Theuderic III in the context of Battle of Lucofao

⭐ Core Definition: Theuderic III

Theuderic III (also spelled Theuderich, Theoderic or Theodoric; French: Thierry, c. 651–691) was King of the Franks in the 7th century. He ruled Neustria and Burgundy on two occasions (in 673 and again from 675 to 691), as well as Austrasia from 679 until his death in 691.

The son of Clovis II and Balthild, Theuderic has been described as a puppet ruler – a roi fainéant. After the death of his older brother Chlothar III, he was appointed King in Neustria by Ebroin, Mayor of the Palace, in 673, though Childeric II of Austrasia displaced him soon thereafter. After Childeric II was killed in 675, Theuderic II retook the throne. He subsequently fought a war against Dagobert II, with his forces under Ebroin victorious at the Battle of Lucofao. After Dagobert was murdered in 679, Theuderic was also recognized as king in Austrasia as well.

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Theuderic III in the context of Rois fainéants

Roi fainéant (French pronunciation: [ʁwa fɛneɑ̃] "do-nothing king", "lazy king") is a French term primarily used to refer to the later kings of the Merovingian dynasty after they seemed to have lost their initial powers of dominion. It is usually applied to those Frankish rulers approximately from the death of Dagobert I in AD 639 (or, alternatively, from the accession of Theuderic III in 673) until the deposition of Childeric III in favour of Pepin the Short in 751.

The appellation goes back to Einhard, who is most notably the author of Vita Karoli Magni, the biographer of Charlemagne; he described the later Merovingian kings as kings "in nothing but in name":

View the full Wikipedia page for Rois fainéants

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