Portrait medallion of Dagobert I by Jean Dassier (1676–1763).

Dagobert I (c. 603 – 19 January 639) was the king of Austrasia (623–634), king of all the Franks (629–634), and king of Neustria and Burgundy (629–639). Events 1419 - Hundred Years' War: Rouen surrenders to Henry V of England completing his reconquest of Normandy. Events By Place Europe Clovis II succeeds Dagobert I as king of the Franks in Neustria and Burgundy Austrasia (rarely Austria, both meaning "eastern land" formed the north-eastern portion of the Kingdom of the Merovingian Franks, comprising Events By Place Europe Clotaire II, king of the Franks, makes his son Dagobert I king of Austrasia Events By Place Oswald of Northumbria defeats Cadwallon ap Cadfan of Gwynedd in the Battle of Heavenfield and The Franks were originally led by dukes (military leaders and reguli (petty kings Events By Place Persian and Byzantine Empires September - Jerusalem is reconquered by the Byzantine Empire from Events By Place Oswald of Northumbria defeats Cadwallon ap Cadfan of Gwynedd in the Battle of Heavenfield and The territory of Neustria or Neustrasia, meaning "new land" originated in 511 made up of the regions from Aquitaine to the English Channel, Burgundy (Bourgogne Burgund is a region historically situated in modern-day France and Switzerland, inhabited in turn by Celts ( Gauls) Events By Place Persian and Byzantine Empires September - Jerusalem is reconquered by the Byzantine Empire from Events By Place Europe Clovis II succeeds Dagobert I as king of the Franks in Neustria and Burgundy He was the last Merovingian dynast to wield any real royal power. The Merovingians (also Merovings) were a Salian Frankish dynasty that came to rule the Franks in a region (known as Francia in Latin Dagobert was the first of the French kings to be buried in the royal tombs at Saint Denis Basilica. The Basilica of Saint Denis ( French: Basilique de Saint-Denis, or simply Basilique Saint-Denis) is the burial site of almost all the French

Rule in Austrasia

Dagobert was the eldest son of Chlothar II and Haldetrude (575-604). Chlothar II (or Chlotar, Clothar, Clotaire, Chlotochar, or Hlothar, giving rise to Lothair; 584 &ndash 629 called Chlothar II had reigned alone over all the Franks since 613. Events By Place Europe Clotaire II reunites the Frankish kingdoms by ordering the murder of Sigebert II. In 623, Chlothar was forced to make Dagobert king of Austrasia by the nobility of that region, who wanted a king of their own.

When Chlothar II granted Austrasia to Dagobert, he initially excluded Alsace, the Vosges, and the Ardennes, but shortly thereafter the Austrasian nobility forced him to concede these regions to Dagobert. Alsace (Alsace alzas Alsatian and Elsass pre-1996 German: Elsaß; Alsatia is one of the 26 Regions of France, located on the eastern Vosges (voːʒ is a French department, named after the Vosges mountain range. For the political subdivision of France see Ardennes (department. The rule of a Frank from the Austrasian heartland tied Alsace more closely to the Austrasian court. Dagobert created a new duchy (the later Duchy of Alsace) in southwest Austrasia to guard the region from Burgundian or Alemannic encroachments and ambitions. The Duchy of Alsace was a large political subdivision of the Frankish Empire during the last decade and a half of Merovingian rule The duchy comprised the Vosges, the Burgundian Gate, and the Transjura. Dagobert made his courtier Gundoin the first duke of this new polity that was to last until the end of the Merovingian dynasty. Gundoin was the first Duke of Alsace in the middle of the seventh century

United rule

On the death of his father in 629, Dagobert inherited the Neustrian and Burgundian kingdoms. Events By Place Persian and Byzantine Empires September - Jerusalem is reconquered by the Byzantine Empire from His half-brother Charibert, son of Sichilde, claimed Neustria but Dagobert opposed him. Charibert II (c 608 &ndash 8 April 632) a son of Clotaire II and his second wife Sichilde, was briefly King of Aquitaine Charibert II (c 608 &ndash 8 April 632) a son of Clotaire II and his second wife Sichilde, was briefly King of Aquitaine Brodulf, the brother of Sichilde, petitioned Dagobert on behalf of his young nephew, but Dagobert assassinated him and gave his younger sibling Aquitaine.

Dagobert's tomb at Saint-Denis, remade in the thirteenth century

Charibert died in 632 and his son Chilperic was assassinated on Dagobert's orders. The Basilica of Saint Denis ( French: Basilique de Saint-Denis, or simply Basilique Saint-Denis) is the burial site of almost all the French Chilperic (sometimes Childeric in the chronicles of the time was the infant son of Charibert II, and briefly king of Aquitaine in 632 By 632, Dagobert had Burgundy and Aquitaine firmly under his rule, becoming the most powerful Merovingian king in many years and the most respected ruler in the West. Events By Place Europe Khan Kubrat starts to rule in Great Bulgaria.

