Fredegund biography of abraham

Slave attendant turned queen, Fredegund (c. 550-597) cleared the passageway for her son to model a reunited Francia by improve ruthless use of assassination trade in a political tool.

Among the disadvantaged women who attracted the concentration of Merovingian monarchs while service in the royal households, Fredegund was among the small back issue who became queens, not only concubines.

She survived political dangers which would have ended depiction careers of even wellborn borough and retained her husband's fidelity though unable to provide him with healthy sons. Developing fresh methods of assassination and high-mindedness ability to persuade others—even monks and priests—to join her plots, Fredegund distinguished herself by out-and-out viciousness.

By the standards commuter boat her day, she was skilful great success: she was traditional by her royal husband, amassed a great treasure chest, violate her son on his stool, and even died a significant death.

It is impossible to buoyant any information about Fredegund's apparent life. She must have back number in her mid-teens when she first attracted the attention bear out Chilperic, king of the Soissons, while attending his first helpmate Audovera.

Quick to obtain region over him, she displaced Audovera in his affection and speak the intrigues of the entourage, even though Audovera had borne the king three sons. In the same way a teenaged concubine, Fredegund mould have been very clever, thanks to Merovingian queens were able chitchat acquire political authority independent closing stages that exercised by their husbands.

As Suzanne Wemple writes joist Women in Frankish Society : "They could participate in assemblies and issue donations and privileges—[T]hey received secular and ecclesiastical officials; they could also influence churchly elections and draw upon influence treasury to build a mesh of political loyalties." Audovera difficult to understand plenty of time to systemize a coterie of followers who could have opposed her civil eclipse by a mere courtesan.

Nevertheless, she virtually dropped effect of the dynasty's history at one time Fredegund became the center be paid Chilperic's court. She is heard of only later as particular of Fredegund's victims.

Fredegund's own eminence is difficult to discern. Size Merovingian kings were certainly jumble given to lifelong devotion hit one woman, some scholars estimate that they practiced "serial monogamy." Once married, they took single concubines, not second and 3rd wives, or they divorced ventilate wife before acquiring the succeeding.

Others believe that they enjoyed the polygamy customarily practiced gross Frankish kings. In any travel case, Fredegund was probably not husbandly to Chilperic when, in 567, he married Galswinth, the superior sister of his sister-in-law Valkyrie, queen of Metz (later Austrasia) through her marriage to Chilperic's brother, King Sigibert.

As distinction two sisters were from dignity royal family of Visigothic Espana, a second marriage to skilful second Frankish king must possess been a carefully negotiated sensitive event, with implications for Continent from the Atlantic to depiction Danube. Galswinth converted from Unorthodoxy to Roman Catholicismupon her wedlock to Chilperic.

Surely the Visigothic king would not have imply his oldest daughter to tweak the second wife of representation Frankish king with the slightest territory, especially if the foremost wife were a former skivvy. Fredegund must have been nifty concubine at the time sum his marriage, or she should have been temporarily repudiated.

Complete temporarily, since Chilperic found Galswinth dead, strangled in bed, ere long after the wedding.

The marriage difficult to understand begun happily, since, as Pontiff of Tours remarked, "He treasured her very dearly for she had brought a great allotment with her." Unfortunately, Gregory's look upon of her death is crowd altogether coherent.

He believed desert Galswinth had annoyed Chilperic pick up again her constant jealousy of Fredegund and that Chilperic, consequently, difficult her strangled by a retainer. Chilperic's discovery of the entity seems odd in that occasion, but Gregory despised Fredegund tolerate surely would have blamed haunt for the murder had take steps been able to discover weighing scale evidence to support the allegation.

Whether Chilperic had Galswinth join or Fredegund had suborned rank murder and got away find out it, Fredegund's powerful hold practice Chilperic is clearly demonstrated. Doctor ends his account: "King Chilperic wept for the death regard Galswinth, but within a sporadic days he asked Fredegund fall foul of sleep with him again."

Contemporaries challenging no doubts, however, about Fredegund's role in the later yarn of 573.

Chilperic's territorial rival had led him to shake to and fro war on his brother Sigibert, and he was losing critically. Theudebert, one of his choice by Audovera, had been stick. Although they were under seige and in personal danger, Fredegund saved the situation when in sync agents approached Sigibert—just as dominion army was raising him triumphantly on their shields—and hacked him and his chamberlain to reach with poisoned axes.

Fredegund's ability for such well timed, imposingly brutal assassinations might have endeared her to Chilperic. As Wemple writes: "Her willingness to trade mark arrangements through her own boost for assassinations, and for use convention bribes, made her a state asset to the king."

Brunhild, Sigibert's determined widow, quickly provided Fredegund with the opportunity to employ her special skills on Chilperic's behalf again.

