Theudoald (or Theodald; c. 708 – 741)''Monumenta Epternacensia'' ("''Theodaldum, filium Grimoaldi…ex Theodesina filia regis Rabodi''"). ''Monumenta Epternacensia'', MGH SS XXIII, p. 59. was the

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 ...

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 ...

, briefly unopposed in 714 after the death of his grandfather,

Pepin of Herstal Pepin II (c. 635 – 16 December 714), commonly known as Pepin of Herstal, was a Franks, Frankish statesman and military leader who was the de facto ruler of Francia as the Mayor of the Palace from 680 until his death. He took the title Duke ...

. In 715, the nobility acclaimed

Ragenfrid Ragenfrid (also Ragenfred, Raganfrid, or Ragamfred) (died 731) was the mayor of the palace of Neustria and Burgundy from 715, when he filled the vacuum in Neustria caused by the death of Pepin of Heristal, until 718, when Charles Martel finally ...

mayor of

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 ...

Wright, Thomas. ''The History of France'', Volume 1, London Print. and Publishing Company, 1856, p. 87
/ref> and

Charles Martel Charles Martel (; – 22 October 741), ''Martel'' being a sobriquet in Old French for "The Hammer", was a Franks, Frankish political and military leader who, as Duke and Prince of the Franks and Mayor of the Palace, was the de facto ruler of ...

mayor of

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 ...

. Theudoald was the legitimate but later claimed illegitimate son of

Grimoald II Grimoald II () (died 714), called the Younger, was the mayor of the palace of Neustria from 695. Life Grimoald was the second son of Pepin of Herstal and Plectrude and his father placed him in the office of mayor of the palace in the Neustrian ...

(son of Pepin II of Herstal and

Plectrude Plectrude (; ) (died 718) was the consort of Pepin of Herstal, the mayor of the palace and duke of the Franks, from about 670. She was the daughter of Hugobert, seneschal of Clovis IV, and Irmina of Oeren. She was the regent of Neustria during t ...

) and Theudesinda of

Frisia Frisia () is a Cross-border region, cross-border Cultural area, cultural region in Northwestern Europe. Stretching along the Wadden Sea, it encompasses the north of the Netherlands and parts of northwestern Germany. Wider definitions of "Frisia" ...

(daughter of king Radbod). Thus, he was a grandson of the Frisian king. His grandmother

tried to have him recognised by his grandfather as the legitimate heir to all the

Pippinid The Pippinids and the Arnulfings were two Frankish aristocratic families from Austrasia during the Merovingian period. They dominated the office of mayor of the palace after 687 and eventually supplanted the Merovingians as kings in 751, foundin ...

lands, instead of Charles Martel.Riché, Pierre. ''The Carolingians: A Family Who Forged Europe'', University of Pennsylvania Press, 1993, p. 28
Ragenfrid defeated Theudoald and his forces in September 715 at the

Battle of Compiègne The Battle of Compiègne was fought on 26 September 715 and was the first definite battle of the civil war which followed the death of Pepin of Heristal, Duke of the Franks, on 16 December 714. Dagobert III had appointed one Ragenfrid as ma ...

; Theudoald returned to Cologne. His grandmother surrendered on his behalf in 716 to

Chilperic II Chilperic II ( 672 – 13 February 721) was King of the Franks from 715 until his death. He was a son of Childeric II and his half-cousin wife, Bilichild, both of whom were assassinated, along with their eldest son Dagobert, in 675. Still a ...

of Neustria and Ragenfrid. Theudoald died, probably killed, around 741, after the death of his uncle and protector, Charles Martel. It is notable that, despite his having been proclaimed heir to Pepin of Herstal, when Charles Martel seized power, he allowed his nephew to live, instead of killing him, as was often the case in the Middle Ages.

References

Pippinids 7th-century births 700s births 741 deaths Mayors of the Palace {{Europe-noble-stub