Gerold, Prefect of Bavaria
Encyclopedia
Gerold was an Alamannian nobleman, serving the Frankish King as Margrave
of the Avarian
March and Prefect
of Bavaria
. Gerold played a significant role in the integration of Bavaria into the Frankish Kingdom. Being related to the family of the Agilolfings
, he was appointed Prefect of Bavaria after the deposition of Duke Tassilo III in 788. In 799 he fell in a battle against the Avars
, a short while after Eric of Friuli
was killed by the treachery of the same.
He is the son of Gerold of Vinzgau and Emma, the daughter of Hnabi
. His sister Hildegard married King Charlemagne
in 771.
Margrave
A margrave or margravine was a medieval hereditary nobleman with military responsibilities in a border province of a kingdom. Border provinces usually had more exposure to military incursions from the outside, compared to interior provinces, and thus a margrave usually had larger and more active...
of the Avarian
Eurasian Avars
The Eurasian Avars or Ancient Avars were a highly organized nomadic confederacy of mixed origins. They were ruled by a khagan, who was surrounded by a tight-knit entourage of nomad warriors, an organization characteristic of Turko-Mongol groups...
March and Prefect
Prefect
Prefect is a magisterial title of varying definition....
of Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
. Gerold played a significant role in the integration of Bavaria into the Frankish Kingdom. Being related to the family of the Agilolfings
Agilolfings
The Agilolfings were a family of either Frankish or Bavarian nobility that ruled the Duchy of Bavaria on behalf of their Merovingian suzerains from about 550 until 788...
, he was appointed Prefect of Bavaria after the deposition of Duke Tassilo III in 788. In 799 he fell in a battle against the Avars
Eurasian Avars
The Eurasian Avars or Ancient Avars were a highly organized nomadic confederacy of mixed origins. They were ruled by a khagan, who was surrounded by a tight-knit entourage of nomad warriors, an organization characteristic of Turko-Mongol groups...
, a short while after Eric of Friuli
Eric of Friuli
Eric was the Duke of Friuli from 789 to his death. He was the eldest son of Gerold of Vinzgouw and by the marriage of his sister Hildegard the brother-in-law of Charlemagne....
was killed by the treachery of the same.
He is the son of Gerold of Vinzgau and Emma, the daughter of Hnabi
Hnabi
Hnabi or Nebi was an Alemannic duke in the eighth century. He was a son of Huoching and perhaps a grandson of the duke Gotfrid, which would make him a scion of the Agilolfing dynasty of Bavaria. He was the founder of the "old" line of the Ahalolfings...
. His sister Hildegard married King Charlemagne
Charlemagne
Charlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 and Emperor of the Romans from 800 to his death in 814. He expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800...
in 771.