Waldalenus, or Wandalenus (late 6th – early 7th century), ''
dux
''Dux'' (, : ''ducēs'') is Latin for "leader" (from the noun ''dux, ducis'', "leader, general") and later for duke and its variant forms (doge, duce, etc.). During the Roman Republic and for the first centuries of the Roman Empire, ''dux'' coul ...
'' in the region between the
Alps
The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia.
...
and the
Jura, in the Frankish
Kingdom of Burgundy
Kingdom of Burgundy was a name given to various successive Monarchy, kingdoms centered in the historical region of Burgundy during the Middle Ages. The heartland of historical Burgundy correlates with the border area between France and Switze ...
, was a
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 ...
magnate who served as
mayor of the Austrasian palace at
Metz
Metz ( , , , then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle (river), Moselle and the Seille (Moselle), Seille rivers. Metz is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Moselle (department), Moselle Departments ...
from 581, during the minority 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 ...
.
One of his seats of government (''
palatium'') as ''
patricius'' of Burgundy was at
Arlay
Arlay is a commune in the Jura department in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France. On 1 January 2016, the former commune of Saint-Germain-lès-Arlay was merged into Arlay.
History
Arlay's early importance lay in the fact ...
on the "
Salt Road
A salt road (also known as a salt route, salt way, saltway, or salt trading route) refers to any of the Prehistory, prehistoric and Recorded history, historical trade routes by which essential salt was transported to regions that lacked it.
Fro ...
", noted in 597. There his son,
Donatus of Luxeuil, would found the Abbey of Saint-Vincent, later destroyed by
Otto II of Burgundy.
He was a well-known patron of
Columbanus
Saint Columbanus (; 543 – 23 November 615) was an Irish missionary notable for founding a number of monasteries after 590 in the Frankish and Lombard kingdoms, most notably Luxeuil Abbey in present-day France and Bobbio Abbey in presen ...
at
Luxeuil Abbey
Luxeuil Abbey (), the ''Abbaye Saint-Pierre et Saint-Paul'', was one of the oldest and best-known monasteries in Franche-Comté, located in what is now the département of Haute-Saône in Franche-Comté, France.
History Columbanus
The abbey was f ...
(founded around 585–90), where he dedicated one son to monastic life, and thus provided early support for Hiberno-Frankish monasticism in Western Europe: "This family's connections stretched into Provence and would prove highly influential in seventh-century Frankish politics," Marilyn Dunn notes. Both
Eustasius and
Waldebert
Waldebert (also known as Gaubert, Valbert and Walbert), (died 668), was a Frankish count of Guines, Ponthieu and Saint-Pol who became abbot of Luxeuil, and eventually a canonized saint in the Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox Church. ...
, kinsmen of Waldalenus, succeeded Columbanus as second and third abbots of Luxeuil. The extended family of Waldelenus controlled the
Alpine passes
This article lists the principal mountain passes and tunnels in the Alps, and gives a history of transport across the Alps.
Main passes
The following are the main paved road passes across the Alps. Main indicates on the main chain of the Alps, fr ...
approached from
Briançon
Briançon (, ) is the sole Subprefectures in France, subprefecture of the Hautes-Alpes Departments of France, department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region in Southeastern France. It is the highest city in France at an a ...
, those of Susa (the
Col de Montgenèvre
The Col de Montgenèvre (; elevation 1860 m.) is a high mountain pass in the Cottian Alps, in France 2 kilometres away from Italy.
Description
The pass takes its name from the village Montgenèvre (Hautes-Alpes), which lies in the vicini ...
),
Embrun, and
Gap.
Abbo, Patrician of Provence and rector of Maurienne and Susa, the opponent of
Maurontus
Maurontus was the Duke or Patrician of Provence in the early 8th century (720s and 730s). He aspired to independence in the face of Charles Martel, Duke of the Franks, and the Provençal patrician Abbo.
Maurontus appeared in the ''Chronicle of ...
