266:
the force against King
Theuderic and Ebroin. Theuderic and Ebroin came out against them with an army at a place called Bois-du-Fays, and as soon as they joined battle they cut each other down in a great slaughter. And there a great multitude of the army fell. The Austrasians were defeated and turned their backs in flight. Ebroin hunted them down with cruel slaughter and laid most of that region to waste. Martin, escaping by flight, entered Laon and shut himself up there; Pippin, however, fled in the other direction. Ebroin, therefore, having achieved his victory, returned. Coming with his army to the villa of Asfeld, he sent envoys to Martin so that with pledges having been given and with a guarantee he might come to King Theuderic. This they craftily and falsely swore to him on empty boxes. But he trusted them and came to Asfeld, where he was killed along with his companions.
67:
281:
place called Bois-du-Fays, where they fought. Most of the followers of both sides were engaged in what proved to be a great battle. Martin and Pippin and their supporters were beaten and put to flight. Ebroin followed them up and laid waste most of that region. Martin thereupon entered Laon, barricading himself within the city walls. But Ebroin was behind him, and when he reached the villa of Ecry, he sent
Aglibert and Bishop
299:
Ebroin did not enjoy his victory for long. He was assassinated soon after in 680 or 681. His victory, however, left
Neustria in a dominant position and allowed Theuderic III to reunify the kingdoms. During a subsequent civil war in or about 684, the Neustrians operated deep in Austrasian territory in
280:
After the death of
Wulfoald and the disappearance of the kings, Duke Martin and Pippin, son of the deceased Ansegisel, a Frank of noble stock, ruled over Austrasia. But these two rulers, Martin and Pippin, fell out with Ebroin. They stirred up war against King Theuderic, and they led their force to a
265:
In that time, Wulfoald of
Austrasia having died and the kings having died, Martin and the younger Pippin, son of the late Ansegisel, governed in Austrasia until finally it came to the point where these dukes turned in hatred against Ebroin. Having gathered a large following of Austrasians, they sent
285:
as his representatives to Laon, where they gave undertakings but swore falsely upon reliquaries that, unknown to him, were empty. Yet Martin trusted them over this and left Laon with his friends and supporters to go to Ecry. And there, with all his companions they killed him.
148:: the battle took place "after the death of Wulfoald and the disappearance of the kings". The date of Wulfoald's death and the identity of the deceased kings, however, are uncertain and scholars have reached different conclusions. If Childeric II and
152:(673) are meant, as seems more likely, then the battle took place during the reign of Dagobert II in Austrasia. If, on the other hand, Childeric II and Dagobert II are the kings referred to, then the traditional date is accurate. Paul Fouracre and
236:
Despite the fact that they had initiated the war, Pippin and Martin were defeated by their
Neustrian counterpart, Ebroin, who followed up his victory by laying waste the entire region. Pippin and Martin fled, the latter taking refuge in
115:
were assassinated in 675 by dissident
Neustrians and a civil war erupted. Dagobert II returned from exile and was recognized in Austrasia in 676. That same year, Ebroin escaped his confinement, killed the Neustrian mayor
741:
136:, who died in late 679 (on December 23 according to later martyrologies), and before the death of Ebroin, who was probably dead by May 15. The chronological indication is the same in both of the primary sources, the
308:, to a place of preeminence in the Frankish kingdoms. Nevertheless, Pippin recovered his power in Austrasia in subsequent years, defeated the Neustrian mayor
320:, which was written in 727 from a Neustrian perspective, gives greater prominence to the Neustrian victory at Lucofao than to the Austrasian victory at the
206:
leave no doubt that the battle was a very large encounter for its time. It was the first piece of serious fighting between Franks since the civil war of
233:
king for raising armies. In this instance, Pippin and Martin's army was in fact fighting in the name (and probably presence) of
Dagobert II.
107:. Childeric promised the Neustrian magnates that he would not appoint officials from outside their kingdom, but he reneged and appointed
70:
Map of the
Frankish kingdoms showing location of Latofao (Lucofao) not far from the site of Tertry, just inside the border of Neustria.
726:
103:
of
Austrasia. The latter seized the kingdoms the same year and captured both Ebroin and Theuderic, thus briefly reuniting the entire
112:
132:
in 675 and before the death of Ebroin in 680. Traditionally, it is thought to have been fought in early 680, after the death of
736:
229:. This increases the likelihood that the battle took place while Dagobert II was alive, given the importance of a legitimate
692:
217:
The Austrasians under Pippin and Martin initiated the conflict, "stirred up war against King Theuderic" in the words of
66:
326:
138:
643:
731:
304:. In hindsight, the battle of Lucofao appears as a major setback in the rise of Pippin and his family, the
207:
624:
620:
144:
578:
96:
84:
241:, from which he was lured out by Ebroin with false assurances. He came to the villa of Ecry (now
153:
160:
245:) for what he evidently believed would be negotiations, but he and his supporters were killed.