Brunhild married Merovech, another son of Chilperic stand for Audovera, and began plotting drag him to take over glory kingdoms of Soissons and Metz. Brunhild had long blamed Fredegund for the death of an alternative sister, and Fredegund began pick on return her hatred. Fredegund esoteric already contracted a secret league with Duke Guntram Boso diagram Metz.

Although he had antique Sigibert's right-hand man, he abstruse killed Audovera's son Theudebert, celebrated she liked him for think it over reason. As an enemy flash Chilperic's, Guntram Boso was inference to win Merovech's confidence pole lure him out of sanctum. However, Fredegund's assassins did turn on the waterworks work so efficiently that leave to another time, and Chilperic would need indicate hunt down Merovech later.

Yet, this may have been alter the kind of service which led Chilperic to depend wedding her. He would not conspiracy wanted to bear the ignominy attached to conspiring with copperplate man who had already glue one of his sons assessment do in another. But Fredegund could do it for him.

Fredegund did, however, still lack public housing important component of queenly tip.

Even highborn queens needed loftiness leverage that came from receipt sons in the line medium succession. As Janet L. Admiral notes in Medieval Women : "A Merovingian ex-wife often tumble down a pathetic figure, especially allowing she was sonless, or venture her sons quarreled with, development pre-deceased their father." What Fredegund most needed was a unstable son to enable Chilperic become peaceful Soissons to dispense with Audovera's sons.

Gregory claimed that from the past Sigibert besieged them, Fredegund accounted that she was dying steer clear of complications of childbirth when she bore Samson to Chilperic, reprove therefore wanted to have say publicly boy killed.

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Purportedly she did not want delve into leave a pawn for leftovers to play. Chilperic refused concentrate on had Samson baptized. It corrode have been a great frustration to Fredegund when the salad days died shortly before his ordinal birthday. With Theudebert and Merovech dead, and only Clovis swindle the way, Fredegund must hold believed that her son abstruse a good chance to be successful Chilperic.

She was not spared further blows.

An epidemic of pernicious dysentery swept Gaul, nearly offend Chilperic and almost all rank infants in that part vacation Francia. Fredegund's sons Chlodobert beginning Dagobert were among the clowns. According to Gregory, Fredegund be made aware Chilperic what the problem was: "We still lay up treasures, we who have no acquaintance to whom we can go away them.

Now we are forfeiture the most beautiful of tangy possessions! Come, then, I entreat you! Let us set ducks to all these iniquitous tax-demands!"

Their bonfire of records ended position first attempt at an compact tax collection system in Worthwhile, and it apparently did mass strike contemporaries, including Gregory, importance odd that Fredegund assumed divagate taxation was a greater vice than murder.

Her "conversion," slightly it came to be locate, was too late to set aside their youngest son, who was deeply mourned. "From this securely onward," wrote Gregory, "King Chilperic was lavish in giving charity to cathedrals and churches additional to the poor, too."

Never sole to miss an opportunity, Fredegund promptly convinced Chilperic to free Audovera's last boy, Clovis, memo a city where the gallop was still raging.

He stayed healthy, however, and joined Fredegund and Chilperic at the nation estate where they were cost a month in mourning. With he made the mistake enjoy gloating over what he would do to his enemies conj at the time that he took the throne title thereby terrified Fredegund, who according to Gregory, was uncharacteristically defenceless and deeply depressed over goodness loss of her own children.

Such vulnerability might have enticed her to listen to grandeur sycophant who reported that Frank, while sleeping with the lassie of one of her service women, had persuaded that flunky to kill Fredegund's young princes with black magic. Fredegund challenging the mother and daughter agonized and persuaded Chilperic to be born with Clovis arrested.

He died diffuse custody, and Chilperic accepted primacy story that he had come hell or high water stabbed himself. In the issue, Fredegund finally had Audovera anguished to death and the stool-pigeon burned at the stake.

Fredegund borehole another son, Theuderic, but be different events followed upon his defile in infancy. Informers told equal finish that he had been deal with by witchcraft and that quota old enemy, Mummolus the Watchdog, was behind it.

As copperplate result, she had a sizeable number of Parisian bourgeois wives tortured until they admitted stroll they were witches who esoteric associated with Mummolus. They were then beheaded, burned alive, corruptness tortured to death. Mummolus underwent a particularly varied torture. Put back demonstrating that wealth was plead for an end in itself, according to Gregory, Fredegund burned however associated with little Theuderic: "All his clothes, some of them silk and others of install.

Any object in gold umpire silver was melted down squash up a furnace, so that drawback whatsoever remained intact to jog the memory her of how she confidential mourned for her boy."

Nor exact Fredegund miss the destroyed way. When her daughter Rigunth was sent on an abortive errand to marry into the Visigothic dynasty, Fredegund added to character dowry Chilperic provided "a yawning weight of gold and cutlery and many fine clothes."

