Adalbert, Duke of Alsace
Encyclopedia
Adalbert was the Duke of Alsace beginning after 683 and probably until his death, before 700. He was the second duke of the family of the Etichonids
and the first to inherit the duchy from his father.
The son of Adalrich
and Berswinda, Adalbert was created Count of the Sundgau by his father circa 683. It is unknown if Adalbert appointed another count to succeed him after taking over the ducal office, exercised the comital powers himself, or left the office vacant. Under Adalbert, Etichonid control of the offices of the duchy of Alsace and of the monasteries of the region became entrenched.
Adalbert seems to have concentrated his power in northern Alsace (the later Nordgau) around the Diocese of Strasbourg. He founded the convent of Saint Stephen at Strasbourg
and installed his daughter Attala
as its first abbess. In 722 he established a monastery in honour of the Saint Michael the Archangel at Honau on an island in the Rhine north of Strasbourg. This last establishment was co-founded by a group of monks from Ireland
led by the first abbot, Benedict. Honau passed to King Theuderic IV
on Adalbert's death.
Adalbert's first wife was Gerlinda (perhaps of Aquitaine); his second wife was Ingina, a wealthy woman of Alsace, and she was the mother of his children. was succeeded by his eldest son, Liutfrid
, who in turn made Adalbert's second son, Eberhard, a count as early as the 720s. His daughters Eugenia and Gundlinda both entered the nunnery of their aunt Odilia at Hohenburg, where Eugenia eventually succeeded as abbess. Gundlinda was later abbess of Niedermünster. In 845 the Emperor Lothair I confirmed all the charters which Adalbert had granted to his foundation at Strasbourg.
Etichonids
The Etichonids were an important noble family, probably of Frankish , Burgundian or Visigothic origin, who rose to dominate the region of Alsace in the Early Middle Ages from the seventh to the tenth centuries....
and the first to inherit the duchy from his father.
The son of Adalrich
Adalrich, Duke of Alsace
Adalrich , also known as Eticho, was the Duke of Alsace, the founder of the family of the Etichonids, and an important and influential figure in the power politic of late seventh-century Austrasia....
and Berswinda, Adalbert was created Count of the Sundgau by his father circa 683. It is unknown if Adalbert appointed another count to succeed him after taking over the ducal office, exercised the comital powers himself, or left the office vacant. Under Adalbert, Etichonid control of the offices of the duchy of Alsace and of the monasteries of the region became entrenched.
Adalbert seems to have concentrated his power in northern Alsace (the later Nordgau) around the Diocese of Strasbourg. He founded the convent of Saint Stephen at Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
and installed his daughter Attala
Saint Attala
Saint Attala was a disciple of Saint Columbanus and his successor as abbot of Bobbio Abbey.-Biography:...
as its first abbess. In 722 he established a monastery in honour of the Saint Michael the Archangel at Honau on an island in the Rhine north of Strasbourg. This last establishment was co-founded by a group of monks from Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
led by the first abbot, Benedict. Honau passed to King Theuderic IV
Theuderic IV
Theuderic IV or Theuderich, Theoderic, or Theodoric; in French, Thierry was the Merovingian King of the Franks from 721 until his death in 737...
on Adalbert's death.
Adalbert's first wife was Gerlinda (perhaps of Aquitaine); his second wife was Ingina, a wealthy woman of Alsace, and she was the mother of his children. was succeeded by his eldest son, Liutfrid
Liutfrid, Duke of Alsace
Liutfrid, Leodefred, Leudefred, or Leudefrid was the Duke of Alsace, the third in a line of Etichonid dukes dating back to circa 670. He succeeded his father Adalbert in 723....
, who in turn made Adalbert's second son, Eberhard, a count as early as the 720s. His daughters Eugenia and Gundlinda both entered the nunnery of their aunt Odilia at Hohenburg, where Eugenia eventually succeeded as abbess. Gundlinda was later abbess of Niedermünster. In 845 the Emperor Lothair I confirmed all the charters which Adalbert had granted to his foundation at Strasbourg.
Sources
- Hummer, Hans J. Politics and Power in Early Medieval Europe: Alsace and the Frankish Realm 600 – 1000. Cambridge University Press: 2005. See mainly pp 46–55.