Autchar
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Autchar (also Otachar or Otgar) was a
Frankish Frankish may refer to: * Franks, a Germanic tribe and their culture ** Frankish language or its modern descendants, Franconian languages, a group of Low Germanic languages also commonly referred to as "Frankish" varieties * Francia, a post-Roman ...
nobleman. He served
Pippin III the Short (; ; ; – 24 September 768), was King of the Franks from 751 until his death in 768. He was the first Carolingian to become king. was the son of the Frankish prince Charles Martel and his wife Rotrude. Pepin's upbringing was dis ...
as a diplomat in 753 and followed
Carloman I Carloman I (28 June 751 – 4 December 771), German Karlmann, Karlomann, was king of the Franks from 768 until his death in 771. He was the second surviving son of Pepin the Short and Bertrada of Laon and was a younger brother of Charlemagne. ...
after the division of the kingdom in 768. In 772, refusing to accept Carloman's brother
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 ...
as king, he went into exile in the
Lombard kingdom 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 ...
with Carloman's widow and sons. He was captured when Charlemagne invaded the kingdom in 773. His role in the fall of the Lombard kingdom was the subject of legendary embellishment a century later and in the ''
chansons de geste The , from 'deeds, actions accomplished') is a medieval narrative, a type of epic poem that appears at the dawn of French literature. The earliest known poems of this genre date from the late 11th and early 12th centuries, shortly before the e ...
'' he evolved into the figure of
Ogier the Dane Ogier the Dane (; ) is a legendary paladin of Charlemagne who appears in many Old French ''chanson de geste, chansons de geste''. In particular, he features as the protagonist in ''La Chevalerie Ogier'' (), which belongs to the ''Geste de Doon de ...
.


Family

Autchar belonged to a Frankish family long established around
Mainz Mainz (; #Names and etymology, see below) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, and with around 223,000 inhabitants, it is List of cities in Germany by population, Germany's 35th-largest city. It lies in ...
in the
Rhineland The Rhineland ( ; ; ; ) is a loosely defined area of Western Germany along the Rhine, chiefly Middle Rhine, its middle section. It is the main industrial heartland of Germany because of its many factories, and it has historic ties to the Holy ...
, and which by 750 was active around the
Tegernsee Tegernsee () is a Town#Germany, town in the Miesbach (district), Miesbach district of Bavaria, Germany. It is located on the banks of Tegernsee (lake), Lake Tegernsee, which is 747 m (2,451 ft) AMSL, above sea level. A spa town, it is su ...
in
Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...
. It is not known to which branch of the family Autchar belonged, but it was probably the Bavarian one. The surviving sources do not allow a full reconstruction of the family's relationships, and it is not even possible to identify how many distinct persons were named Autchar, a common name. In 762 or 765, an Autchar, with his brother Adalbert, founded
Tegernsee Abbey Tegernsee Abbey ( German ''Kloster Tegernsee'' or ''Abtei Tegernsee'') is a former Benedictine monastery in the town and district of Tegernsee in Bavaria. Both the abbey and the town that grew up around it are named after the Tegernsee, the lake ...
in Bavaria. The same brothers also founded the monastery of
Sankt Pölten Sankt Pölten (; Central Bavarian: ''St. Pödn''), mostly abbreviated to the official name St. Pölten, is the capital and largest city of the States of Austria, State of Lower Austria in northeast Austria, with 55,538 inhabitants as of 1 Januar ...
after the defeat of the Avars in 791. It is not certain, however, that this Autchar is the duke. Duke Autchar may have been related to Archbishop Wilchar. Both served Carloman and both had trans-Alpine careers.


