Theuderic III (also spelled Theuderich, Theoderic or Theodoric; , 651–691) was

King of the Franks The Franks, Germanic peoples that invaded the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century, were first led by individuals called dux, dukes and monarch, reguli. The earliest group of Franks that rose to prominence was the Salian Franks, Salian Mero ...

in the 7th century. He ruled Neustria and Burgundy on two occasions (in 673 and again from 675 to 691), as well as

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 ...

from 679 until his death in 691. The son of

Clovis II Clovis II (633 – 657) was King of the Franks in Neustria and Burgundy, having succeeded his father Dagobert I in 639. His brother Sigebert III had been King of Austrasia since 634. He was initially under the regency of his mother Nanth ...

and

Balthild Balthild ( 626 – 30 January 680) (; , 'bold sword' or 'bold spear), also spelled Bathilda, Bauthieult or Baudour, was queen consort of Neustria and Burgundy by marriage to Clovis II, the King of Neustria and Burgundy (639–658), and regent d ...

, Theuderic has been described as a

puppet ruler A puppet ruler is someone who holds a title of political authority, but is loyal to or controlled by outside persons or groups. When a foreign government wields such outside control, the puppet ruler's territory is referred to as a puppet state. ...

– a ''

roi fainéant ''Roi fainéant'' ( "do-nothing king", "lazy king") is a French term primarily used to refer to the later kings of the Merovingian dynasty after they seemed to have lost their initial powers of dominion. It is usually applied to those Frankish rul ...

''. After the death of his older brother

Chlothar III Chlothar III (also spelled ''Chlotar'', ''Clothar'', ''Clotaire'', ''Chlotochar'', or ''Hlothar''; 652–673) was King of the Franks, ruling in Neustria and Burgundy from 657 to his death. He also briefly ruled Austrasia. He was the eldest son of ...

, he was appointed King in Neustria by

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 ...

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 ...

, in 673, though

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 ...

of Austrasia displaced him soon thereafter. After Childeric II was killed in 675, Theuderic II retook the throne. He subsequently fought a war against

Dagobert II Dagobert II (; ; died 679) was a Merovingian king of the Franks, ruling in Austrasia from 675 or 676 until his death. He is one of the more obscure Merovingians. He has been considered a martyr since at least the ninth century. None of the narrati ...

, with his forces under Ebroin victorious at the

Battle of Lucofao The Battle of Lucofao (or Bois-du-Fays) was the decisive engagement of the civil war that afflicted the Frankish kingdoms during and after the reign of Dagobert II (676–79). In the battle, the Neustrian forces of Theuderic III and his majordomo ...

. After Dagobert was murdered in 679, Theuderic was also recognized as king in Austrasia as well. He and the Neustrian

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 ...

Waratton Waratto (died 686) was the mayor of the palace of Neustria and Burgundy on two occasions, between his son's usurpation. His first term lasted from 680 or 681 (after the death of Ebroin) to 682, when his son Gistemar (or Ghislemar) deposed him an ...

, made peace with

Pepin of Heristal Pepin II (c. 635 – 16 December 714), commonly known as Pepin of Herstal, was a 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 and P ...

, mayor of the palace of Austrasia, in 681. However, on Waratton's death in 686, the new mayor,

Berchar Berchar (also Berthar) was the mayor of the palace of Neustria and Burgundy 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 Herist ...

, made war with Austrasia and Pepin vanquished the Burgundo-Neustrian army under Berchar and Theuderic (a Neustrian) at the

Battle of Tertry The Battle of Tertry was an important engagement in Merovingian Gaul between the forces of Austrasia under Pepin of Herstal, Pepin II on one side and those of Neustria and Kingdom of Burgundy, Burgundy on the other. It took place in 687 at Tertry ...

in 687, thus paving the way for Austrasian dominance of the Frankish state.

Marriage and issue

Theuderic married Chrothildis, a daughter of

Ansegisel Ansegisel (c. 602 or 610 – murdered before 679 or 662) was the younger son of Saint Arnulf, bishop of Metz. Life He served King Sigebert III of Austrasia (634–656) as ''domesticus''. He was killed sometime before 679, slain in a feud by his ...

and Saint Begga of Landen. They had the following children: * Chlodwig III, king (677–694) *

Childebert III Childebert III (or IV), called the Just () ( 678/679 – 23 April 711), was the son of Theuderic III and Chrothildis (or Doda) and sole king of the Franks (694–71 He was seemingly but a puppet of the mayor of the palace, Pepin of Heristal, t ...

, king (678/679–711) *

Bertrada of Prüm Bertrade ( French) or Bertrada (Latin) is a feminine given name derived from Proto-Germanic roots reconstructed as *''berht'' ("bright") and *''rād'' ("counsel, advice"). People named Bertrade or Bertrada include: * Bertrada of Prüm, Franki ...

, badess of Prüm (660 – after 721) He married Amalberge (Saint Amalaberga) before 674, daughter of Wandregisis and Farahild.

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Theuderic 03 Merovingian kings Rois fainéants 7th-century Frankish kings 650s births 691 deaths Forcibly monasticised