Felix of Aquitaine

Who was Felix of Aquitaine?

Felix was a patrician 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. 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 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. Felix's duchy encompassed Bordeaux, Vasconia and Narbonensis, 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.