Etichonids

The Etichonids were an important noble family, probably of Frankish, Burgundian or Visigothic origin, who ruled the Duchy of Alsace in the Early Middle Ages (7th–10th centuries). The dynasty is named for Eticho (also known as Aldarich) who ruled from 662 to 690.

The earliest accounts record the family's beginnings in the pagus Attoariensis around Dijon in northern Burgundy. In the mid-7th century a duke of the region named Amalgar and his wife Aquilina are noticed as major founders and patrons of monasteries. King Dagobert I and his father made donations to them to recover their loyalty and compensate them for the losses that they had sustained as supporters of Queen Brunhild and her grandson, Sigebert II. Amalgar and his wife founded a convent at Brégille and an abbey at Bèze, installing a son and daughter in the abbacies. They were succeeded by their third child, Adalrich,[1] who was the father of Adalrich, Duke of Alsace. This second Adalrich was the first to secure the ducal title. His name, Eticho, a variation of Adalrich, is used by modern scholars as the name of the family.

Under the Etichonids, Alsace was generally divided into a northern and a southern county, Nordgau and Sundgau. These counties, as well as the monasteries of the duchy, were brought under tighter control of the dukes with the rise of the Etichonids. There exists scholarly debate concerning whether or not the Etichonids were in conflict or alliance with the Carolingians, but it is possible that they were both: opponents of the extension of Charles Martel's authority in the 720s when he first made war on Alemannia, but allies when the Alemanni, under Duke Theudebald invaded Alsace (which had a large Alemannic element in its population) in the early 740s. The last Etichonid duke, Liutfrid, may have died fighting Theudebald on behalf of Pepin the Short.

Among the descendants of the Etichonids, in the female line were Hugh of Tours and his family, including his daughter Ermengard, who was wife to Lothair I and thus mother to three Carolingian kings. In the 10th century the Etichonids remained powerful in Alsace as counts, but their power was circumscribed significantly by the Ottonians and by the 11th century, Pope Leo IX seemed unaware that his ancestors, the lords (or counts) of Dabo and Eguisheim for the previous half century were in fact the direct descendants of the last Etichonids. Many notable European families trace their lineage to the Etichonids, including the Habsburgs.

Etichonid dukes and counts in Alsace

(Note: Here the numbering of the counts is the same for all states, as all were titled Counts of Alsace, despite of the different parts of land and its particular numbering of the rulers.)

RulerBornReignDeathRuling partConsortNotes
Eticho I Adalric635662-69020 February 690AlsaceBerswinde
c.655
six children
Founder of the family and first count of Nordgau.
Adalbert I665690-722722AlsaceGerlinde of Pfalzel
six children

Berlinde
two children
Also duke of Alsace.
Eberhard I?722-747747Sundgau?
one child
Son of Adalbert I, retained Sundgau, the southern part of Alsace.
Eticho II700722-723723NordgauUnknown
two children
Son of Eticho I, retained Nordgau, the northern part of Alsace.
Alberic I?723-747747NordgauUnknown
four children
Son of Eticho II.
Liutfrid I700747-767767SundgauHiltrude
two children
Son of Adalbert I.
Rhutard I?747-765747NordgauHirmisende
no children
Son of Liutfrid I, probably an usurper. Left no descendants. Nordgau passed to the Alberic's heir, Eberhard.
Eberhard II?765-777777NordgauUnknown
one child
Son of Alberic I.
Liutfrid II745767-769
770-802
802SundgauHiltrude of Wormsgau
four children
Son of Liutfrid I.
Garin ?c.769769? Sundgau Unknown Probably usurpers, as they don't seem to have family connections with the Etichonids.
Pirathlionc.770770?
Udalric?778-804804?NordgauUnknown Probably usurpers, as they don't seem to have family connections with the Etichonids.
Ruthelin?805-c.810?before 817?NordgauUnknown
Erchangaire?c.810?-817817?NordgauUnknown
Wuorand?817817?NordgauUnknown
Hugh Ic.760802-83720 October 837SundgauAva of Morvois
four children
Son of Liutfrid II.
Eberhard III?817-864864NordgauUnknown
one child
Son of Eberhard II.
Liutfrid III?837-864864SundgauUnknown
two children
Son of Hugh I.
Adalbert II?864-898864NordgauUnknownProbably usurper.
Hugh II?864-880880SundgauUnknown
no children
Son of Liutfrid III, left no descendants. He was succeeded by his brother Liutfrid.
Liutfrid IV?880-910910SundgauUnknown
one child
Son of Liutfrid III.
Eberhard IV840898-910910NordgauAdelinda
two children
Son of Eberhard III.
Liutfrid V?910-938938SundgauUnknown
one child
Son of Liutfrid III, left no descendants. He was succeeded by his brother Liutfrid.
Hugh III?910-940940NordgauAdelinda
two children
Brother of Eberhard II. Also known as Hugo III.
Guntram the Richc.920938-95420 March 973SundgauUnknown
one child
Son of Hugh III, ruled Sundgau for a period, before returning it to the heir of Liutfrid V. Guntram was grandfather of Radbot, Count of Habsburg, founder of the House of Habsburg.
Hugh IV?940-959959NordgauUnknownAlso known as Hugo IV.
Liutfrid VI?954-977977SundgauUnknown
one child
Son or brother of Liutfrid V.
Eberhard V?959-97318 December 973NordgauLiutgarde of Lotharingia
one child
Brother of Hugh II.
Hugh V Raucus?973-986986NordgauUnknownBrother of Eberhard IV.
Liutfrid VII?977-c.1003c.1003?SundgauUnknown
one child
Son of Liutfrid VI. Left no descendants. The county seemed to have returned to non-hereditary rulership, by members of nobility with apparently no relation with the Etichonids.
  • c. 1003: Otto I
  • c. 1027: Giselbert
  • c. 1048: Berengar
  • c. 1052: Kuno
  • c. 1063: Rudolph
  • c. 1084: Henry

