Chagnerich

Chagnerich , also Hagnerich , (* around 565 ; † around 633 ) was a Franconian nobleman and under the rule of the Merovingian Comes in the Pagus Meldensis around the main town of Meaux .

Life

The existence of Chagnerich is next to the Vita sancti Columbani of Jonas von Bobbio , which he wrote around the years 640 to 643 as a monk of the Abbey of Bobbio , in particular still through the Vita Faronis of Hildegar von Meaux.

He came from a noble family of Franconian origin, which was originally wealthy in Burgundy and, along with the related whale tricks, was one of the most powerful representatives of the Burgundian aristocracy . His father Gundovald was installed in the office of Comes von Meaux by Guntrhamn , who ruled the Franconian kingdom of Austrasia as the guardian of his nephew Chlothar II . Gundovald used military force to oust the incumbent Werpin, a supporter of Gunthramn's brother and rival Chilperich I. After the murder of Gundovald by that same Werpin around the year 585, Chagnerich succeeded his father as Comes von Meaux.

On the basis of the predicate Vir illustris , which Jonas gives the Comes, it can be assumed that Chagnerich held the highest royal offices. The honorary testimony conviva (dt. Table mate) used in Vita Columbani also suggests that he was in very high esteem with King Theudebert II .

Chagnerich, along with his relative Waldelenus , is of particular historical importance as an influential promoter of the missionary work of St. Columban , which made a decisive contribution to the Christianization of the areas north of the Alps. The fugitive missionary, who was able to escape deportation by Theuderich II back to Ireland in Nantes , was taken in by Chagnerich for a long time in his country estate Villa Pipimisiacum .

possession

The possession of Chagnerich in Austrasia was concentrated in the region around Meaux, the area east of Paris and the area north of the French capital around the commune of Louvres . The Villa Pipimisiacum estate , today's Poincy and Villa Eboriacum are known by name as being owned by Chagnerich through the saints' lives . He donated the lands of Villa Eboriacum for the foundation of Faremoutiers Abbey by his daughter. Chagnerich had his official seat as Comes des Pagus Meldensis in Meaux.

family

He had two brothers who, like Chagnerich, followed their father Gundovald from Burgundy and settled in Austrasia: Chagnoald, who was based in Reims , and Autharius, who owned estates in Soisson and Meaux .

Chagnerich was the progenitor of the Burgundofarones , which are considered to be the outstanding family of the Austrasian ruling class until the rise of the Pippinids and Arnulfinger . According to the current state of research, a descendant of Chagnerich, Hagano, is the historical model for the literary figure of Hagen von Tronje of the Nibelungen saga and the Nibelungenlied .

He was married to Leudegundis for the first time - five children came from this connection:

• Chagnoald (before 627–633 / 34 Bishop of Laon )
• Chagnulf (Comes de Meaux; murdered 641)
• Burgundofaro (trainee lawyer Dagoberts I. After 633– around 672 Bishop of Meaux and there founder of the monastery of St. Faron)
• Burgundofara , (founder of Faremoutiers Abbey, † after 633/34)
• Agnetrade († after 633/34)

Another daughter, Gibitrudis, came from a second marriage with a wife who was not known by name.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Dieter Breuer, Jürgen Breuer: "With truth or according to legend" - "Nibelungenlied" and crusades . Verlag Wilhelm Fink, Munich 2014, ISBN 3-846-75691-1 , pp. 24-35.

Source edition

• Vita Columbani - Bruno Krusch (ed.): Scriptores rerum Germanicarum in usum scholarum separatim editi 37: Ionae Vitae sanctorum Columbani, Vedastis, Iohannis. Hanover 1905, pp. 1–294 ( Monumenta Germaniae Historica , digitized version )
• Vita Faronis - Bruno Krusch , Wilhelm Levison (eds.): Scriptores rerum Merovingicarum 5: Passiones vitaeque sanctorum aevi Merovingici (III). Hanover 1910, pp. 171–203 ( Monumenta Germaniae Historica , digitized version )

literature

• Yaniv Fox: Power and Religion in Merovingian Gaul: Columbanian Monasticism and the Formation of the Frankish Aristocracy. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2014, ISBN 978-1-107-58764-9 , pp. 65-70.
• Jo Ann McNamara, John E. Halborg, E. Gordon Whatley (Eds.): Sainted Women of the Dark Ages Duke University Press, Durham 1992, ISBN 978-0-822-31216-1 , pp. 156-157.
• Margarete Weidemann: Noble families in the Chlotharreich. Relationships of the Frankish aristocracy in the 1st third of the 7th century in: Beihefte der Francia, Volume 15, Paris 1987, pp. 829–851.
• Horst Ebling: Burgundofarones in: Lexicon of the Middle Ages , Volume II, Column 1098/99.
• Eugen Ewig: The Merovingians and the Franconian Empire . Verlag W. Kohlhammer Stuttgart, Berlin, Cologne, 1993, p. 124.
• Patrick J. Geary: The Merovingians. Europe before Charlemagne. CH Beck, Munich 2004, ISBN 3-406-49426-9 , p. 174.
• Eberhard Dobler: The clan of the Counts Audoin / Otwin: Franconian aristocrats of the 7th and early 8th centuries in Southern Alemannia , in: Journal for the history of the Upper Rhine Volume 149. Kohlhammer, Stuttgart 2001, pp. 15, 32–33.
• Erich Zöllner: The origin of the Agilulfinger , in: Communications of the Institute for Austrian Historical Research, 61st volume. Institute for Austrian Historical Research, Vienna 1953, pp. 3, 7.
• Rolf Sprandel: Structure and history of the Merovingian nobility in Theodor Schrieder, Walter Kienast (Hrsg.): Historische Zeitschrift, Volume 193. Oldenbourg, Munich 1961, p. 46.