Career

Autchar first appears in a source in 751 acting alongside Abbot
Fulrad Saint Fulrad (; ; 710 – 16 July 784) was a French religious leader who was the Abbot of Saint-Denis.Bunson and Bunson 2003, pp.345. He was the counselor of both Pepin the Short and Charlemagne. Historians see Fulrad as important due to his s ...
. Autchar was one of Pippin III's most trusted men. In the late summer or early fall of 753, Autchar and Bishop
Chrodegang Chrodegang (; ;Spellings of his name in (Latin) primary sources are extremely varied: Chrodegangus, Grodegandus, Grodegangus, Grodogangus, Chrodogandus, Krodegandus, Chrodegrangus, Chrotgangus, Ruotgangus, Droctegangus, Chrodegand, and Sirigangus ...
were sent to Rome to escort
Pope Stephen II Pope Stephen II (; 714 – 26 April 757) was born a Roman aristocrat and member of the Orsini family. Stephen was the bishop of Rome from 26 March 752 to his death on 26 April 757. Stephen II marks the historical delineation between the Byzan ...
back to Francia for negotiations with Pippin. This was the second embassy that year. The first, led by Abbot Droctegang in the spring, had elicited a letter from the pope addressed to Pippin, his sons and "those glorious men, our sons, all the dukes of the people of the Franks". The mission of Duke Autchar was a response to the pope's request. Autchar and Chrodegang arrived in Rome just as Stephen was preparing to go to
Pavia Pavia ( , ; ; ; ; ) is a town and comune of south-western Lombardy, in Northern Italy, south of Milan on the lower Ticino (river), Ticino near its confluence with the Po (river), Po. It has a population of c. 73,086. The city was a major polit ...
to negotiate with the Lombard king
Aistulf Aistulf (also Ahistulf, Haistulfus, Astolf etc.; , ; died December 756) was the Duke of Friuli from 744, King of the Lombards from 749, and Duke of Spoleto from 751. His reign was characterized by ruthless and ambitious efforts to conquer Roman ...
. They left with him for Pavia and ultimately Francia on 14 October. Autchar took part in Pippin's invasion of the Lombard kingdom in 756. In 760,
Pope Paul I Pope Paul I (; 70028 June 767) was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the emerging Papal States from 29 May 757 to his death on 28 June 767. He first served as a Roman deacon and was frequently employed by his brother, Pope Stephen II, in negotiat ...
referred to him as a "most glorious duke" (''gloriosissimus dux''). After Pippin's death in 768, Autchar served Carloman until the latter's death on 4 December 771. In 769, Carloman sent Autchar to the court of Duke
Tassilo III of Bavaria Tassilo – also spelled Thassilo – is a male name of West Germanic The West Germanic languages constitute the largest of the three branches of the Germanic languages, Germanic family of languages (the others being the North Germanic langua ...
on a "fact-finding mission" and the duke accompanied Tassilo on a visit to the court of the Lombard king,
Desiderius Desiderius, also known as Daufer or Dauferius (born – died ), was king of the Lombards in northern Italy, ruling from 756 to 774. The Frankish king of renown, Charlemagne, married Desiderius's daughter and subsequently conquered his realm. De ...
. At
Bolzano Bolzano ( ; ; or ) is the capital city of South Tyrol (officially the province of Bolzano), Northern Italy. With a population of 108,245, Bolzano is also by far the largest city in South Tyrol and the third largest in historical Tyrol. The ...
, on the return trip to Bavaria, Autchar subscribed as a witness to Tassilo's charter of foundation for
Innichen Abbey Innichen Abbey (German: ''Stift Innichen'') is a former Order of Saint Benedict, Benedictine monastery in Innichen, South Tyrol in northern Italy. Founded in the 8th century, its collegiate church dedicated to Saint Candidus, rebuilt in the 12th†...
. On Carloman's death, rather than join the magnates led by Archbishop Wilchar in doing homage to Charlemagne, Autchar went into exile in Italy along with Carloman's widow, Gerberga, and his two sons. The exiles, probably including other Carloman loyalists, initially stayed at the royal court in Pavia, where may have arrived as early as February 772. They may have hoped, as King Desiderius did, that the pope would anoint Carloman's son's as kings. Autchar accompanied Desiderius later in 772 when he marched on Rome in an attempt to force the pope's hand. According to the ''
