| Odo The Great |
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His earlier life is obscure, as is his ancestry and succession. He was probably of Merovingian descent, the grandson or great-grandson of Charibert II of Aquitaine. His father may have been Boggis , Bertrand , or Hubert , all dukes of Aquitaine, but it may have been Duke Lupus I , who was probably not Merovingian at all. He succeeded to the ducal throne as early as 679 or 688 , respecitvely probably the dates of death of Lupus and Bertrand. Other dates are possible, including 692 , but he was certainly in power by 700. In 715 , he declared himself independent during the civil war raging in Gaul. It is not likely that he ever took the title of king. In 718 , he appears as the ally of Chilperic II Of Neustria and the Mayor Of The Palace Ragenfrid , who may have offered recognition of his kingship over Aquitaine. They were fighting against the Austrasia n Mayor Of The Palace , Charles Martel ; but after the defeat of Chilperic at Soissons in 719 , he probably made peace with Charles by surrendering to him the Neustria n king and his treasures. Odo was also obliged to fight the Saracens who invaded the southern part of his kingdom, and inflicted a severe defeat upon them at the Battle Of Toulouse on June 9 , 721 . This victory was celebrated with gifts from the Pope , proving the independence of Odo in his foreign relations. When, however, he was again attacked by Charles Martel, the Saracens renewed their ravages, and Odo was defeated near Bordeaux ; he was compelled to beg protection from Charles, who took up his struggle and gained his Momentous Victory At Poitiers in 732 . In 735 the duke Abdicate d, and was succeeded by his son Hunold . He had another son, Ato , who succeeded later and a daughter, probably named Lampegia, who married an Arab chief. He died sometime later, probably in a monastery, perhaps as late as 740 . SOURCES |
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