Arnulf of Metz was a 7th-century Frankish bishop and influential advisor to the Merovingian court in Austrasia. Born into a noble family near Nancy, he served the monarchy as both a military commander and a civil administrator. He is traditionally identified as a progenitor of the Carolingian dynasty, specifically linked to Charlemagne. After a career of political and military service, he transitioned to religious life, eventually retiring to a hermitage in the Vosges mountains, where he lived as a monk until his death.