Liber pontificalis The ''Liber Pontificalis'' (Latin for 'pontifical book' or ''Book of the Popes'') is a book of biography, biographies of popes from Saint Peter until the 15th century. The original publication of the ''Liber Pontificalis'' stopped with Pope Adr ...
'', when he had gotten as far as
Viterbo Viterbo (; Central Italian, Viterbese: ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in the Lazio region of Italy, the Capital city, capital of the province of Viterbo. It conquered and absorbed the neighboring town of Ferento (see Ferentium) in ...
,
Pope Adrian I Pope Adrian I (; 700 – 25 December 795) was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 1 February 772 until his death on 25 December 795. Descended from a family of the military aristocracy of Rome known as ''domini de via Lata'', h ...
sent emissaries to warn that "neither he, nor any of the Lombards, nor Autchar the Frank either" should enter papal territory again on pain of excommunication. Autchar also accompanied the Lombard army when Desiderius went out to meet the Frankish army when Charlemagne crossed the Alps in 773. When the army of
Bernard Bernard ('' Bernhard'') is a French and West Germanic masculine given name. It has West Germanic origin and is also a surname. The name is attested from at least the 9th century. West Germanic ''Bernhard'' is composed from the two elements ''be ...
appeared to their rear, the Lombards and Autchar retreated to Pavia. According to the ''Liber pontificalis'', however, Desiderius' son
Adelchis Adalgis or Adelchis ( – 788) was an associate king of the Lombards from August 759, reigning with his father, Desiderius, until their deposition in June 774. He is also remembered today as the hero of the play '' Adelchi'' (1822) by Alessandro ...
took "Autchar the Frank and Carloman's wife and sons with him and entered
Verona Verona ( ; ; or ) is a city on the Adige, River Adige in Veneto, Italy, with 255,131 inhabitants. It is one of the seven provincial capitals of the region, and is the largest city Comune, municipality in the region and in Northeast Italy, nor ...
, because that city is the strongest of all the Lombards' cities." Only after he began besieging Pavia did Charlemagne learn that the exiles were at Verona. According to the ''Liber pontificalis'', Charlemagne led a small band of specially picked troops to Verona and "as soon as he got there, Autchar and Carloman's wife and sons immediately handed themselves over of their own free wills". Autchar may have arranged the surrender of Verona at the same time. He seems to have either subsequently escaped or been released, for he was with Desiderius in Pavia when the Lombards surrendered. According to the '' Chronicle of Moissac'', Charlemagne then sent him into exile.In . The ''Chronicle'' spells his name Oggerius. Autchar had been restored to favour by 778. He may have been the count of the land between the Enns and the
Vienna Woods The Vienna Woods (, ) are forested highlands that form the northeastern foothills of the Northern Limestone Alps in the states of Lower Austria and Vienna. The and range of hills is heavily wooded and a popular recreation area with the Viennese ...
. If he was the same Autchar who founded Sankt Pölten after 791, he was probably also the commander, alongside Graman, of the victorious army against the Avars at the battle of the Ybbsfeld in 788. He would have been an old man by that time.


Legend

Autchar was already the subject of legends when
Notker the Stammerer Notker the Stammerer ( – 6 April 912), Notker Balbulus, or simply Notker, was a Benedictine monk at the Abbey of Saint Gall active as a composer, poet and scholar. Described as "a significant figure in the Western Church", Notker made subst ...
wrote his ''Gesta Karoli'' (Deeds of Charles) in the 880s. Otkerus, as Notker spells his name, climbs the highest tower in Pavia with King Desiderius as the siege begins. The kings keeps asking if Charlemagne has arrived as the army surrounding them grows. Otkerus keeps answer "not yet" until finally a thunderstorm heralds Charlemagne's arrival. Although the exchange with Desiderius is a piece of storytelling, Notker's description of Autchar as "a military expert and very well-acquainted with strategy and the composition of the siege trains" is likely accurate.


Notes


Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * {{refend 8th-century Frankish nobility