Garibald I.

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Garibald I (* after 500; † around 593) was probably the first Duke of the Bavarians in Bavaria to be known by name .

Life

Garibald was an early representative of the Agilolfinger , an important and leading dynasty, without it being possible to clarify where this dynasty came from and who the parents of Garibald were. In part, it is assumed that they are closely related to the Merovingians - the Fredegar Chronicle reports that he was of Frankish origin - others name a Theodo II or an Agiwald von Meaux as his father, the latter a son of Agilolf von Meaux , but also a connection to Longobard rulers or to the Sueben prince Agilulf is considered possible. It is precisely this Agilulf who is said to have given the name to the Agilolfinger. Given these uncertainties, it is also unclear whether the Bavarians owned a duke before Garibald. The land acquisition or ethnogenesis of the Bavarians falls in any case in the first half of the 6th century. The occasionally named "dukes" Theodon I, Theodon II and Theodon III. should, however, belong more to the area of ​​legend.

Around 548 Garibald received the title of Duke for Bavaria from the Frankish King Theudebald ; around 555 he married Walderada , the daughter of Wachos , king of the Lombards (approx. 510-540). She was the widow of King Theudebald of Austrasia and then the wife of the Frankish King Chlothar I , who had to part with her due to church contradictions and now gave her to “one of his own”, the Duke of Bavaria, to be his wife. This marriage meant a considerable increase in rank for Duke Garibald. Contemporary Lombard sources dubbed him rex (king) instead of dux (duke ). Apparently Duke Garibald must have held a key position in Baiern for the Merovingian Empire.

The domestic political difficulties of the Frankish king soon gave Garibald the opportunity to pursue a refined policy of his own in league with the Lombards who had moved into Italy in 568 and with whom he had an interest in the Brenner-Verona route. He married a daughter to the Lombard Duke Ewin (Eoin) of Trient , who was attacked by the Franks around the same time (575). This is an indication that the Longobard sought to protect itself against similar Frankish attacks through an alliance with its northern neighbor.

When the Franks threatened the Longobards again in 584, the new Longobard king Authari joined the Bavarians after he had failed to communicate with the Franks. Apparently, Garibald's rapprochement with the Lombards led to the Franks taking military action against him in 589, at least in that year the children Theodelinde and Gundoald fled to Italy to the Lombards: Garibald's daughter Theodelinde married because she had been spurned by the Frankish King, the Lombard king Authari; Garibald's son Gundoald becomes Duke of Asti and as the father of King Aripert I's ancestor and progenitor of the Agilolfing Langobard kings. This created an anti-Frankish alliance between the Lombard king and the Bavarian duke and the duke of Asti and Trento. In the following year, 590, a Frank attack on Authari's empire resulted in a severe Frankish defeat.

Subsequently, in 591, the Franks came to an understanding with the Lombards, the consequences of which were serious for early Bavaria, which can be seen from the change in rulers that took place in Baiern at the same time, which made the country dependent on the Franks for the first time seems to show: Garibald died or was deposed by the Merovingian king. Paul Diaconus reports that Tassilo has now been installed as rex (king) by the Frankish king Childebert over Bavaria . Tassilo I was either Garibald's son or a close relative.

progeny

literature

predecessor Office successor
- Duke of Baiern
548 – around 593 		Tassilo I.
personal data
SURNAME Garibald I.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Garibald von Baiern
BRIEF DESCRIPTION first Duke of Bavaria
DATE OF BIRTH after 500
DATE OF DEATH at 593