Dynamius or Dinamius was the Rector of Provence (''rector Provinciae'') from 575, when he replaced Albinus. At the time,

Provence Provence is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which stretches from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the France–Italy border, Italian border to the east; it is bordered by the Mediterrane ...

and

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 ...

lay within the kingdom of

Childebert II Childebert II ( – 596) was the Merovingian king of Austrasia (which included Provence at the time) from 575 until his death in March 596, and the king of Burgundy from 592 to his death, as the adopted son of his uncle Guntram. Childh ...

, though half of

Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...

, the chief Provençal city, was under the lordship of

Guntram Saint Gontrand ( 532 in Soissons – 28 March 592 in Chalon-sur-Saône), also called Gontran, Gontram, Guntram, Gunthram, Gunthchramn, and Guntramnus, was the king of the Kingdom of Orléans from AD 561 to AD 592. He was the third-eldest and seco ...

King of Burgundy The following is a list of the kings of the two kingdoms of Burgundy, and a number of related political entities devolving from Carolingian machinations over family relations. Kings of the Burgundians * Gebicca (late 4th century – c. 40 ...

. Dynamius and Guntram allied together for their own mutual benefit at the expense of Childebert. Dynamius instigated the canons of the Diocese of Uzès to elect their deacon Marcellus, son of the senator Felix, as bishop in opposition to their already-elected bishop

Jovinus Jovinus was a Gallo-Roman senator and claimed to be Roman Emperor (411–413 AD). Following the defeat of the usurper known as Constantine III, Jovinus was proclaimed emperor at Mainz in 411, a puppet supported by Gundahar, king of the Burgu ...

, a former governor of Provence. While Jovinus and

Theodore, Bishop of Marseille Theodore () was the bishop of Marseille from at least 566 until 591/594. In the 580s, Theodore was at the centre of a dispute over the city of Marseille between King Guntram and his nephew, King Childebert II. He was arrested several times. His trou ...

, were travelling to the court of Childebert II, Guntram had them arrested. Dynamius, meanwhile, blocked Gundulf, a duke of an important senatorial family and Childebert's former '' domesticus'', from entering Marseille on behalf of Childebert. Eventually he was forced to yield, though he later arrested Theodore again and had him sent to Guntram. Despite his revolt, which saw him replaced by Leudegisel (585) and

Nicetius Saint Nicetius () (c. 525 - c. 566) was a bishop of Trier, born in the latter part of the sixth century, exact date unknown; died in 563 or more probably 566. Nicetius was the most important bishop of the ancient see of Trier, in the era when, ...

(587), he was reconciled with Childebert and formally restored to favour on 28 November 587. According to the poet

Venantius Fortunatus Venantius Honorius Clementianus Fortunatus ( 530 600/609 AD; ), known as Saint Venantius Fortunatus (, ), was a Latin poet and hymnographer in the Merovingian Court, and a bishop of the Early Church who has been venerated since the Middle Ages. ...

, with whom he had a correspondence, Dynamius was a man of culture, a poet, and an author of

saints' lives A hagiography (; ) is a biography of a saint or an ecclesiastical leader, as well as, by extension, an adulatory and idealized biography of a preacher, priest, founder, saint, monk, nun or icon in any of the world's religions. Early Christian ...

. Dynamius' wife, Eucheria, wrote poetry as well: one of her poems, a list of impossible things, is extant. Dynamius also corresponded with

Gregory of Tours Gregory of Tours (born ; 30 November – 17 November 594 AD) was a Gallo-Roman historian and Bishop of Tours during the Merovingian period and is known as the "father of French history". He was a prelate in the Merovingian kingdom, encom ...

, who mentions that he was "pious" and a founder of monasteries.

Sources

. ''The History of the Franks''. 2 vol. trans.

O. M. Dalton Ormonde Maddock Dalton, FBA (1866–1945) was a British museum curator and archaeologist. Though very much an all-rounder, his main expertise was in medieval art. He usually published as O. M. Dalton, but also wrote under the pseudonym W. Com ...

. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1967. * Peter Dronke, Women Writers of the Middle Ages. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1984. {{Authority control Rulers of Provence