Saint Arnulf

Arnulf of Metz (c. 582 – c. 645) was a Frankish bishop of Metz and advisor to the Merovingian court of Austrasia. He later retired to the Abbey of Remiremont. In French he is also known as Arnoul or Arnoulf. In English he is known as Arnold. The Vita Sancti Arnulfi (c. 657), written shortly after Arnulf's death, states that he was of Frankish ancestry, from "sufficiently elevated and noble parentage, and very rich in worldly goods". Tenth- and eleventh-century texts like Genealogiae Breves Regum Francorum often claim that Arnoald was Arnulf's father, but this is considered a fabrication. Medieval Frankish historians Patrick Geary and Richard Gerberding observe that the lack of contemporary written texts makes it impossible to trace Arnulf's ancestry. Arnulf of Metz is traditionally considered the earliest named ancestor of Charlemagne and the Carolingian dynasty. This belief originates from two sources written after Arnulf's death. Paul the Deacon's Liber de episcopis Mettensibus (c. 784) presents Arnulf as Charlemagne's third great-grandfather, while Annales Mettenses Priores (805) depicts him as only a "close relative." Because these two accounts are inconsistent and written a century after Arnulf's death, some scholars say that the familial connection between Arnulf and Charlemagne was an invention by Charlemagne. Arnulf was born to an important Frankish family near Nancy in Lorraine around 582. The family owned vast domains between the Moselle and Meuse rivers. As an adolescent, he was called to the Merovingian court of king Theudebert II (595–612) of Austrasia, where he was educated by Gondulf of Provence. Arnulf was later sent to serve as dux at the Schelde. Arnulf gave distinguished service at the Austrasian court under Theudebert II. He distinguished himself both as a military commander and in the civil administration; at one time he had under his care six distinct provinces.