Childebert I

“ When Vitiges, the king of the Ostrogoths, ceded Provence to the Franks in 535, the possession of Arles and Marseilles was guaranteed to Childebert by his brothers. Childebert also made a series of expeditions against the Visigoths of Spain; in 542 he took possession of Pampeluna with the help of his brother Clotaire I., and besieged Saragossa, but was forced to retreat. From this expedition he brought back to Paris a precious relic, the tunic of St Vincent, in honour of which he built at the gates of Paris the famous monastery of St Vincent, known later as St Germain-des-Prés. ”

“ Many of the older men who were forced to go made their wills and [Pg 164] left their property to the churches, and requested that when the girl had entered the Spains the wills should be opened at once as if they were already buried.
Meantime legates came to Paris from king Childebert and warned king Chilperic not to take anything from the cities he held that belonged to the realm of Childebert’s father, [or present his daughter with the treasures in any of them] or dare to touch the slaves or horses or yokes of oxen or anything in them. ”

“ After the death of Childebert in 595 she resolved to augment the kingdom of Neustria at the expense of Austrasia, and to this end seized some cities near Paris and defeated Theudebert at the battle of Laffaux, near Soissons. ”

“ Do you so easily break faith?” Childebert heeded this and cast the boy away from him to the other, who seized him and plunged his knife into his side and slew him as he had his brother before: then they killed the servants and the tutors. When they were killed Clothar mounted his horse and went off, making a small matter of the killing of his nephews. And Childebert retired to the outskirts of the city. And the queen placed their little bodies on a bier and followed them to the church of St. ”

“ In like manner king Childebert asserts his right from the present to Meaux and to two-thirds of Senlis, Tours, Poitiers, Avranches, Aire, Saint Lizier, Bayonne, and Albi with their territories. The condition being observed that he of these kings whom the Lord wills to survive shall have a perpetual right to the whole kingdom of him who goes from the light of the present world without children, and by God’s aid shall leave it to [Pg 214] his descendants. ”

“ While queen Clotilda was staying at Paris, Childebert saw that his mother loved with especial affection the sons of Chlodomer, whom we have mentioned above, and being envious and fearful that they would have a share in the kingdom through the favor of the queen, he sent secretly to his brother king Clothar, saying: “Our mother keeps our brother’s sons with her, and wishes them to be kings. ”

“ Both Chilperic and his brother Guntram, who reigned at Orleans, were without male heirs. At this juncture, the German chiefs and nobles demanded to have Childebert, the young son of Sigbert and Brunhilde, who had taken refuge among them, recognized as the heir to the Frankish throne. Chilperic consented, on condition that Childebert, with such forces as he could command, would march with him against Guntram, who had despoiled him of a great deal of his territory. ”

“ A few days afterwards Chilperic married Fredegond. This murder was the cause of long and bloody wars, interspersed with truces, between Chilperic and Sigebert. In 575 Sigebert was assassinated by Fredegond at the very moment when he had Chilperic at his mercy. Chilperic retrieved his position, took from Austrasia Tours and Poitiers and some places in Aquitaine, and fostered discord in the kingdom of the east during the minority of Childebert II. One day, however, while returning from the chase to the town of Chelles, Chilperic was stabbed to death. ”

“ In a year you also will be a little man, my little Childebert," replied Brunhild exchanging a diabolical glance with Chrotechilde; "you will then also have your royal establishment and your separate room—your chamberlains, your equerries, your slaves, all of them submissive to your every whim, like dogs to the switch." ”

“ The latter also summoned Childebert to his capital, and persuaded him to make a truce with Fredegunde and her adherents, in order that both might act against their common rival. Gundobald and his followers were soon destroyed: Guntram died in 593, and Childebert was at once accepted as his successor. His kingdom included that of Charibert, whose capital was Paris, and that of his father, Sigbert, embracing all Frankish Germany. But the nobles and people, accustomed to conspiracy, treachery and crime, could no longer be depended upon, as formerly. ”

