Wulfoald

Wulfoald (died 680) was the mayor of the palace of Austrasia from 656 or 661 (depending on when his predecessor Grimoald I[1] was removed from that office) to his death, as well as mayor of the palace of Neustria and Burgundy from 673 to 675.[2]

Wulfoald was the regent of Austrasia during the minority of Childeric II,[3] which ended in 670. Even after Childeric achieved his majority, Wulfoald held significant power,[4] with many historians seeing Childeric as a "puppet king".[5] In 673, he became the mayor of the palace in Neustria, as Childeric had succeeded to the Neustrian throne.[2] When Childeric died in 675, killed by the Neustrians, Wulfoald and his compatriots had to flee back Austrasia.[6][2] Wulfoald and the nobles proclaimed Dagobert II king, but Ebroin, the rival mayor of the palace of Neustria, tried to place Clovis III on the Austrasian throne to extend his influence. It wasn't until 676 that Wulfoald succeeded in putting Dagobert definitively on the throne. War continued on the border until 677, when Neustria recognised Austrasian independence. Dagobert was assassinated on December 23, 679. Wulfoald outlived his king for only a short while.

Preceded by Mayor of the Palace of Austrasia
656–680 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Mayor of the Palace of Neustria
673–675 		Succeeded by
  1. ^ FOURACRE, PAUL J. (1984). "Observations on the Outgrowth of Pippinid Influence in the "Regnum Francorum" After the Battle of Tertry (687-715)". Medieval Prosopography. 5 (2): 1–31. ISSN 0198-9405. JSTOR 44945965.
  2. ^ a b c Effros, Bonnie; Moreira, Isabel (2020-08-04). The Oxford Handbook of the Merovingian World. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-023418-8.
  3. ^ Riché, Pierre (1993). The Carolingians: A Family Who Forged Europe. University of Pennsylvania Press. ISBN 978-0-8122-1342-3.
  4. ^ Fouracre, Paul; Gerberding, Richard A. (2013-01-01). Vita Sanctae Geretrudis (The Life of St Geretrud), and the Additamentum Nivialense de Fuilano (the Nivelles supplement to the Vita Fursei concerning Foillan). Manchester University Press. ISBN 978-1-5261-1278-1.
  5. ^ Bachrach, Bernard S. (2001). Early Carolingian Warfare: Prelude to Empire. University of Pennsylvania Press. ISBN 978-0-8122-3533-3.
  6. ^ Fouracre, Paul; Gerberding, Richard A. (2013-01-01). Liber Historiae Francorum (The Book of the History of the Franks). Manchester University Press. doi:10.7765/9781526112781.00008. ISBN 978-1-5261-1278-1.