Then Sundgau might have been given to the Habsburgs.

Eberhard VI?986-10161016NordgauBertha
no children
Left no descendants.
Hugh VI c.9701000-1016 1048Eguisheim-Dagsburg Heilwig of Dagsburg
eight children
Acquired Eguisheim, and by marriage added Dagsburg to his patrimony. Between his children was Bruno of Eguisheim-Dagsburg. After his brother's death in 1016, he was the heir to Nordgau, which became annexed to Eguisheim.
1016-c.1030? Eguisheim-Dagsburg-Nordgau
c.1030-1038 Nordgau
1038-1046 Eguisheim-Nordgau
Gerhard I?c.1030?-10381038EguisheimPetronice of Lorraine
no children
Left no descendants. Eguisheim reverted to his brother.
Hugh VII ? c.1030?-1046 18 November 1049 Dagsburg Mathilde d'Eename
two children
Inherited Dagsburg, and after his brother's death, reunited it with Eguisheim.
1046-1049 Eguisheim-Dagsburg-Nordgau
Henry I?1049-106528 June c.1065Eguisheim-Dagsburg-NordgauUnknown
c.1040
four children
Gerhard II ? 1065 c.1100? Nordgau Richarda
four children
1098-c.1100?Eguisheim
Hugh VIII?1065-10895 September 1089Dagsburg-NordgauMathilde of Montbéliard
no children
Inherits Dagsburg and Nordgau. He was dispossessed of Nordgau by Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor, during the Investiture Controversy, and killed in the attempt of its recover. On his death with no descendants, his brother inherited only Dagsburg.
Albert I ? 1065-1089 24 August 1098 Eguisheim Hedwig
no children

Ermesinde of Luxembourg
1096
Longwy
two children
1089-1098Dagsburg-Eguisheim
Hugh IX?1098-11371137DagsburgGertrude of Loon
three children
Also known as Henry Hugh.
Hedwig?c.1100?-11261126EguisheimGerard I, Count of Vaudémont
1080
four children
After her death Eguisheim passed to Vaudémont line of the House of Lorraine.
Hugh X?1137-11751175Dagsburg Lutgarde of Sulzbach
after 1142
four children
Also known as Henry Hugh.
Albert II?1175-12121212DagsburgGertrude of Baden
1180
three children
Also count of Moha.
Gertrudec.11901212-12251225DagsburgTheobald I, Duke of Lorraine
1215
no children

Theobald I of Navarre
1217
(annulled 1223)
no children

Simon of Leiningen
1224
no children
With no heirs, after her death Dagsburg passed to the Leiningen family.

Sources

  • Hummer, Hans J. Politics and Power in Early Medieval Europe: Alsace and the Frankish Realm 600–1000. Cambridge University Press: 2005. See mainly pp 46–55.

References

  1. He is referred to as Liutheric, a mayor of the palace, in the Life of Odilia.
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