“ So long as her husband lived, Brunhilda played a secondary part, but having been made captive by Chilperic after her husband’s assassination (575) , she succeeded in escaping from her prison at Rouen, after a series of extraordinary adventures, by means of a marriage with Merovech, the son of her conqueror. From this time on, she took the lead; in Austrasia she engaged in a desperate struggle against the nobles, who wished to govern in the name of her son Childebert II. ”

“ It was by such means that she contrived the assassination of King Sigebert, Brunhild's husband, and that she succeeded in poisoning their son Childebert. It was by such means that she caused a large number of her enemies to be despatched with the dagger and, if the chronicles are to be trusted, her own husband Chilperic was numbered among her victims."
"So, then, that veritable fury spewed out of hell—Fredegonde—spared not even her own husband?"
"Some historians, at least, lay his murder to her door; others charge it to Brunhild. Both theories may be correct ”

“ Likewise the lord king Gunthram promises that if in the uncertainty of human life lord Childebert should happen to pass from the light while he is living,—​may the divine goodness not allow it and Gunthram does not wish to see it—​he will receive under his protection and guardianship like a good father Childebert’s sons Theodobert and Theodoric and any others that God wishes to give him, so that they shall possess their father’s kingdom in all security ”

“ He returned thence and entered Paris. And there Brunhilda came to him with her children. Then the Franks who had once looked to the older Childebert, sent an embassy to Sigibert that if he would come to them they would abandon Chilperic and make him king over them. On hearing this he sent men to besiege his brother in the city mentioned above, and he [Pg 100] himself purposed to hasten thither. And the holy bishop Germanus said to him: “If you go and do not purpose to kill your brother you shall return alive and victorious; but if you have another purpose in mind you shall die. ”

“ He goes to Poitiers and enters into an agreement with his uncle Childebert against Clothar. He assumes authority over part of Clothar’s realm and Clothar sends two other sons, Charibert and Gunthram, against him. When they are ready to fight Chramnus causes a report of Clothar’s death to be circulated and Charibert and Gunthram hasten off; Chramnus marches to Dijon where he consults the Bible as to his future. King Clothar meanwhile fights the Saxons. 17. Chramnus joins Childebert in Paris. Childebert ravages Clothar’s territory as far as Rheims. 18. Duke Austrapius takes refuge in St. ”

“ He headed several expeditions into Italy and Spain, which, however, were not distinguished by much success; [479] nor was his son and successor Theudebald (548-555) more fortunate. On the death of the latter, Clotaire, his uncle, married his widow and seized his kingdom, without dividing it with Childebert: the whole kingdom of the Franks was consequently in the hands of the two sons of Clovis. In revenge, Childebert excited a civil war; but dying before its conclusion (558) , his kingdom was forcibly seized by Clotaire, now sole monarch of the Franks, who exiled his wife and daughters. ”

“ Seeing this, Childebert made a formal declaration that he and his brother were determined that Secondinus should be obeyed in all points, since no one had a desirable plan to propose; and the assembly separated. The two kings, remaining alone with the engineer, urged him to contrive for securing an immediate success that might cause the recent failures to be forgotten and restore confidence to the army.
"The difficulty," replied Secondinus, "is to obtain such a success, without risk, with troops that do not strictly follow orders. ”

“ And, king, if civil war gives you pleasure, govern that impulse which the apostle says is urgent within man, let the spirit struggle against the flesh and the vices fall before the virtues; and be free and serve your chief who is Christ, you who were once a fettered slave of the root of evil.
[1. Sigibert’s son, Childebert, not yet five years old, is made king. Chilperic seizes Brunhilda and keeps her in exile at Rouen.]
2. Chilperic sent his son Merovech to Poitiers with an army. [BU] But he disobeyed his father’s orders and came to Tours and spent there the holy days of Easter. ”

“ He passed many a place rich in old memories: the Lorelei Rock, where the water nymph sang at night: the cheerful little spot where St. Goar lived and worked at the time of Childebert, the Merovingian, (that wonderful saint who once spread a fog over his imperial uncle, compelling him to pass the night in the open air, because his Majesty, while journeying from Ingelheim to Coblenz had neglected to bend his knee in his chapel) and the green meadows near Andernach, where Genovefa, wife of Palatine Count Siegfried lived. ”

