Eric of Friuli
Encyclopedia
Eric was the Duke of Friuli
(dux Foroiulensis) 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
.
Most of Eric's tenure was occupied by the job of subduing the Avars
. In this he was accompanied by Pepin of Italy and his own father, the margrave of Avaria. In 791, he and Pepin marched a Lombard
army into the Drava
valley and ravaged Pannonia
, while Charlemagne marched along the Danube
into Avar territory. Charlemagne left the campaigning to deal with a Saxon revolt
in 792. Pepin and Eric continued, however, to assault the Avars' ring-shaped strongholds. The great Ring of the Avars, their capital fortress, was taken twice. The booty was sent to Charlemagne in Aachen
and redistributed to all his followers and even to foreign rulers, including King Offa of Mercia
.
In 795 or 796, Eric and Pepin, allied with the Western Avar tudun
, led an attack which forced the submission of the chief khagan
and led to the capture of the Hunorum Hringum, or Ring of the Avars, their chief camp. The khagan was taken to Aachen, where he was baptised as Theodorus. According to the Annales Fuldenses
, the khagan was killed by his own men.
According to the Annales Laurissenses
, Eric sent raiders against Pannonia in 796 under Vojnomir
, duke of the Pannonian Croats.
Some time between 787 and 796, Paulinus of Aquileia
wrote a Liber Exhortationis for Eric. The work draws from the Bible
and certain Fathers of the Church to offer instruction on how to live a morally upright Christian life while carrying out secular duties.
In 799, Eric was killed in the Battle of Trsat
in Liburnia
between Franks and Croats
. His father died on the eve of battle with the Avars that same year. According to Frankish scholar and courtier Einhard
, he was done in by the treachery of the inhabitants, but he does not explain how so. The site of the battle, Tharsatica or Tarsatica in Latin, has been traditionally identified as Trsat
, a hill fort whose ruins today overlook the city of Rijeka
(Fiume). It is more likely that the Tharsatica of Einhard's account was the civitas (Latin for "city") which lay on the other side of the river Rječina
, today the Old Town of Rijeka. The site of Trsat was actually founded by Tharsatica's surviving inhabitants a year after the siege.
Duke of Friuli
The dukes and margraves of Friuli were the rulers of the Duchy and March of Friuli in the Middle Ages.The dates given below, when contentious, are discussed in the articles of the respective dukes.-Lombard dukes:* 568–c.584 Grasulf I...
(dux Foroiulensis) from 789 to his death. He was the eldest son of Gerold of Vinzgouw
Gerold of Vinzgouw
Gerold of Vinzgau was a count in Kraichgau and Anglachgau. His daughter married King Charlemagne in 771.In 784 generous donations to the monastery of Lorsch by Gerold and Emma are recorded....
and by the marriage of his sister Hildegard the brother-in-law of 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...
.
Most of Eric's tenure was occupied by the job of subduing 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...
. In this he was accompanied by Pepin of Italy and his own father, the margrave of Avaria. In 791, he and Pepin marched a Lombard
Lombards
The Lombards , also referred to as Longobards, were a Germanic tribe of Scandinavian origin, who from 568 to 774 ruled a Kingdom in Italy...
army into the Drava
Drava
Drava or Drave is a river in southern Central Europe, a tributary of the Danube. It sources in Toblach/Dobbiaco, Italy, and flows east through East Tirol and Carinthia in Austria, into Slovenia , and then southeast, passing through Croatia and forming most of the border between Croatia and...
valley and ravaged Pannonia
Pannonia
Pannonia was an ancient province of the Roman Empire bounded north and east by the Danube, coterminous westward with Noricum and upper Italy, and southward with Dalmatia and upper Moesia....
, while Charlemagne marched along the Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
into Avar territory. Charlemagne left the campaigning to deal with a Saxon revolt
Saxon Wars
The Saxon Wars were the campaigns and insurrections of the more than thirty years from 772, when Charlemagne first entered Saxony with the intent to conquer, to 804, when the last rebellion of disaffected tribesmen was crushed. In all, eighteen battles were fought in what is now northwestern Germany...
in 792. Pepin and Eric continued, however, to assault the Avars' ring-shaped strongholds. The great Ring of the Avars, their capital fortress, was taken twice. The booty was sent to Charlemagne in Aachen
Aachen
Aachen has historically been a spa town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Aachen was a favoured residence of Charlemagne, and the place of coronation of the Kings of Germany. Geographically, Aachen is the westernmost town of Germany, located along its borders with Belgium and the Netherlands, ...
and redistributed to all his followers and even to foreign rulers, including King Offa of Mercia
Offa of Mercia
Offa was the King of Mercia from 757 until his death in July 796. The son of Thingfrith and a descendant of Eowa, Offa came to the throne after a period of civil war following the assassination of Æthelbald after defeating the other claimant Beornred. In the early years of Offa's reign it is likely...
.
In 795 or 796, Eric and Pepin, allied with the Western Avar tudun
Tudun
A tudun was a governor resident in a town or other settlement in Ancient Bulgar/Avar/Gokturk empires, particularly those of the Bulgars and the Khazars. In Gothic THIUDNASSAM means 'kingdom'. The tudun was the personal representative of the imperial government and could function both as an...