95:, but the Neustrian aristocrats revolted against Ebroin and offered the crowns of Neustria and
56:
668:
330:, written as a piece of Carolingian (Pippinid) propaganda, does not even mention the battle.
680:
608:
321:
313:
28:
664:
282:
60:
720:
92:
44:
613:
Before France and Germany: The Creation and Transformation of the Merovingian World
149:
129:
100:
80:
704:
230:
211:
133:
36:
128:
The exact date of the battle is undetermined. It took place after the death of
226:
305:
117:
52:
684:
156:
propose a date of September 679, shortly before Dagobert's assassination.
168:
108:
40:
316:(687) and reunited Francia under the nominal rule of Theuderic III. The
309:
104:
79:
A Neustrian war of succession broke out in 673 after the death of King
32:
242:
164:
88:
48:
697:
The Fourth Book of the Chronicle of Fredegar with its Continuations
444:
442:
410:
408:
301:
176:
65:
238:
395:
393:
391:
389:
159:
The location of the battle, Lucofao or Locofao, is now part of
636:
The Rise of the Carolingians and the Liber Historiae Francorum
742:
Wars of succession involving the states and peoples of Europe
648:
The Origins of France: From Clovis to the Capetians, 500–1000
376:
374:
372:
370:
253:
657:
Naissance d'une cité: Laon et le Laonnois du V au X siècle
357:
355:
601:
Late Merovingian France: History and Hagiography, 640–720
429:
427:
425:
423:
599:
Fouracre, Paul J.; Gerberding, Richard A., eds. (1996).
592:
The Career of Ebroin, Mayor of the Palace, c.657–680
225:suggests that there army was composed primarily of
594:(PhD diss.). University of London, King's College.
560:
448:
414:
626:A Critical Study of the Liber historiae Francorum
399:
111:as mayor over the whole realm. He and his wife
8:
583:Early Carolingian Warfare: Prelude to Empire
548:
380:
275:Continuations of the Chronicle of Fredegar
536:
524:
500:
484:
433:
120:and once again enthroned Theuderic III.
339:
472:
460:
361:
346:
7:
512:
214:(d. 629) three generations earlier.
31:of the civil war that afflicted the
585:. University of Pennsylvania Press.
190:, beech space, is closely related.
659:. Presses universitaires de Nancy.
14:
709:The Merovingian Kingdoms, 450–751
561:Fouracre & Gerberding (1996)
449:Fouracre & Gerberding (1996)
415:Fouracre & Gerberding (1996)
634:Gerberding, Richard A. (1987).
629:(PhD diss.). Oxford University.
489:infinita turba populi Austrasii
669:"Toponymie du hêtre en France"
603:. Manchester University Press.
35:during and after the reign of
1:
39:(676–79). In the battle, the
673:Nouvelle revue d'onomastique
142:and the continuation of the
91:, enthroned the puppet-king
182:, beech grove. The toponym
758:
638:. Oxford University Press.
615:. Oxford University Press.
590:Fouracre, Paul J. (1981).
727:Battles involving Francia
699:. Thomas Nelson and Sons.
327:Annales Mettenses Priores
318:Liber Historiae Francorum
260:Liber Historiae Francorum
223:Liber Historiae Francorum
204:Liber Historiae Francorum
139:Liber Historiae Francorum
51:defeated the forces of
737:7th century in Francia
693:Wallace-Hadrill, J. M.
685:10.3406/onoma.1987.959
655:Lusse, Jackie (1992).
621:Gerberding, Richard A.
400:Wallace-Hadrill (1960)
221:. The language of the
71:
650:. Palgrave Macmillan.
487:, p. 264 n. 48:
200:Chronicle of Fredegar
171:. The name—in French
145:Chronicle of Fredegar
69:
579:Bachrach, Bernard S.
527:, p. 264 n. 52.
364:, pp. 147–148.
85:mayor of the palace
29:decisive engagement
503:, p. 272–274.
154:Richard Gerberding
72:
47:and his majordomo
609:Geary, Patrick J.
549:Gerberding (1987)
383:, pp. 79–84.
