.,

Kohlhammer Verlag W. Kohlhammer Verlag GmbH, or Kohlhammer Verlag, is a German publishing house headquartered in Stuttgart. History Kohlhammer Verlag was founded in Stuttgart on 30 April 1866 by . Kohlhammer had taken over the businesses of his late father-in-l ...

: Köln. . *D. Geuenich (1997). ''Geschichte der Alemannen''. Kohlhammer Verlag: Köln. . *R. Kaiser (1993). ''Das römische Erbe und das Merowingerreich''. Oldenbourg: München. . *R. Schieffer (2000). ''Die Karolinger''. 3rd ed., Kohlhammer Verlag: Köln. . *

J. M. Wallace-Hadrill John Michael Wallace-Hadrill, (29 September 1916 – 3 November 1985) was a senior academic and one of the foremost historians of the early Merovingian period. Wallace-Hadrill was born on 29 September 1916 in Bromsgrove, where his father ...

(1993). ''The Long-Haired Kings''. Orig. publ. 1962, University of Toronto Press: Toronto. . *I. Wood (1994). ''The Merovingian Kingdoms 450-751''. Longman: Harlow. . {{Authority control Alemannic rulers Alemannic warriors 8th century in Francia 730 deaths 8th-century rulers in Europe Year of birth unknown