, led an attack which forced the submission of the chief khagan
Khagan
Khagan or qagan , alternatively spelled kagan, khaghan, qaghan, or chagan, is a title of imperial rank in the Mongolian and Turkic languages equal to the status of emperor and someone who rules a khaganate...
and led to the capture of the Hunorum Hringum, or Ring of the Avars, their chief camp. The khagan was taken to Aachen, where he was baptised as Theodorus. According to the Annales Fuldenses
Annales Fuldenses
The Annales Fuldenses or Annals of Fulda are East Frankish chronicles that cover independently the period from the last years of Louis the Pious to shortly after the end of effective Carolingian rule in East Francia with the accession of the child-king, Louis III, in 900...
, the khagan was killed by his own men.
According to the Annales Laurissenses
Annales Laurissenses
Annales Laurissenses, meaning "annals of Lorsch", may refer to either of two sets of Reichsannalen associated with the Abbey of Lorsch:*Annales Laurissenses minores , covering the years 680–817 and written at Lorsch...
, Eric sent raiders against Pannonia in 796 under Vojnomir
Vojnomir
Vojnomir or Voynomir, was a Croatian duke of Pannonian Croatia, who ruled over Slavonia from c. 790 to c. 800 or from 791 to c. 810.Vojnomir is also known as Wonomyrus Sclavus , because of his Slavic origin.Vojnomir is known for fighting the Avars during their occupation of Croatia...
, duke of the Pannonian Croats.
Some time between 787 and 796, Paulinus of Aquileia
Saint Paulinus II
Saint Paulinus II , was a northern Italian bishop, theologian, poet, and scholar of the Carolingian Renaissance.-Early life:...
wrote a Liber Exhortationis for Eric. The work draws from the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
and certain Fathers of the Church to offer instruction on how to live a morally upright Christian life while carrying out secular duties.
In 799, Eric was killed in the Battle of Trsat
Siege of Trsat
The Siege of Trsat was a battle fought over possession of the town of Trsat The city of Tarsatica, where the siege happened, was probably located at the present Old Town in Rijeka, not at Trsat itself, which is found on on a hill overlooking Rijeka on the other side of the Rječina River. Trsat was...
in Liburnia
Liburnia
Liburnia in ancient geography was the land of the Liburnians, a region along the northeastern Adriatic coast in Europe, in modern Croatia, whose borders shifted according to the extent of Liburnian dominance at a given time between 11th and 1st century BC...
between Franks and Croats
Croats
Croats are a South Slavic ethnic group mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries. There are around 4 million Croats living inside Croatia and up to 4.5 million throughout the rest of the world. Responding to political, social and economic pressure, many Croats have...
. His father died on the eve of battle with the Avars that same year. According to Frankish scholar and courtier Einhard
Einhard
Einhard was a Frankish scholar and courtier. Einhard was a dedicated servant of Charlemagne and his son Louis the Pious; his main work is a biography of Charlemagne, the Vita Karoli Magni, "one of the most precious literary bequests of the early Middle Ages."-Public life:Einhard was from the eastern...
, he was done in by the treachery of the inhabitants, but he does not explain how so. The site of the battle, Tharsatica or Tarsatica in Latin, has been traditionally identified as Trsat
Trsat
Trsat is part of the city of Rijeka, Croatia. It has a historic castle or fortress in a strategic location and several historic churches. The Croatian noble Prince Vuk Krsto Frankopan is buried in one of the churches. Trsat is a steep hill, 138 m high, rising over the gorge of the Rječina river,...
, a hill fort whose ruins today overlook the city of Rijeka
Rijeka
Rijeka is the principal seaport and the third largest city in Croatia . It is located on Kvarner Bay, an inlet of the Adriatic Sea and has a population of 128,735 inhabitants...
(Fiume). It is more likely that the Tharsatica of Einhard's account was the civitas (Latin for "city") which lay on the other side of the river Rječina
Rjecina
Rječina is a river in Croatia which flows in the Adriatic Sea in the city of Rijeka .It is about 19 km long, with average width of 9-16 m. It springs from the cave on the height of 325 m above sea level, under high cliff of Kičej hill...
, today the Old Town of Rijeka. The site of Trsat was actually founded by Tharsatica's surviving inhabitants a year after the siege.
Sources
- Einhard. Vita Caroli Magni. translated by Samuel Epes Turner. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1880.
- Wallach, Luitpold. "Alcuin on Virtues and Vices: A Manual for a Carolingian Soldier." Harvard Theological ReviewHarvard Theological ReviewHarvard Theological Review is a journal of theology, published by Harvard Divinity School. It was founded in 1908.-External links:* * * * at the Internet Archive...
, Vol. 48, No. 3. (Jul., 1955), pp. 175-195. - Ross, James Bruce. "Two Neglected Paladins of Charlemagne: Erich of Friuli and Gerold of Bavaria." Speculum, Vol. 20, No. 2. (Apr., 1945), pp 212–235.
- Hodgkin, ThomasThomas Hodgkin (historian)Thomas Hodgkin , British historian, son of John Hodgkin , barrister and Quaker minister, and Elizabeth Howard ....
. Italy and her Invaders. Clarendon Press: 1895.