, came from the family of Waldelenus.
His opponents in Burgundy represented the influence of
Willibad Willibad, also spelled Willebad or Willihad (died 642), was the Patrician of Burgundian Provence) in the first half of the seventh century. Willibad may have been a Frank or perhaps a Burgundian, one of the last representatives of the native nobi ...
(died 642), the patrician of Burgundian
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 ...
). Willibad may not have been a Frank but perhaps a
Burgundian, one of the last representatives of the native nobility. The centre of Willibad's power was
Lyon
Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...
,
Vienne and
Valence. Willibad continued to be confronted by the supporters of Columbanus, Waldalenus' son, Chramnelenus of Besançon, Chramnelenus' brother-in-law
Amalgar
Amalgar, also ''Amalgarius'' (643), was a Burgundian duke from the area around Dijon. He was also the proprietor of multiple monasteries, and was a progenitor of the Etichonid clan, from which the Habsburgs originate.
Life
Amalgar's family bel ...
of
Dijon
Dijon (, ; ; in Burgundian language (Oïl), Burgundian: ''Digion'') is a city in and the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Côte-d'Or Departments of France, department and of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Regions of France, region in eas ...
and Wandalbert of
Chambly.
Waldalenus was married to Flavia—noble in birth and bearing, according to the chronicler of Columbanus and his foundations,
Jonas of Bobbio
Jonas of Bobbio (also known as Jonas of Susa) (Sigusia, now Susa, Italy, 600 – after 659 AD) was a Columbanian monk and a major Latin monastic author of hagiography. His ''Life of Saint Columbanus'' is "one of the most influential works of ...
—but the couple were barren, until they beseeched Columbanus to intercede for a miraculous pregnancy. Columbanus required that the first-born be dedicated to the church, and consequently
Donatus, christened by Columbanus himself as the "gift", was raised and educated at Luxeuil and was made
Bishop of Besançon
A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of dioceses. The role ...
. The second son was , and there were two daughters that the
Merovingian
The Merovingian dynasty () was the ruling family of the Franks from around the middle of the 5th century until Pepin the Short in 751. They first appear as "Kings of the Franks" in the Roman army of northern Gaul. By 509 they had united all the ...
chronicler did not think to name.
Flavia outlived her husband and founded a convent of nuns at the dynasty's headquarters, Besançon, where her son Donatus was bishop.
A later Waldalenus of this house,
Abbot of Bèze, came to be venerated as a saint; is noticed in a diplomatic document of September 677.
[''Theudericus III. rex Adalrici ducis, qui se contra regem Austrasiis sociaverat, proprietatem, scilicit Fiscalselinum cum adiacentius suis, monasterio Fontis Besuae et Waldaleno abbati concedit.'': "]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 ...
conceded to duke Adalric, who was allied with him against the king of Austrasia, properties, i.e. the monastery of Bèze, and the abbey of Waldalenus." (''MGH-DI'', 46, p. 43). The monastery of ''Fons Besua'' had been founded on a royal grant of land from Dagobert I
Dagobert I (; 603/605 – 19 January 639) was King of the Franks. He ruled Austrasia (623–634) and Neustria and Burgundy (629–639). He has been described as the last king of the Merovingian dynasty to wield real royal power, after which the ...
(628) by Amalgar. According to the abbey's twelfth-century chronicler, Johannes of Bèze,
see text
Amalgar established Waldalenus, ne of his three sons as abbot here: see Chambertin-Clos de Bèze
Chambertin-Clos de Bèze is an ''Appellation d'origine contrôlée'' (AOC) and Grand Cru vineyard for red wine in the Côte de Nuits subregion of Burgundy, with Pinot noir as the main grape variety. Chambertin-Clos de Bèze is located within the c ...
.
He was an ancestor of
Charles I And IV
Notes
{{reflist
Year of birth uncertain
Year of death uncertain
6th-century births
7th-century deaths
Mayors of the Palace
Politicians from Besançon
7th-century Frankish people