Chlodoald

Chlodoald (Chlodovald, later also Fluduald , French Cloud) saint (* around 520 ; † festival September 7, 560 ) was the third and youngest son of the Merovingian king Chlodomer of Orléans and Guntheuca.

After the violent death of his father in 524, Chlodoald, who was still a minor, came to Chrodechilde , his grandmother, with his two brothers, Theodoald and Gunthar, who were also underage . Her uncles Chlothar and Childebert wanted to share their brother's inheritance among themselves and therefore stabbed Theodoald and Gunthar to death. They evidently feared their legitimate claim to inheritance on the part of their father's kingdom. But Chlodoald was freed from his father's faithful just in time, escaped and saved his life by evading the arguments and becoming a priest.

Chlodoald saved his life by renouncing his claim to power, which was made evident by the fact that he cut himself off the long hair that identified him as a Merovingian prince capable of ruling. He later became the founder of the Saint-Cloud monastery near Paris, which was then named after him as the patron saint .

literature

Georg Gresser : Chlodoald , in: Lexikon für Theologie und Kirche , Volume 2, Freiburg 1994, Sp. 1078 with the sources and further literature.