Dagobert i
Dagobert I
(dăg`ōbûrt), c.612–c.639, Frankish king, son and successor of King Clotaire II. His father was forced to appoint Dagobert king of the East Frankish kingdom of Austrasia at the request of Pepin of LandenPepin of Landen(Pepin I), d. 639?, mayor of the palace of the Frankish kingdom of Austrasia. With Arnulf, bishop of Metz, he called in King Clotaire II of Neustria to overthrow (613) Queen Brunhilda of Austrasia.
..... Click the link for more information. , mayor of the palace, and Arnulf, bishop of Metz, who effectively ruled in Austrasia. After Clotaire's death (629) Dagobert reunited Aquitaine with Austrasia and Neustria and became king of all the Franks. He was, however, forced by popular demand to give (634) Austrasia its own king in the person of his son, Sigebert III. The last of the MerovingiansMerovingians,
dynasty of Frankish kings, descended, according to tradition, from Merovech, chief of the Salian Franks, whose son was Childeric I and whose grandson was Clovis I, the founder of the Frankish monarchy.
..... Click the link for more information. to exercise personal rule, he made himself independent of the great nobles, especially of Pepin of Landen. He extended his rule over the Basques and the Bretons. Dagobert's reign was prosperous; he was a patron of learning and the arts. He founded the first great abbey of Saint-Denis, where he is buried.
Dagobert i
Born about 605; died Jan. 19, 639, in the abbey of Saint Denis, near Paris. Frankish king beginning in 629; son of Clotaire II (Lothair); last ruler of the Merovingian house who possessed real power. Initially (from 623) ruling only Austrasia, he eventually extended his authority over nearly the entire Frankish kingdom. He waged a successful struggle against the encroachments of the church and secular magnates on lands of the royal domain. In 629 he established a fair near Paris. He interfered in the affairs of the Lombard kingdom and the state of the Visigoths. He invaded the Sano state but suffered defeat (631).