Odo of Aquitaine
Encyclopedia
Odo the Great (died c. 735), Duke of Aquitaine
, obtained this dignity by 700. His territory included the Duchy of Vasconia
in the south-west of Gaul
and the Duchy of Aquitaine
(at that point located north-east of the river Garonne
), a realm extending from the Loire
to the Pyrenees
, with capital in Toulouse
. He retained it until his abdication in 735.
His earlier life is obscure, as are his ancestry and ethnicity. Several Dukes of Aquitaine
have been named as Odo's father: Boggis
or Bertrand, to whom errant historians ascribed descent from the Merovingian Charibert II
(based on the forged Charte d'Alaon
), as also Duke Lupus I, who was not Merovingian at all. Odo is called the brother of Hubertus
.
Odo succeeded to the ducal throne maybe as early as 679, probably the date of the death of Lupus, or 688. Other dates are possible, including 692, but he was certainly in power by 700. In 715 he declared himself independent during the civil war raging in Gaul. It is not likely that he ever took the title of king.
In 718, he appears as the ally of Chilperic II
of Neustria
and the Mayor of the Palace
Ragenfrid
, who may have offered recognition of his kingship over Aquitaine. They were fighting against the Austrasia
n mayor of the palace
, Charles Martel
; but after the defeat of Chilperic at Soissons
that year, he probably made peace with Charles by surrendering to him the Neustrian king and his treasures.
Odo was also obliged to fight both the Umayyads and the Franks
who invaded his kingdom. On June 9, 721, he inflicted a major defeat upon Anbasa ibn Suhaym Al-Kalbi
at the Battle of Toulouse
, a victory celebrated with gifts from the Pope
and solidifying Odo's independence. To help secure his borders he married his daughter, probably named Lampegia, to the Muslim rebel lord Uthman ibn Naissa, called "Munuza" by the Franks, the deputy governor of what would later become Catalonia
.
The peace was not to last. In 731, the Frankish Charles Martel, after defeating the Saxons, turned his attention to the rival southern realm of Aquitaine, crossed the Loire and broke the peace treaty held with Odo. Odo engaged the Frankish troops but was defeated. Charles in turn looted Aquitaine and went back to Francia. Meanwhile, the Ummayads were gathering forces to attack Odo's ally in the Pyrenean region of Cerdanya
Uthman ibn Naissa. Busy as Odo was trying to fend off Charles´s thrust, he didn´t make it to help his ally and Uthman ibn Naissa was overcome and killed by Abdul Rahman Al Ghafiqi
.
In 732, Abdul Rahman Al Ghafiqi's troops raided Vasconia, advanced towards Bordeaux and ransacked the city. Odo engaged them but was defeated near Bordeaux
by the Umayyads. Following the defeat, Odo pleaded with Charles Martel
, Mayor of the palaces of Neustria
and Austrasia
, for assistance in fighting the Arab advance. The alliance defeated the Umayyads at the Battle of Tours
in 732, and repelled the Arabs out of Aquitaine. Odo played a major role in planning the victory.
In 735 the Duke Odo abdicated and was succeeded by his son Hunald
. He died thereafter, probably in a monastery, perhaps as late as 740. His popularity in Aquitaine is attested by the Vita Pardulfi
.
Duke of Aquitaine
The Duke of Aquitaine ruled the historical region of Aquitaine under the supremacy of Frankish, English and later French kings....
, obtained this dignity by 700. His territory included the Duchy of Vasconia
Duchy of Vasconia
The Duchy of Vasconia , or Wasconia, was originally a Frankish march formed by 602 to keep the Basques in check. It comprised the former Roman province of Novempopulania and, at least in some periods, also the lands south of the Pyrenees centred on Pamplona.In the ninth century, civil war within...
in the south-west of Gaul
Gaul
Gaul was a region of Western Europe during the Iron Age and Roman era, encompassing present day France, Luxembourg and Belgium, most of Switzerland, the western part of Northern Italy, as well as the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the left bank of the Rhine. The Gauls were the speakers of...
and the Duchy of Aquitaine
Aquitaine
Aquitaine , archaic Guyenne/Guienne , is one of the 27 regions of France, in the south-western part of metropolitan France, along the Atlantic Ocean and the Pyrenees mountain range on the border with Spain. It comprises the 5 departments of Dordogne, :Lot et Garonne, :Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Landes...
(at that point located north-east of the river Garonne
Garonne
The Garonne is a river in southwest France and northern Spain, with a length of .-Source:The Garonne's headwaters are to be found in the Aran Valley in the Pyrenees, though three different locations have been proposed as the true source: the Uelh deth Garona at Plan de Beret , the Ratera-Saboredo...
