Felix of Aquitaine
Felix (died circa 676) was a patrician[1] of Toulouse Duke of Aquitaine from 660 until his death. He had his seat at Toulouse and he is considered the first independent Duke of Aquitaine, i.e. formally vassal of the Franks but detached de facto from the Frankish central power base. He united under his rule the duchies of Vasconia and Aquitaine. Evidence suggests that his duchy was a recreation of the old kingdom of Charibert II.[2] The last known duke before Felix was Boggis.
Therefore, in Felix's time Vasconia formed a part of Aquitaine, into which it had been incorporated following the successful suppression of a rebellion in 645. It is disputable whether Felix was a sovereign in his own right over a state of his own creation[3] or a Merovingian official governing a constituent kingdom of the Frankish realm. It is also argued that the Basques were the allies of the Aquitainians and not their subjects.[2] Felix's duchy encompassed Bordeaux, Vasconia (the Novempopulania and its poorly defined borderlands to the south and north-east) and Narbonensis (including Toulouse), but did not extend to the districts along the Mediterranean coast which remained under the control of the Visigoths or to the Loire as it would in later ages.[2]
Felix was succeeded by Lupus I. It seems that he gave Lupus Vasconia in or around 670, for Lupus presides over the synod of Bordeaux in 673, though Felix was still in power in Aquitaine at that time.[4]
Notes [edit]
- ^ Lewis, Miracula, p.388.
- ^ a b c Sedycias.
- ^ Estornés.
- ^ Higounet, pp 20–21, nn 43 and 45. This synod was held under Childeric II, which leads Higounet to propose that Frankish sovereignty over Aquitaine-Vasconia at that time. A subsequent break with the Merovingians, however, is assumed following the ducal rebellion and disorder after Childeric's death in 675.
Sources [edit]
- Estornés Lasa, Bernardo. Auñamendi Encyclopedia: Ducado de Vasconia
- Lewis, Archibald R. "The Dukes in the Regnum Francorum, A.D. 550-751." Speculum, Vol. 51, No 3 (July 1976), pp 381–410
- Sedycias, João. História da Língua Espanhola
- Higounet, Charles. Bordeaux pendant le haut moyen age. Bordeaux, 1963
- Miracula Sancti Martialis Lemovicensis. MGH SS XV
 |
This biography of a French peer or noble is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
