Hedan II
Encyclopedia
Heden, Hedan, or Hetan II (died 741), called the Younger, was the Duke of Thuringia, one of the "older" stem duchies (Stammesherzogtums), from around 700 until his death. Two alternative hypotheses concerning his origins have been put forward: he was either a son of Gozbert and Geilana or of Theotbald and Bilihild.
One of the chief sources for his life is the Passio minor sancti Kiliani. According to the Passio, after the revenge of God came upon his father Gozbert, Hedan was chased from the realm and his mother Geilana ruled as duchess (689). Sometime later Hedan returned as an adult and took over (before 704). The duchy over which Hedan and his ancestors ruled was the region around the river Main. Only under Hedan did the duke take up an extensive interest in the lands to the east, the region today called Thuringia
. Hedan's claim to rule Thuringia may have been claimed through his wife Theodrada.
Hedan's hypothetical relationship with Bilihild is established by the 12th-century Vital Bilihildis, based on earlier sources, which names Bilihild's husband as dux militum gentilis ... vocabulo Hetan. Theotbald on the other hand may have been a brother of Theodrada and the man who preceded Hedan in ruling Thuringia.
It was during the reign of Hedan that the conversion of the Thuringii
to Christianity began under Boniface. In 742 the diocese of Erfurt was established. The support of the duke himself and his wife Theodrada was instrumental in establishing the new religion in Thuringia. In a donation dated 1 May 704 in Würzburg
, his capital, Hedan, with the consent of his wife and his son Thuring and the Frankish
magnates Rocco and Doda, granted the bishop Willibrord
the places of Arnstadt
(Arnestati), Mühlberg
(Mulenberge), and Großmonra
(Monhore). A document dated 18 April 716/717, Hedan enlarged his earlier donation by granting hereditary estates on the Saale
and at Hammelberg to the counts Cato and Sigeric as well as the nutricius Ado and the magnates Adogoto and Hereric.
Through his wife Hedan had connexions to the Rodoin family and the family of Gundoin, Duke of Alsace. He also had ties to the monastery of Weißenburg in Alsace. His daughter Immina entered the family monastery of Marienberg
.
One of the chief sources for his life is the Passio minor sancti Kiliani. According to the Passio, after the revenge of God came upon his father Gozbert, Hedan was chased from the realm and his mother Geilana ruled as duchess (689). Sometime later Hedan returned as an adult and took over (before 704). The duchy over which Hedan and his ancestors ruled was the region around the river Main. Only under Hedan did the duke take up an extensive interest in the lands to the east, the region today called Thuringia
Thuringia
The Free State of Thuringia is a state of Germany, located in the central part of the country.It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen states....
. Hedan's claim to rule Thuringia may have been claimed through his wife Theodrada.
Hedan's hypothetical relationship with Bilihild is established by the 12th-century Vital Bilihildis, based on earlier sources, which names Bilihild's husband as dux militum gentilis ... vocabulo Hetan. Theotbald on the other hand may have been a brother of Theodrada and the man who preceded Hedan in ruling Thuringia.
It was during the reign of Hedan that the conversion of the Thuringii
Thuringii
The Thuringii or Toringi were a Germanic tribe which appeared late during the Völkerwanderung in the Harz Mountains of central Germania around 280, in a region which still bears their name to this day — Thuringia. They evidently filled a void left when the previous inhabitants — the...
to Christianity began under Boniface. In 742 the diocese of Erfurt was established. The support of the duke himself and his wife Theodrada was instrumental in establishing the new religion in Thuringia. In a donation dated 1 May 704 in Würzburg
Würzburg
Würzburg is a city in the region of Franconia which lies in the northern tip of Bavaria, Germany. Located at the Main River, it is the capital of the Regierungsbezirk Lower Franconia. The regional dialect is Franconian....
, his capital, Hedan, with the consent of his wife and his son Thuring and the Frankish
Franks
The Franks were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a...
magnates Rocco and Doda, granted the bishop Willibrord
Willibrord
__notoc__Willibrord was a Northumbrian missionary saint, known as the "Apostle to the Frisians" in the modern Netherlands...
the places of Arnstadt
Arnstadt
Arnstadt is a town in Ilm-Kreis, Thuringia, Germany, situated on the Gera River. It is one of the oldest towns in Thuringia and is nicknamed Das Tor zum Thüringer Wald, The Gate to the Thuringian Forest....
(Arnestati), Mühlberg
Mühlberg, Thuringia
Mühlberg is a village and a former municipality in the district of Gotha, in Thuringia, Germany. Since 1 January 2009, it is part of the municipality Drei Gleichen....
(Mulenberge), and Großmonra
Großmonra
Großmonra is a municipality in the Sömmerda district of Thuringia, Germany....
(Monhore). A document dated 18 April 716/717, Hedan enlarged his earlier donation by granting hereditary estates on the Saale
Saale
The Saale, also known as the Saxon Saale and Thuringian Saale , is a river in Germany and a left-bank tributary of the Elbe. It is not to be confused with the smaller Franconian Saale, a right-bank tributary of the Main, or the Saale in Lower Saxony, a tributary of the Leine.-Course:The Saale...
and at Hammelberg to the counts Cato and Sigeric as well as the nutricius Ado and the magnates Adogoto and Hereric.
Through his wife Hedan had connexions to the Rodoin family and the family of Gundoin, Duke of Alsace. He also had ties to the monastery of Weißenburg in Alsace. His daughter Immina entered the family monastery of Marienberg
Marienberg
Marienberg can refer to:*Marienberg, Saxony, the capital of the Mittlerer Erzgebirgskreis district of the German state of Saxony*Bad Marienberg, a town in the Westerwaldkreis of Rhineland-Palatinate...
.