), a realm extending from the Loire
Loire
Loire is an administrative department in the east-central part of France occupying the River Loire's upper reaches.-History:Loire was created in 1793 when after just 3½ years the young Rhône-et-Loire department was split into two. This was a response to counter-Revolutionary activities in Lyon...
to the Pyrenees
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between France and Spain...
, with capital in Toulouse
Toulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
. He retained it until his abdication in 735.
His earlier life is obscure, as are his ancestry and ethnicity. Several Dukes of Aquitaine
Duke of Aquitaine
The Duke of Aquitaine ruled the historical region of Aquitaine under the supremacy of Frankish, English and later French kings....
have been named as Odo's father: Boggis
Boggis
Boggis, Bohggis, or Bodogisel was the Merovingians Duke of Aquitaine from the death of Chilperic of Aquitaine in 632 until his death....
or Bertrand, to whom errant historians ascribed descent from the Merovingian Charibert II
Charibert II
Charibert II , a son of Clotaire II and his junior wife Sichilde, was briefly King of Aquitaine from 629 to his death, with his capital at Toulouse. We have no direct statement about when Charibert was born exact that he was "a few years younger" than his half-brother Dagobert...
(based on the forged Charte d'Alaon
Charte d'Alaon
The Charte d'Alaon is a spurious and fraudulent charter purporting to provide a genealogy of the house of Odo the Great, Duke of Aquitaine . The nineteenth-century French historian Joseph-François Rabanis proved it to be a hoax fabricated in the seventeenth century...
), as also Duke Lupus I, who was not Merovingian at all. Odo is called the brother of Hubertus
Hubertus
Saint Hubertus or Hubert , called the "Apostle of the Ardennes" was the first Bishop of Liège...
.
Odo succeeded to the ducal throne maybe as early as 679, probably the date of the death of Lupus, or 688. Other dates are possible, including 692, but he was certainly in power by 700. In 715 he declared himself independent during the civil war raging in Gaul. It is not likely that he ever took the title of king.
In 718, he appears as the ally of Chilperic II
Chilperic II
Chilperic II , born Daniel, the youngest son of Childeric II, was king of Neustria from 715 and sole king of the Franks from 718 until his death. He was the last Merovingian dynast to exercise any authority on his own....
of Neustria
Neustria
The territory of Neustria or Neustrasia, meaning "new [western] land", originated in 511, made up of the regions from Aquitaine to the English Channel, approximating most of the north of present-day France, with Paris and Soissons as its main cities...
and the Mayor of the Palace
Mayor of the Palace
Mayor of the Palace was an early medieval title and office, also called majordomo, from the Latin title maior domus , used most notably in the Frankish kingdoms in the 7th and 8th centuries....
Ragenfrid
Ragenfrid
Ragenfrid was the mayor of the palace of Neustria and Burgundy from 715, when he filled the vacuum in Neustria caused by the death of Pepin of Heristal, until 718, when Charles Martel finally established himself over the whole Frankish kingdom.His original centre of power was the Véxin...
, who may have offered recognition of his kingship over Aquitaine. They were fighting against the Austrasia
Austrasia
Austrasia formed the northeastern portion of the Kingdom of the Merovingian Franks, comprising parts of the territory of present-day eastern France, western Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. Metz served as its capital, although some Austrasian kings ruled from Rheims, Trier, and...
n mayor of the palace
Mayor of the Palace
Mayor of the Palace was an early medieval title and office, also called majordomo, from the Latin title maior domus , used most notably in the Frankish kingdoms in the 7th and 8th centuries....
, Charles Martel
Charles Martel
Charles Martel , also known as Charles the Hammer, was a Frankish military and political leader, who served as Mayor of the Palace under the Merovingian kings and ruled de facto during an interregnum at the end of his life, using the title Duke and Prince of the Franks. In 739 he was offered the...
; but after the defeat of Chilperic at Soissons
Battle of Soissons (718)
The Battle of Soissons of 718 was the last of the great pitched battles of the civil war between the heirs of Pepin of Heristal. Since Pepin's death in December 714, his grandson and heir Theudoald, his widow Plectrude, his bastard son Charles Martel, his successor as mayor of the palace in...
that year, he probably made peace with Charles by surrendering to him the Neustrian king and his treasures.
