Product Code Database
Example Keywords: scarf -the $56
barcode-scavenger
   » » Wiki: Austrasia
Tag Wiki 'Austrasia'.
Tag
20%

Austrasia was a historical region and the northeastern realm within the core of the during the Early Middle Ages, centering on the regions between , , and the Main rivers. It included the original Frankish-ruled territories within what had been the northernmost part of and parts of Roman . It also stretched beyond the old Roman borders on the Rhine into Frankish areas which had never been formally under Roman rule. It came into being as a part of the , founded by the king (481–511), who expanded Frankish rule further to the southwest, into the Gaul, whose northern regions came to be known as .

These two realms, or sub-kingdoms (Austrasia and Neustria), along with and Burgundy, were subsequently ruled by various ruler from the Merovingian dynasty, followed in the 8th and 9th centuries by their successors from the Carolingian dynasty, whose own powerbase was in Austrasia itself. The two Frankish dynasties did not always have a single ruling monarch over the whole Frankish realm, and already by 561, Austrasia was ruled as a separate kingdom within the Frankish realm by the Merovingian king (561–575). Kings often allowed different family members to rule sub-kingdoms, and these were sometimes in conflict with each other, despite the underlying continuity of the overall Frankish state.

In 843, by the Treaty of Verdun, Austrasia was divided in three parts, with eastern section being assigned to the , central regions to the , and the most western part to the . Further divisions affected mostly the central part of Austrasia, ruled since the Treaty of Prüm (855) by king , whose name gave rise to , that corresponded to central Austrasia. It was divided by the Treaty of Meerssen (870), but reunited by the Treaty of Ribemont (880), under the east Frankish rule. During the 9th century, Austrasia was still considered as one of the main regions (stem lands) within the Carolingian Empire, surrounded by (to the south), Bavaria (to the south-east), (to the north-east), and Saxony (to the north), as attested by the Royal Frankish Annals, and the Annals of Saint Bertin, that mentions not only Austrasia, but also Autrasians.

In time, central Austrasia was more frequently designated as , that became the prevailing term for those regions, while eastern parts of Austrasia came to be known as .


Etymology
The name Austrasia is not well attested in the Merovingian period. The first surviving record of the term is by Gregory of Tours, writing in about 580. It was later used by Aimoin of Fleury around 1000. It is presumably the latinization of an name, reconstructed as *Oster-rike ("Eastern Kingdom"). As with the name Austria, it contains the word for "", and means "eastern land". The term designated the original territory of the in contrast to , which apparently meant the "(new) western land".


Geography
Austrasia was centered on the , including the basins of the , Main and rivers. It bordered on and to the north, Thuringia to the east, and to the south and to to the southwest. The exact boundary between Merovingian Neustria and Austrasia is unclear with respect to areas such as the medieval counties of Flanders, Brabant and Hainaut, and areas immediately to the south of these.

served as the Austrasian capital, although some Austrasian kings ruled from , and . Other important cities included , Worms and . , an important royal monastery, was founded in eastern Austrasia in the final decade of the Merovingian period.

In the High Middle Ages, its territory became divided among the duchies of and Franconia in Germany, with some western portions including and Rethel passing to France.

Its exact boundaries were somewhat fluid over the history of the Frankish sub-kingdoms, but Austrasia can be taken to correspond roughly to the territory of present-day , parts of eastern , north-eastern ( and Champagne-Ardenne), west-central (the , and ) and the southern (Limburg, , with a salient north of the Rhine including and parts of ).


History
After the death of the Frankish king in 511, his four sons partitioned his kingdom amongst themselves, with receiving the lands that were to become Austrasia. Descended from Theuderic, a line of kings ruled Austrasia until 555, when it was united with the other Frankish kingdoms of , who inherited all the Frankish realms by 558. He redivided the Frankish territory amongst his four sons, but the four kingdoms coalesced into three on the death of in 567: Austrasia under , under , and Burgundy under . These three kingdoms defined the political division of Francia until the rise of the Carolingians and even thereafter.

From 567 to the death of in 613, Neustria and Austrasia fought each other almost constantly, with Burgundy playing the peacemaker between them. These struggles reached their climax in the wars between Brunhilda and , queens, respectively, of Austrasia and Neustria. Finally, in 613, a rebellion by the nobility against Brunhilda saw her betrayed and handed over to her nephew and foe in Neustria, . Chlothar then took control of the other two kingdoms and set up a united Frankish kingdom with its capital in . During this period the first majores domus or mayors of the palace appeared. These officials acted as mediators between the king and the people in each realm. The first Austrasian mayors came from the family, which experienced a slow but steady ascent until it eventually displaced the Merovingians on the throne.

In 623, the Austrasians asked Chlothar II for a king of their own and he appointed his son to rule over them with Pepin of Landen as regent. Dagobert's government in Austrasia was widely admired. In 629, he inherited Neustria and Burgundy. Austrasia was again neglected until, in 633, the people demanded the king's son as their own king again. Dagobert complied and sent his elder son to Austrasia. Historians often categorise Sigebert as the first roi fainéant, or do-nothing king, of the Merovingian dynasty. His court was dominated by the mayors. In 657, the mayor Grimoald the Elder succeeded in putting his son Childebert the Adopted on the throne, where he remained until 662. Thereafter, Austrasia was predominantly the kingdom of the mayors of the palace and their base of power. With the Battle of Tertry in 687, Pepin of Heristal defeated the Neustrian king and established his mayoralty over all the Frankish kingdoms. This was even regarded by contemporaries as the beginning of his "reign". It also signalled the dominance of Austrasia over Neustria, which would last until the end of the Merovingian era.

In 718, had Austrasian support in his war against Neustria for control of all the Francian realms. He was not king himself, but appointed to rule in Austrasia. In 719, Francia was united by Martel's family, the Carolingian dynasty, under Austrasian hegemony. While the Frankish kings continued to divide up the Frankish realm in different ways over subsequent generations, the term Austrasia was only used occasionally after the Carolingian dynasty.


Rulers

Merovingian kings

Mayors of the palace

See also
  • Duchy of Lotharingia
  • Lower Lotharingia
  • Upper Lotharingia
  • Duchy of Franconia


Sources
Page 1 of 1
1
Post Comment
Font Size...
Font Family...
Font Format...

Page 1 of 1
1

Account

Social:
Pages:  ..   .. 
Items:  .. 

Navigation

General: Atom Feed Atom Feed  .. 
Help:  ..   .. 
Category:  ..   .. 
Media:  ..   .. 
Posts:  ..   ..   .. 

Statistics

Page:  .. 
Summary:  .. 
1 Tags
10/10 Page Rank
5 Page Refs
1s Time