Biography
Adalbald of Ostrevant
About Adalbald of Ostrevant
Adalbald of Ostrevant is remembered as a Frankish nobleman, the husband of Rictrude and the father of four children. The Catholic Church in Norway’s account places his origins in Flanders and describes a household visited by Amand. It names the children Maurontius, Adalsindis, Clotsindis and Eusebia, all remembered as saints.
According to the received account, Adalbald met Rictrude during a military expedition into Basque territory. Her relatives opposed the marriage. They subsequently killed him while he was traveling in the region of Périgueux. Nominis gives his death as 652. The Norwegian account also records an alternative date around 645. The precise chronology remains uncertain.
He was honored as a martyr, although the Norwegian account describes the killing as political rather than a clear case of execution for the Christian faith. Nominis likewise distinguishes being considered a martyr from its account of the family’s motive. His commemoration is on 2 February.
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