Adalgisel or Adalgis (''Adalgyselus ducis'' in contemporary

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

) was a Frankish

duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobi ...

and the

mayor of the palace Under the Merovingian dynasty, the mayor of the palace or majordomo, ( or ) was the manager of the household of the Frankish king. He was the head of the Merovingian administrative ladder and orchestrated the operation of the entire court. He ...

Austrasia Austrasia was the northeastern kingdom within the core of the Francia, Frankish Empire during the Early Middle Ages, centring on the Meuse, Middle Rhine and the Moselle rivers. It included the original Frankish-ruled territories within what had ...

. He assumed that office in December 633 or January 634 at the same time that

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 ...

assumed the kingship. Along with Cunibert, Bishop of Cologne, he acted as

regent In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...

for the young king. Adalgisel, Cunibert, and Sigebert were all appointed by

Dagobert I Dagobert I (; 603/605 – 19 January 639) was King of the Franks. He ruled Austrasia (623–634) and Neustria and Burgundy (629–639). He has been described as the last king of the Merovingian dynasty to wield real royal power, after which the ...

. Adalgisel and Grimoald led the Austrasian army against the Thuringii sometime around 639, but their magnates defected and they were forced to concentrate on protecting the young king's life. His forces were subsequently defeated by Duke Radulf. Not long after, he ceased to be duke and was replaced by

Pepin of Landen Pepin I (also Peppin, Pipin, or Pippin) of Landen (c. 580 – 27 February 640), also called the Elder or the Old, was the Mayor of the palace of Austrasia under the Merovingian King Dagobert I from 623 to 629. He was also the Mayor for Sige ...

, probably following the nearly concurrent death of Dagobert. Though he lost his office, there is no evidence that he died at that time and some charters referring to a person of the same name may refer to him, thus indicating his survival long after the fact. He left a son Bobo, who had accompanied him into battle against the Thuringii, and was later Duke of Auvergne.

Sources

* Wallace-Hadrill, J. M., translator. ''The Fourth Book of the Chronicle of Fredegar with its Continuations''. Greenwood Press: Connecticut, 1960. * Bachrach, Bernard S. ''Merovingian Military Organization, 481–751''. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1971. {{DEFAULTSORT:Adalgisel Mayors of the Palace 7th-century Frankish nobility