“ After this when the decision was made known and they were excommunicated and the abbess restored to the monastery, they went to king Childebert, adding crime to crime, naming forsooth certain persons to the king who not only lived in adultery with the abbess but also sent messengers daily to his enemy Fredegunda. On hearing this the king sent men to bring them in chains. ”

“ I wish you, most glorious king, would have less friendship for her. For as we often learn, you receive her embassies with greater state than ours.” He answered: “Let me tell you, bishop of God, that I receive her embassies in such a way as not to lose the affection of my nephew king Childebert. For I cannot be friendly with one who has often sent to take my life.” Upon this Felix said: “I suppose it has come to your greatness that Richared has sent an embassy to your nephew to ask for your niece Clodosinda, your brother’s daughter, in marriage. ”

“ Of the boys one was ten and the other seven years old. But the third boy, Chlodoald, escaped by the aid of certain powerful persons; rejecting a worldly kingdom, he turned to God, and became a priest, cutting off his hair with his own hands. And Childebert and Chlothar divided the kingdom of Chlodomer between them.
[After the death of his brothers, Chlothar united the whole Frankish kingdom under his single rule (558–61) . He left four sons, Charibert, Gunthram, Chilperic, and Sigbert, who divided the kingdom among themselves.] ”

“ Chilperic, king at Paris, and King Gontran of Burgundy, sought alliance with Childebert, who was adopted by both in turn. But after the assassination of Chilperic in 584, and the dangers occasioned to the Frankish monarchy by the expedition of Gundobald in 585, Childebert threw himself unreservedly into the arms of Gontran. By the pact of Andelot in 587 Childebert was recognized as Gontran’s heir, and with his uncle’s help he quelled the revolts of the nobles and succeeded in seizing the castle of Woëwre. ”

“ Accordingly, although united for a moment like loving brothers in the assassination of the two boys, Clotaire and Childebert declared war against each other. Theudebert, one of Clovis' grandchildren, joined Childebert; the two placed themselves at the head of their leudes, and, as was their wont, pillaged and laid waste the countries that they crossed, and marched against Clotaire. The good uncle did not consider his own forces strong enough to make head against the joint troops of his brother and his nephew ”

“ Queen Brunehaut and her children were arrested; but her only son, Childebert, escaped, and regained his father's dominions. Meroveus, the son of Chilperic, then married Brunehaut, and deeply angered his father. He was soon murdered: Brunehaut became regent during her son's minority, and was constantly engaged in wars; Fredegonde frequently attempting to assassinate her and her son, but always failed. Childebert died, A. D. 596, leaving two children, who succeeded him, under the care of Brunehaut. ”

“ But one of the legates spoke: “Your nephew Childebert begs you to order the cities which his father held to be given back to him.” At this he replied: “I told you before that our compacts give them to me and therefore I refuse to restore them.” Another of the legates [Pg 176] said: “Your nephew asks you to order the sorceress Fredegunda, through whom many kings have been killed, to be surrendered to him, so that he can avenge the death of his father, uncle and cousins.” “She shall not be given into his power,” said Gunthram, “because she has a son who is king. ”

“ Chilpéric renonça à la possession des territoires qui formaient le douaire de Galswinthe et les livra à Sigebert. La guerre civile fut ainsi évitée; elle n’éclatera que six années plus tard, en 573.
“Sigebert finit par être victorieux. Il entre à Paris au mépris de la convention de 567 et y fait venir sa femme Brunehaut, ses filles et son jeune fils Childebert; puis il poursuit Chilpéric jusqu’à Tournai. Chilpéric est abandonné par les grands qui proclament Sigebert leur roi et l’élèvent sur le pavois dans la villa de Vitry. ”

“ Let this suffice for this subject; let us rather return to our task.
[7. Ennodius, duke of Tours and Poitiers, is removed from office. The Gascons make an inroad on Frankish territory, and also the Goths. 8. Childebert desires to punish Gunthram Boso for the insults he had offered to Brunhilda during Childebert’s minority. 9. Rauchingus, Ursio, and Bertefred, enemies of Brunhilda, plot Childebert’s death. Rauchingus is trapped and brutally killed. Ursio and Bertefred take refuge in a stronghold.] ”