Antenor of Provence
Encyclopedia
Antenor was the Patrician of Provence in the last years of the 7th and first years of the 8th century. He was independent of Arnulfing authority and the representative of the Merovingian sovereign in Provence
at a time when Arnulfing power was eclipsing the royal.
Antenor's influence in Provence was based on his land-holding and on his control of ecclesiastical and secular appointments. He had a large section of followers, but also detractors and opponents both within and without his duchy. In Marseille
, Antenor confiscated property from the abbey of Saint-Victor de Marseille and ordered the documents recording the abbey's claims to these lands to be burnt, thus demonstrating a common tactic of the age amongst statesmen: confiscation of ecclesiastic land to pay followers.
In 697, he was present at the court of Childebert III
when that king refused to grant Drogo of Champagne
the properites he desired in virtue of his wife's familial connections. His presence at such a court may have been related to his opposition to Pepin of Heristal and his family.
Provence
Provence ; Provençal: Provença in classical norm or Prouvènço in Mistralian norm) is a region of south eastern France on the Mediterranean adjacent to Italy. It is part of the administrative région of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur...
at a time when Arnulfing power was eclipsing the royal.
Antenor's influence in Provence was based on his land-holding and on his control of ecclesiastical and secular appointments. He had a large section of followers, but also detractors and opponents both within and without his duchy. In Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
, Antenor confiscated property from the abbey of Saint-Victor de Marseille and ordered the documents recording the abbey's claims to these lands to be burnt, thus demonstrating a common tactic of the age amongst statesmen: confiscation of ecclesiastic land to pay followers.
In 697, he was present at the court of Childebert III
Childebert III
Childebert III, called the Just , son of Theuderic III and Clotilda and sole king of the Franks , he was seemingly but a puppet of the mayor of the palace, Pepin of Heristal, though his placita show him making judicial decisions of his own will, even against the Arnulfing clan...
when that king refused to grant Drogo of Champagne
Drogo of Champagne
Drogo , son of Pepin the Middle and Plectrude, was the duke of Champagne by appointment of his father in 690 and duke of Burgundy from the death of Nordebert in 697...
the properites he desired in virtue of his wife's familial connections. His presence at such a court may have been related to his opposition to Pepin of Heristal and his family.
Sources
- Geary, Patrick J. Before France and Germany. Oxford University Press: 1988.