Grifo

Grifo ( probably * 726, † 753 at Saint -Jean -de- Maurienne ) was the son of Charles Martel and his second wife Swanahild. Grifo was awarded a part of the Frankish Empire in the last testament of Charles Martel in 741. From this time he led a life-long battle for the commencement of its heritage. Grifo was represented by his half-brothers Pepin the Short and Carloman as illegitimate and denied him his rightful inheritance.

Sources and state of research

The two detail about sources supplying to Grifo are the so-called Einhardannalen and Metzer annals. In the annals and the Fredegarchronik the legacy Grifos is no question. This is surprising, since the half-brother of Charles Martel, Childebrand, directing the Fredegarchronik held and his nephew really should have known. Although some sources are interrelated, the representations are united only in their Grifofeindlichkeit. " These different representations are thus not about due to information gaps, but consciously designed. "

Importance has also the mention of Grifos name in the Letter of Archbishop Boniface Mission, in which he asked for support of the Thuringians. Historians are indeed agree that the historical processes of the uprisings has been accurately reproduced, but none of the sources is neutral, so that a uniform interpretation of the relevant texts still seems not reached and the historian employs to this day. Grifo was a long time by historians, according to the sources, judged negatively. Only since the famous and still much cited article by Mikoletzky Grifos inheritance and his actions are considered differentiated. But despite attempts to prove the validity of the will, discusses the modern research, the question of legitimacy and overall assessment Grifos ambivalent.

Battle for the legacy

A first attempt rebellion ended when he was held in the monastery prison. From there he managed to escape and he was supported by Duke Odilo of Bavaria.

When his half brother Pippin after the renunciation of Carloman from 747 alone exerted the house Meier office, Pippin Grifo was free. Grifo fled across the territory of Thuringia in the north of Bavaria on the Saxons and returned again to Bavaria. Pippin to suppress his rebellion, especially since Grifo with the death of the Bavarian Duke Odilo in 748 lost its most important ally and tried himself to soar to the Duke of Bavaria succeeded. This experiment was quite promising, since Grifo descended on his mother Swanahild by the Bavarian Duke dynasty of Agilolfinger. Pippin gave Grifo counties in the center of the empire and put Odilos seven year old son Tassilo III. as a duke, but as Frankish vassals. On the run to the Lombards Grifo was shot in Saint -Jean -de- Maurienne 753 of Pippin's border guards.

The Carolingian narrative sources (continued Fredegars ) from the 8th century, where it all came down to make the transition rule of Charles Martel to Carloman and Pippin appear as smooth, silent Grifos existence completely. However, apparently resulting in the 9th century after the death of Charlemagne editorial stage of the Annales regni Francorum brings some information about Grifos person. Thus Grifo seems to have been born of a legitimate marriage and quite anxious by his father with an inheritance. This included him his older half- brothers Carloman and Pippin before however.

Swell

• Annales regni francorum. In: Friedrich Short (ed.): Scriptores rerum Germanicarum in usum scholarum separatim editi 6: Annales regni Francorum inde usque ad from a 741 a 829, qui dicuntur Annales Lauri Senses maiores et Einhardi. Hannover 1895 ( Monumenta Historica Germaniae, digitized )