Insidious seductress and cruel ruler
Let's start with Fredegonda (the one that was beautiful). She really looks great in old portraits, and her life path proves that Fredegond's beauty was perfectly used.
She began her life as a humble servant in the retinue of Queen Odovera, wife of Chilperic I, King of the Franks from the Merovingian dynasty. Chilperic ruled over the Kingdom of Soissons, which was also called Neustria.
According to later legends, Fredegonda first became the king's mistress. Then, when his wife gave birth to a daughter (in the absence of her husband), Fredegonda wittily advised the queen to christen the child herself, not entrusting this important matter to outside aunts. The trusting Odovera became a godmother to her own daughter. Chilperic returned and found that his wife had become his godfather - in fact, a close relative, with whom marriage was impossible. Now Chilperic has a good reason to break off the marriage with Odovera (the mother of his three more sons, by the way). He sent Odovera to the monastery, but did not marry Fredegond: he was looking for a more profitable marriage. And I did find it.
The wedding of Sigibert and Brunhilde.
Chilperic's brother Sigibert (also king of the Franks, but another part of the Frankish lands, later called Austrasia) was married to the daughter of the Visigoth king Brunhilde. Yes, yes, this will be discussed a little later. Chilperic decided that he also needed to intermarry with the powerful Visigoths and asked for the hand of Brunhilde's sister - Galeswinta. Athanagild, king of the Visigoths, doubted whether to give his beloved daughter for an adulterer, who, according to rumors, lived with a servant. However, Chilperic promised Galesvinte a generous wedding gift - the cities of Bordeaux, Limoges, Cahors, Béarn and Bigor, and promised to remove Fredegond from himself.
This marriage lasted for about a year. Then Galeswinta got tired of Chilperic, and he ordered her to be strangled, and Fredegond returned. This should probably say something about the power of true love, but the French Chronicles speak of Fredegond extremely unflattering. If only because the king married her only a few days after the death of Galesvinte, which was extremely indecent even at that time.
Chilperic gets rid of his annoying wife, miniature from the Great French Chronicles.
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Brunhilde was offended for her sister. If Fredegond personifies the image of an insidious seductress, then Brunhilde is portrayed differently: the imperious and cruel co-ruler of her husband, who had a great influence on him. She persuaded Sigebert to go to war against his brother. The war was also facilitated by the fact that a public meeting with the participation of arbitrators decided that Chilperic should give Brünnhilde his wedding gift for Galeswinta - that is, five cities.
Upset at the loss of cities, Chilperic moved his troops to his brother's lands and occupied Poitiers and Tours. Here confrontation became inevitable, and Brunhilde happily threw herself into the heat of the battles, dragging her obedient husband along with her.
The throne games
At first Chilperic failed, so Fredegonda again had to take matters into her own hands. She hired two assassins, who got Sigebert's reception and stabbed him with poisoned daggers. Brunhilde was captured shortly thereafter. She was sent to Rouen, where she was kept for quite a long time (by the way, there was also a monastery where Odovera was imprisoned). And then an amazing story happened: the queen, who was only twenty-eight, saw Merovei, the son of Chilperic from his marriage to Odovera, and fell in love. Then he immediately married the captive - in the same place, in Rouen, despite the fact that she was his aunt.
Fredegonda sends assassins to Sigebert.
Chilperic was stunned. He went on a march to Rouen in order to properly punish the lovers (who, moreover, apparently plotted a conspiracy). There was nothing to oppose to them. Merovei and Brunhilde hid in the church, and Chilperic had to promise that he would not do anything to them. However, he did not keep his word and, leaving, took the prodigal son with him, leaving Brunhilde alone. Merovey's houses were promptly ordained as priests and sent to the monastery. Now he could not claim the throne.
Brunhilde was brought back home to Austrasia by Chilperic with all the politeness he could. She dutifully accepted her fate and temporarily took up the economy, ruling Australasia in place of her young son Childebert. Meanwhile, Merovei left the monastery, tried to hide in the church in Tours, and then fled to his wife in Austrasia. However, local tycoons, worried about maintaining their influence, did not let the prince go to his wife - apparently fearing that he would claim the throne.
Brunhilde.
Ultimately, Chilperic and Fredegonda made the decision to kill the prince. Childeric lured Meroveus into an ambush. Finding himself among the enemies, the prince realized that a long and painful death awaited him, and asked his comrade to stab him with a dagger, which he did. So Fredegonda deprived Brunhilde of another husband.
Fredegonda began to methodically destroy her husband's children from his first marriage. Chilperic's daughter, by a strange accident, was raped by servants, after which she was tonsured into a nun. Clovis, the eldest son of Chilperic, remained. But then smallpox came to the Franks.
The pestilence began. One by one, the children of Fredegonda died. In anger, the queen accused Clovis of witchcraft that destroyed her heirs. Clovis was burned (this was the first such high-profile trial against witchcraft in Europe; in general, sorcerers were treated softer, but “softer” - this is not about the enraged Fredegonda). However, the former servant, who became one of the most powerful queens, had another son - Clotar. And he was just about to become king in the future.
Chilperic and Fredegonda.
In 584, Chilperic died while hunting under mysterious circumstances. It was rumored that he was killed by Fredegonda's lover: they talked about the easy behavior of the beautiful queen without muffling their voice. However, this is not certain: other sources claim that Brünnhilde's agents were behind his death.
Fredegonda further became regent with her young son in Neustria, and Brunhilde performed a similar role in Austrasia. Is it any wonder that the two kingdoms fought every now and then? Moreover, both rulers personally participated in the battles.
When Childebert, the son of Brunhilde, matured and took the throne, Fredegonda tried to repeat the tried and tested trick and sent assassins with poisoned daggers to him. However, what went well with the father did not work with the son: the killers were noticed before Childebert was wounded.
Make history or win?
Fredegonda fought until her death. At the same time, she died peacefully, in her bed, at the age of fifty-two.
Brunhilde's old age somehow did not work out. Australasia was divided among themselves by the children of Sigebert from her and from a certain concubine. The magnates exiled Brunhilde to Burgundy, where she became co-ruler under her grandson Theodoric. Wanting to regain full power and kingdom, she persuaded Theodoric to go to war against his brother Theodebert, assuring him that he was not his brother. Theodoric successfully coped with the task, seizing his brother's possessions and executing him. However, he liked Theodebert's daughter and decided to marry her.
As the chronicles tell, then it was like this. Brunhilde exclaimed in horror: "How can you marry your brother's daughter ?!" (she chose to forget about her marriage with Merovey at that moment). “That is, how is it - a brother? _– Theodoric frowned. "You said he was not my brother." The grandson pulled out his sword and tried to stab the insidious grandmother on the spot, but the nobles who stood there saved her and helped her escape. The offended Brünnhilde handed Theodoric a poisoned drink, from which he soon died. And then, apparently completely losing her mind, she killed his young sons.
The matter ended with the queen, who, even in old age, had not lost her fighting enthusiasm, was captured by Chlothar, the son of Fredegonda. He blamed her for the death of ten members of the royal family. This list also includes those who were killed by Fredegond - Clothar decided to write off all the problems in one fell swoop. Seventy-year-old Brunhilde was tied to the tail of a horse and sent to gallop.
So the second powerful queen of the Franks, who went down in history, died. And Fredegonda can still be considered the winner, albeit posthumously.
Author: Anna Dolgareva