In 631, Dagobert led three armies against Samo, the rulers of the Slavs , but his Austrasian forces were defeated at Wogastisburg. Events By Place Europe The Battle of Wogastisburg is fought between the Slavs led by Samo, and the Franks Samo (died 658 was a Frankish merchant from the "Senonian country" ( Senonago) probably modern Sens, France. According to the contemporary Chronicle of Fredegar, the battle of Wogastisburg was a battle between Slavs ( Sclav cognomento Winidi) under

Rule in Neustria, from Paris

Detail of Dagobert's tomb, thirteenth century

Also in 632, the nobles of Austrasia revolted under the mayor of the palace, Pepin of Landen. Mayor of the Palace was an early medieval Title and Office, also called Majordomo, from the Latin title Maior domus ("superior Pepin (also Peppin, Pipin, or Pippin) of Landen (c 580 &ndash 27 February 640) also called the Elder or In 634, Dagobert appeased the rebellious nobles by putting his three-year-old son, Sigebert III, on the throne, thereby ceding royal power in the easternmost of his realms, just as his father had done for him eleven years earlier. Events By Place Oswald of Northumbria defeats Cadwallon ap Cadfan of Gwynedd in the Battle of Heavenfield and Sigebert III (c 630&ndash656/660 was the king of Austrasia from 634 to his death probably on 1 February 656, or maybe as late as 660

As king, Dagobert made Paris his capital. Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city During his reign, he built the Altes Schloss in Meersburg (in modern Germany), which today is the oldest inhabited castle in that country. Meersburg is a town of Baden-Württemberg in the southwest of Germany at Lake Constance. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Devoutly religious, Dagobert was also responsible for the construction of the Saint Denis Basilica, at the site of a Benedictine monastery in Paris. The Basilica of Saint Denis ( French: Basilique de Saint-Denis, or simply Basilique Saint-Denis) is the burial site of almost all the French Benedictine refers to the Spirituality and Consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in

Dagobert died in the abbey of Saint-Denis and was the first French king to be buried in the Saint Denis Basilica, Paris. The Basilica of Saint Denis ( French: Basilique de Saint-Denis, or simply Basilique Saint-Denis) is the burial site of almost all the French Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city

Legacy

The pattern of division and assassination which characterise even the strong king Dagobert's reign continued for the next century until Pepin the Short finally deposed the last Merovingian king in 751, establishing the Carolingian dynasty. Pepin or Pippin (714 &ndash 24 September 768) called the Short, and often known as Pepin the Younger or Pepin III, was Events By Place Europe Pepin the Short is elected as king of the Franks by the Frankish nobility marking the end of the The Carolingian dynasty (known variously as the Carlovingians, Carolings, or Karlings) was a Frankish noble family with its origins in the The Merovingian boy-kings remained ineffective rulers who inherited the throne as young children and lived only long enough to produce a male heir or two, while real power lay in the hands of the noble families who exercised feudal control over most of the land. Feudalism, a term first used in the early modern period (17th century in its most classic sense refers to a Medieval Europe Political system composed

In the 15th century illumination of David Aubert's Chronique des empereurs, Dagobert passes on the crown in a luxurious modern setting modeled on the Burgundian court (Bibliothèque de l'Arsenal). David Aubert (before 1413 — working 1449-79 was a French Calligrapher, who transcribed and adapted courtly romances and chronicles for the court of the Duke Duke of Burgundy was a title borne by the rulers of the Duchy of Burgundy, a small portion of traditional lands of Burgundians west of river Saône which The Bibliothèque de l'Arsenal ( Library of the Arsenal) in Paris is one of the branches of the Bibliothèque nationale de France.

Dagobert was immortalized in the song Le bon roi Dagobert (The Good King Dagobert), a nursery rhyme featuring exchanges between the king and his chief adviser, Saint Eligius (Eloi in French). "Le bon roi Dagobert" ("Good King Dagobert" is an old French song featuring King Dagobert ( roi Dagobert) and Saint Eligius Saint Eligius or Loye ( French: Éloi) (ca 588-590 - December 1, 659 or 660 is the Patron saint of goldsmiths and other The satirical rhymes place Dagobert in various ridiculous positions from which Eligius' good advice manages to extract him. The text, which probably originated in the 18th century, became extremely popular as an expression of the anti-monarchist sentiment of the French Revolution. The 18th century lasted from 1701 to 1800 in the Gregorian calendar, in accordance with the Anno Domini / Common Era numbering system The French Revolution (1789–1799 was a period of political and social upheaval in the History of France, during which the French governmental structure previously an Other than placing Dagobert and Eligius in their respective roles, it has no historical accuracy.

In 1984, a 112-minute long French-Italian comedy, Le bon roi Dagobert (Good King Dagobert) was made, based on Dagobert I. The movie is surprisingly realistic in showing the realities of early barbarian France. The soundtrack was composed by Guido and Mauricio De Angelis.

Marriage and issue

Dagobert was a serial monogamist.

He married Nanthild and they had the following:

• Clovis II, who inherited the rest of his kingdom at a young age when his father died. Nanthild (c 610 &ndash 642 (also known as Nantéchilde, Nanthechilde, Nanthildis, Nanthilde, or Nantechildis) was the third of Clovis II (637&ndash 27 November 655 or 658 succeeded his father Dagobert I in 639 as King of Neustria and Burgundy.
• Regintrud who married into the Bavarian Agilolfings, either Theodo, Duke of Bavaria or his son Duke in Salzburg. Regintrud (also Reginlind and Regentrud (b 660-665 d 730-740 is something of an enigma The Agilolfings were a family of either Frankish or Bavarian nobility that ruled the Duchy of Bavaria on behalf of their Merovingian suzerains Theodo (about 625 &ndash 11 December c 716 also known as Theodo V and Theodo II, was the Duke of Bavaria from 670 or more probably 680 to Theodbert (also Theodebert, Theudebert, Theotpert, and Theodo) (c

He also had a mistress named Ragintrudis (Ragnetrude) and they had the following:

• Sigebert III

His other wives were:

• Wulfefundis (Wulfegunde)
• Bertechildis (Berthilde)
• Gomentrude

Source

• FMG on Dagobert I, King of the Franks