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 - Yes, date unknown
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| Name |
Hermanafrid |
| Suffix |
king of the Thuringii |
| Gender |
Male |
| Death |
Yes, date unknown |
| Notes |
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermanfrid
«b»Hermanfrid«/b» (also «b»Hermanifrid«/b» or «b»Hermanafrid«/b»; «u»Latin «/u»: «i»Hermenfredus«/i») was the last independent king of the «u»Thuringii «/u». He was one of three sons of King «u»Bessinus «/u» (or Bisinus) and the «u»Lombard «/u» «u»Menia «/u» (or Basina). His siblings were «u»Baderic «/u»; «u»Radegund «/u» (the elder), married to the Lombard king «u»Wacho «/u»; and «u»Bertachar «/u».
Hermanfrid married «u»Amalaberga «/u», daughter of «u»Amalafrida «/u» who was the daughter of «u»Theodemir «/u», between 507 and 511. Amalberga was also the niece of «u»Theodoric the Great «/u». It is unclear when Hermanfrid became king, but he is called king («i»rex thoringorum«/i») in a letter by Theodoric dated to 507. He first shared the rule with his brothers Baderic and Bertachar, but later killed Bertachar in a battle in 529, leaving the young «u»Radegund «/u» an orphan.
According to «u»Gregory of Tours «/u», Amalaberga now stirred up Hermanfrid against his remaining brother. Once she laid out only half the table for a meal, and when questioned about the reason, she told him "A king who owns only of half of his kingdom deserved to have half of his table bare." Thus roused, Hermanfrid made a pact with the king of «u»Metz «/u», «u»Theuderic I «/u», to march against Baderic. Baderic was overcome by the «u»Franks «/u» and beheaded, but Hermanfrid refused to fulfill his obligations to Theuderic, which led to enmity between the two kings.
In 531 or 532, Theuderic, his son «u»Theudebert I «/u», and his brother King «u»Clotaire I «/u» of «u»Soissons «/u» attacked the Thuringii. The Franks won a battle near the river «u»Unstrut «/u» and took the royal seat at Scithingi (modern «u»Burgscheidungen «/u»). Hermanfrid managed to flee, but the Franks captured his niece Radegund (see «u»Venantius Fortunatus «/u», «i»De excidio Thoringae«/i») and his nephews.
Theuderic gave Hermanfrid safe conduct, ordered him to come to «u»Zülpich «/u», and gave him many gifts. While Hermanfrid talked with Theuderic, somebody pushed him from the town walls of Zülpich and he died. Gregory mentions that certain people had ventured to suggest that Theuderic «i»might«/i» have had something to do with it.
Radegund was then forced to marry King Clotaire, while Hermanfrid's wife Amalaberga fled to the «u»Ostrogoths «/u» with her children «u»Amalafrid «/u» and «u»Rodelindis «/u». She was later captured by the «u»Byzantine «/u» general «u»Belisaurius «/u» and sent to «u»Constantinople «/u», where Amalafrid later became an imperial general and Rodelindis was married to the Lombard king «u»Auduin «/u».
The Thuringian kingdom ended with Hermanfrid. The area east of the «u»Saale «/u» river was taken over by «u»Slavic «/u» tribes, north Thuringia by the «u»Saxons «/u».
The fall of the Thuringian dynasty became the subject of numerous epic treatments, the best known of which is in the «u»«i»Rerum gestarum saxonicarum libri tres «/u»«/i» by «u»Widukind of Corvey «/u», a Saxon foundation «u»myth «/u» written in 967. «u»Rudolph of Fulda «/u» tells a related story.
«b»About the Sources
«/b»The main source for this period is Gregory of Tours, who represents the Frankish viewpoint. Widukind is much later and has clearly incorporated mythical elements into his account. «u»Procopius «/u» only mentions the events in passing as far as they affect «u»Italy «/u».
Retrieved from "«u»<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermanafrid>«/u»"
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| Person ID |
I61324 |
Glenn Cook Family |
| Last Modified |
19 Jun 2013 |
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