Berchar (also Berthar) was 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 ...

Neustria Neustria was the western part of the Kingdom of the Franks during the Early Middle Ages, in contrast to the eastern Frankish kingdom, Austrasia. It initially included land between the Loire and the Silva Carbonaria, in the north of present-day ...

and

Burgundy Burgundy ( ; ; Burgundian: ''Bregogne'') is a historical territory and former administrative region and province of east-central France. The province was once home to the Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th until the late 15th century. ...

from 686 to 688/689. He was the successor of Waratton, whose daughter Anstrude he had married. Unlike Waratton, however, Berthar did not keep peace with Pepin of Heristal. In 687, Pepin defeated him and

Theuderic III Theuderic III (also spelled Theuderich, Theoderic or Theodoric; , 651–691) was King of the Franks in the 7th century. He ruled Neustria and Burgundy on two occasions (in 673 and again from 675 to 691), as well as Austrasia from 679 until his ...

at Tertry in the

Vermandois Vermandois was a French county that appeared in the Merovingian period. Its name derives from that of an ancient tribe, the Viromandui. In the 10th century, it was organised around two castellan domains: St Quentin (Aisne) and Péronne ( Som ...

. Many fled to the nearby abbeys of Péronne and Saint-Quentin. Berthar and Theuderic III withdrew themselves to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. Pepin followed them and eventually forced a peace treaty with the condition that Berthar leave his office. In the ensuing quarrels, Berthar was killed by his mother-in-law Ansfled. His widow married Pepin's eldest son Drogo, duke of

Champagne Champagne (; ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, which demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, spe ...

, and Pepin became the mayor of the palace of Neustria and Burgundy without opposition. Berthar died in either the Autumn of 688 or early 689.

References

680s deaths Mayors of the Palace Year of birth unknown Year of death uncertain {{Europe-noble-stub