EFL - Enciclopedia delle Famiglie Lombarde

http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/FLANDERS,%20HAINAUT.htm [LIDERIC, so n of --- (-[808 or 817], bur Harlebeke). The existence of Lideric is u nknown and, if he did exist, his origin uncertain. The ''Chronica Mona sterii Sancti Bertini'' records that, when the Saracens came from Spai n "ad Eudonis mandatum" (referring to Eudes Duke of Aquitaine, whose d eath is dated to [735]), "miles… iuvenis christianus partibus Ulixib one seu Portugallie, regia stirpe progenitus, Liedricus", from whom "F landrie comites" descended, joined forces with Charles "Martel", maio r domus of Austrasia and Neustria. The ''Chronica'' specifies that Lid eric served under Charles "Martel" and his son Pepin King of the Frank s, and that later he was given "terram Flandrie" by "Karolus Magnus" [ 1]. The Introduction to the ''MGH Scriptores'' edition of the ''Chroni ca'' dates the work to the third quarter of the 14th century and trace s some of the earlier primary sources on which it is based [2]. Ther e is no indication whether the passage recording the alleged Iberian o rigin of Lideric was based on an earlier source which has since disapp eared. It is impossible to assess the accuracy of the report on the ba sis of this limited amount of information. If it is correct, Lideric w ould presumably have been of Visigothic ancestry. The death of the las t Visigothic king in Iberia is dated to 711. There appears to be no re cord of later aristocratic families having established themselves alon g the western coast of the Iberian peninsula before the mid-9th centur y [3]. It is interesting to note that a root similar to "-ric" (in th e name "Lideric") is reflected in the names of the later Iberian Visig othic kings Witeric, Recared and Recimir. Whatever the accuracy of th e passage, there is clear chronological confusion about the events rec orded in the ''Chronica'', assuming that Lideric's date of death as sh own above is accurate. The Annals of St Bavo record that "Lydricus com es Arlebeccensis comitatum Flandrie suscepit" in 794 [4]. The Annals d o not refer to Lideric's origin, although this is not surprising as th ey list most events in truncated form and with numerous long gaps in t he chronology of events recorded. The Annals are, however, extremely s elective in the non-ecclesiastical events they record. The reference t o Lideric is the only direct report concerning a lay person between th e start of the 8th century and 937, indicating how significant the eve nt must have been considered in the monastic records, which in turn su ggests that Lideric's existence may have been factual. Lambert's ''Gen ealogia Comitum Flandriæ'', dated to the early 12th century, record s that "Lidricus Harlebeccensis comes" occupied Flanders, finding it " empty, uncultivated and well-wooded", in 792 [5]. The ''Cartulaire d e Saint-Bertin'' records the death in 808 of "Lidericus Harlebecanus