Odo was also obliged to fight both the Umayyads and the Franks
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...
who invaded his kingdom. On June 9, 721, he inflicted a major defeat upon Anbasa ibn Suhaym Al-Kalbi
Anbasa ibn Suhaym Al-Kalbi
Anbasa ibn Suhaym al-Kalbi was the Muslim wali of al-Andalus, also known as Moorish Hispania, from 721 to 726 CE....
at the Battle of Toulouse
Battle of Toulouse (721)
The Battle of Toulouse was a victory of an Aquitanian army led by Duke Odo of Aquitaine over an Umayyad army besieging the city of Toulouse, and led by the governor of Al-Andalus, Al-Samh ibn Malik al-Khawlani...
, a victory celebrated with gifts from the Pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
and solidifying Odo's independence. To help secure his borders he married his daughter, probably named Lampegia, to the Muslim rebel lord Uthman ibn Naissa, called "Munuza" by the Franks, the deputy governor of what would later become Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
.
The peace was not to last. In 731, the Frankish Charles Martel, after defeating the Saxons, turned his attention to the rival southern realm of Aquitaine, crossed the Loire and broke the peace treaty held with Odo. Odo engaged the Frankish troops but was defeated. Charles in turn looted Aquitaine and went back to Francia. Meanwhile, the Ummayads were gathering forces to attack Odo's ally in the Pyrenean region of Cerdanya
Cerdanya
Cerdanya is a natural comarca and historical region of the eastern Pyrenees divided between France and Spain. Historically it has been one of the counties of Catalonia....
Uthman ibn Naissa. Busy as Odo was trying to fend off Charles´s thrust, he didn´t make it to help his ally and Uthman ibn Naissa was overcome and killed by Abdul Rahman Al Ghafiqi
Abdul Rahman Al Ghafiqi
Abdul Rahman Al Ghafiqi , also known as Abd er Rahman, Abdderrahman, Abderame, and Abd el-Rahman, led the Andalusian Muslims into battle against the forces of Charles Martel in the Battle of Tours on October 10, 732 AD. for which he is primarily remembered in the West...
.
In 732, Abdul Rahman Al Ghafiqi's troops raided Vasconia, advanced towards Bordeaux and ransacked the city. Odo engaged them but was defeated near Bordeaux
Battle of the River Garonne
The Battle of the River Garonne was fought in 732 between an Umayyad army led by Abdul Rahman Al Ghafiqi, governor of Al-Andalus, and Frankish forces led by Duke Odo of Aquitaine....
by the Umayyads. Following the defeat, Odo pleaded with Charles Martel
Charles Martel
Charles Martel , also known as Charles the Hammer, was a Frankish military and political leader, who served as Mayor of the Palace under the Merovingian kings and ruled de facto during an interregnum at the end of his life, using the title Duke and Prince of the Franks. In 739 he was offered the...
, Mayor of the palaces of Neustria
Neustria
The territory of Neustria or Neustrasia, meaning "new [western] land", originated in 511, made up of the regions from Aquitaine to the English Channel, approximating most of the north of present-day France, with Paris and Soissons as its main cities...
and Austrasia
Austrasia
Austrasia formed the northeastern portion of the Kingdom of the Merovingian Franks, comprising parts of the territory of present-day eastern France, western Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. Metz served as its capital, although some Austrasian kings ruled from Rheims, Trier, and...
, for assistance in fighting the Arab advance. The alliance defeated the Umayyads at the Battle of Tours
Battle of Tours
The Battle of Tours , also called the Battle of Poitiers and in Battle of the Court of the Martyrs, was fought in an area between the cities of Poitiers and Tours, located in north-central France, near the village of Moussais-la-Bataille, about northeast of Poitiers...
in 732, and repelled the Arabs out of Aquitaine. Odo played a major role in planning the victory.
In 735 the Duke Odo abdicated and was succeeded by his son Hunald
Hunald of Aquitaine
Hunald , Duke of Aquitaine , succeeded his father Odo the Great in 735....
. He died thereafter, probably in a monastery, perhaps as late as 740. His popularity in Aquitaine is attested by the Vita Pardulfi
Vita Pardulfi
The Vita Pardulfi is a work on the life of St Pardulf , a holy man from the Limoges area, which was written around the middle of the eighth century.The Vita Pardulfi is notable for the insight it provides into life in Aquitaine at that time...
.
Sources
- Oman, CharlesCharles OmanSir Charles William Chadwick Oman was a British military historian of the early 20th century. His reconstructions of medieval battles from the fragmentary and distorted accounts left by chroniclers were pioneering...
. The Dark Ages, 476–918. London: Rivingtons, 1914.