Leudesius (assassinated 676) was the son of

Erchinoald Erchinoald (also ''Erkinoald'' and, in French, ''Erchenout'') succeeded Aega as the mayor of the palace of Neustria in 641 and succeeded Flaochad in Burgundy in 642 and remained such until his death in 658. Family According to Fredegar, he was ...

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 his wife Leutsinde. Leudesius inherited his father's properties on his death in 658. In 659, there was a dispute between the

Archdiocese of Rouen The Archdiocese of Rouen (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Rothomagensis''; French: ''Archidiocèse de Rouen'') is a Latin Church archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. As one of the fifteen Archbishops of France, the Archbishop of Rouen's ecclesi ...

and

Abbey of Saint-Denis The Basilica of Saint-Denis (, now formally known as the ) is a large former medieval abbey church and present cathedral in the commune of Saint-Denis, a northern suburb of Paris. The building is of singular importance historically and archite ...

over his property. When, in 673, the

Burgundians The Burgundians were an early Germanic peoples, Germanic tribe or group of tribes. They appeared east in the middle Rhine region in the third century AD, and were later moved west into the Roman Empire, in Roman Gaul, Gaul. In the first and seco ...

under

Leodegar Leodegar of Poitiers (; ; 615 – October 2, 679 AD) was a martyred Burgundian Bishop of Autun. He was the son of Saint Sigrada and the brother of Saint Warinus. Leodegar was an opponent of Ebroin, the Frankish Mayor of the Palace of Neustria, ...

defeated the mayor

Ebroin Ebroin (died 680 or 681) was the Frankish mayor of the palace of Neustria on two occasions; firstly from 658 to his deposition in 673 and secondly from 675 to his death in 680 or 681. In a violent and despotic career, he strove to impose the ...

and king

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 ...

, they exiled Ebroin to a monastery. The

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 ...

n mayor

Wulfoald Wulfoald (died 680) was the mayor of the palace of Austrasia from 656 or 661 (depending on when his predecessor Grimoald I was removed from that office) to his death, as well as mayor of the palace of Neustria and Burgundy from 673 to 675. Wulfo ...

took over the power in Neustria, but fled back to Austrasia on the assassination of

Childeric II Childeric II ( 653 – 675) was List of Frankish kings, King of the Franks in the 7th century. He ruled Austrasia from 662 and Neustria and Kingdom of Burgundy, Burgundy from 673 until his death, making him sole king for the final two years o ...

in 675. The Neustrians turned to Leudesius to replace him. The next year, Ebroin returned. Leudesius and Theuderic III fled with the royal treasure to

Baizieux Baizieux (; Picard language, Picard: ''Boaiziu'') is a Communes of France, commune in the Somme (department), Somme Departments of France, department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Geography Situated northeast of Amiens, on the D179 road ...

,''Liber Historiæ Francorum'', p 139, calls the place ''Bacivo villa''. where Ebroin overtook them and had Leudesius murdered.

Notes

Sources

Primary sources

*''Liber historiae Francorum'', edited by B. Krusch, in '' Mon. Germ. hist. script. rer. Merov.'' vol. ii. *''Vita sancti Leodegarii'', by Ursinus, then a monk of St Maixent (

Migne Jacques Paul Migne (; 25 October 1800 – 24 October 1875) was a French priest who published inexpensive and widely distributed editions of theological works, encyclopedias, and the texts of the Church Fathers, with the goal of providing a ...

, ''Patrilogia Latina'', vol. xcvi.) *''Vita metrica'' in ''Poetae Latini aevi Carolini'', vol. iii. (''Mon. Germ. Hist.'') *''Diplomata Regum Francorum''. '' Mon. Germ. hist.'' DD Mer (1872), no. 37, p. 34. *''Chronicon Ebersheimense'' 4, '' Mon. Germ. hist.'' SS XXIII, pp. 433–4. *''Cronica Hohenburgensis'' 664, ''Annales Marbacenses'', '' Mon. Germ. hist.'' SS in Usum Scholarum p. 3. * Wallace-Hadrill, J. M., translator.
The Fourth Book of the Chronicle of Fredegar with its Continuations
'. Greenwood Press: Connecticut, 1960.

Secondary sources

* Pitra, J. B. ''Histoire de Saint Léger''.

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 ...

, 1846. *Friedrich, J. "Zur Geschichte des Hausmeiers Ebroin." ''Proceedings of the Academy of Munich''. 1887, pp 42–61. * * 676 deaths Mayors of the Palace Assassinated nobility Year of birth unknown {{noble-stub