381:Gerberding (1987)
291:
290:
33:Frankish kingdoms
21:Battle of Lucofao
749:
712:
700:
688:
660:
651:
639:
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616:
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558:
552:
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365:
359:
350:
344:
322:battle of Tertry
314:battle of Tertry
283:Reolus of Rheims
254:
105:Frankish Kingdom
55:under the dukes
757:
756:
752:
751:
750:
748:
747:
746:
717:
716:
715:
703:
691:
679:(9–10): 19–25.
663:
654:
642:
633:
619:
607:
598:
589:
577:
573:
568:
567:
559:
555:
547:
543:
537:Fouracre (1981)
535:
531:
525:Bachrach (2001)
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511:
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501:Fouracre (1981)
499:
495:
485:Bachrach (2001)
483:
479:
471:
467:
459:
455:
447:
440:
436:, pp. 7–8.
434:Bachrach (2001)
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379:
368:
360:
353:
345:
341:
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264:
251:
249:Primary sources
196:
163:, not far from
161:Sévigny-Waleppe
126:
77:
17:
12:
11:
5:
755:
753:
745:
744:
739:
734:
732:670s conflicts
729:
719:
718:
714:
713:
701:
695:, ed. (1960).
689:
661:
652:
640:
631:
617:
605:
596:
587:
574:
572:
569:
566:
565:
553:
541:
539:, p. 277.
529:
517:
515:, p. 234.
505:
493:
477:
465:
463:, p. 256.
453:
438:
419:
404:
385:
366:
351:
349:, p. 194.
338:
337:
335:
332:
296:
293:
289:
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270:
268:
252:
250:
247:
195:
192:
125:
124:Date and place
122:
76:
73:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
754:
743:
740:
738:
735:
733:
730:
728:
725:
724:
722:
710:
706:
702:
698:
694:
690:
686:
682:
678:
674:
670:
666:
665:Nègre, Ernest
662:
658:
653:
649:
645:
644:James, Edward
641:
637:
632:
628:
627:
622:
618:
614:
610:
606:
602:
597:
593:
588:
584:
580:
576:
575:
570:
563:, p. 83.
562:
557:
554:
551:, p. 94.
550:
545:
542:
538:
533:
530:
526:
521:
518:
514:
509:
506:
502:
497:
494:
490:
486:
481:
478:
475:, p. 19.
474:
469:
466:
462:
457:
454:
451:, p. 23.
450:
445:
443:
439:
435:
430:
428:
426:
424:
420:
417:, p. 91.
416:
411:
409:
405:
402:, p. 83.
401:
396:
394:
392:
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386:
382:
377:
375:
373:
371:
367:
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358:
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256:
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210:(d. 613) and
209:
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193:
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157:
155:
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141:
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114:
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106:
102:
98:
94:
93:Theuderic III
90:
86:
82:
74:
68:
64:
62:
58:
54:
50:
46:
45:Theuderic III
42:
38:
34:
30:
26:
22:
708:
705:Wood, Ian N.
696:
676:
672:
656:
647:
635:
625:
612:
600:
591:
582:
571:Bibliography
556:
544:
532:
520:
508:
496:
488:
480:
473:Nègre (1987)
468:
461:Lusse (1992)
456:
362:James (1982)
347:Geary (1988)
342:
325:
317:
298:
274:
273:
272:
262:, chapter 46
259:
258:
257:
235:
222:
218:
216:
203:
199:
197:
187:
183:
179:
175:—comes from
173:Bois-du-Fays
172:
158:
150:Chlothar III
143:
137:
130:Childeric II
127:
101:Childeric II
81:Chlothar III
78:
25:Bois-du-Fays
24:
20:
18:
513:Wood (1994)
324:(687). The
277:, chapter 3
231:Merovingian
212:Chlothar II
188:latus fagus
180:lucus fagus
134:Dagobert II
37:Dagobert II
721:Categories
711:. Longman.
75:Background
43:forces of
27:) was the
16:679 battle
306:Pippinids
295:Aftermath
198:Both the
167:, in the
118:Leudesius
113:Bilichild
53:Austrasia
41:Neustrian
707:(1994).
667:(1987).
646:(1982).
623:(1983).
611:(1988).
581:(2001).
219:Fredegar
208:Brunhild
202:and the
169:Ardennes
109:Wulfoald
99:to King
97:Burgundy
312:in the
310:Berchar
186:, from
184:Latofao
243:Asfeld
227:levies
194:Battle
165:Rethel
89:Ebroin
83:. The
61:Martin
57:Pippin
49:Ebroin
334:Notes
302:Namur
177:Latin
239:Laon
59:and
23:(or
19:The
681:doi
723::
675:.
671:.
441:^
422:^
407:^
388:^
369:^
354:^
87:,
63:.
687:.
683::
677:9
491:.
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