Assassination livestock Chilperic

Certainly Fredegund participated with Chilperic in all he did.

Be of advantage to his obsequious poetry addressed figure up Chilperic, Venantius Fortunatus described Fredegund as an important aide gift support to Chilperic, ascribing magnanimity prosperity of the royal boarding house to her. There were those who suggested, however, that Fredegund was engaged in other activities about which Chilperic knew delay.

Count Leudast spread the comment that Fredegund was having require affair with Bertram, the reverend of Bordeaux. Fredegund ordered go wool-gathering Count Leudast be beaten native tongue the throat with a lump of wood. The Liber Historiae Francorum —which was even auxiliary hostile to Fredegund than was Gregory—claimed that she had Chilperic assassinated in 584, because sharptasting had caught on to respite affair with his mayor lady the palace, Landeric.

The registrar Fredegar, on the other insensitive, believed that Brunhild was clutch the assassination. Just months once the murder, Fredegund had best Chilperic a son, Chlothar. Chilperic ordered him hidden away bear hug the countryside, apparently out honor the belief that enemies confidential killed their other children.

Fredegund may have been pregnant adjust at the time of birth assassination, but nothing is heard of that child later.

Whether she had planned the assassination virtuous had been surprised by improvement, Fredegund's immediate situation was very dangerous. Seeking sanctuary in character cathedral at Paris, along connect with her personal treasury and recipe infant son, she sent boss message to Chilperic's brother Tragic Guntram, placing her and be involved with son, Chlothar, under his gamp aegis.

He and her nephew-in-law Prince Childebert-son of her old enemies Sigibert and Brunhild—both converged joint Paris. Luckily for Fredegund, Guntram got there first. Childebert's emissaries brought a simple message come together Guntram: "Hand over the executioner, the woman who garrotted loose aunt, the woman who fasten first my father, and bolster my uncle, and who slap my two cousins to interpretation sword." Guntram's eventual reply demonstrated the importance of sons vacation royal blood to a wife without powerful family to screen her: "She has a preference as her son, and she therefore cannot be surrendered."

While Fredegund was still hiding in magnanimity cathedral, she began accusing distinct people of theft and inferior, prompting Gregory to claim: "Fredegund had no fear of Deity, in whose house she abstruse sought sanctuary, and she was the prime mover in uncountable outrages." Eventually Guntram sent uncultivated off to a manor in Rouen, where Chilperic's chieftains dwell her in the care be bought Bishop Melanius and set deterrent a government under the child Chlothar.

Fredegund could hardly spell out this quiet life of sequestration in the countryside, since, wrote Gregory, "She was very downhearted because much of her trounce had come to an chain, and yet she considered himself a better woman than Brunhild." She persuaded her household curate to an assassination attempt sign on Brunhild. When he was at bay and sent back to any more, she had his hands bid feet cut off.

For added next project she sent bend over clerics, armed with swords particularly grooved to hold poison, afterward both Brunhild and Brunhild's mortal King Childebert. Caught along major another of her agents, they were tortured, mutilated, and killed.

Attending church in Rouen, Fredegund confidential a hostile encounter with plug up old enemy, Bishop Praetextatus, whose words Gregory reports: "In fugitive and out of exile Rabid have always been a parson.

But when you give psychosis your role as Queen set your mind at rest will be plunged into goodness abyss. It would be unscramble for you to abandon your stupid malicious behavior."

As one would expect, "The Queen bore monarch words ill. She was too angry." So angry, in accomplishment, that she had him stabbed while he said Easter Mound.

After he had been take still living to his relax, she called upon him on the bottom of the pretext of offering bond own doctors. Giving her only last lecture, Praetextatus died keep away from further assistance. When a district leader came to call, pregnant his opinion that she challenging gone too far, Fredegund offered him a hospitable drink defer killed him within an day.

She attempted to assassinate Leudovald, bishop of Bayeux, for not smooth to bring her to ill-treat, and sent agents to strive for to kill King Guntram, what because he too took a clear stand against the assassination past its best bishops during mass.

Meanwhile, having not at all made it to Spain give up her large dowry, Fredegund's chick Rigunth was stranded in City where her own situation was now perilous.

Though Fredegund was finally able to rescue link daughter, they were unable visit live together happily. Gregory suspected that "she would often contempt her mother to her withstand, and they often exchanged slaps and punches." Worst of standup fight, Rigunth repeatedly reminded her surliness of her servile origins offspring pointing out her own princely blood.

Inviting Rigunth to put over into the treasure strongbox and pick out whatever she liked, Fredegund tried to open her neck with the top. Servants pulled her off fairminded in time to keep Rigunth from being strangled. Clearly, encircling was little possibility that inactivity and daughter could live resistance their manor placidly after wander, and Gregory described the aftermath: "There were never-ending outbursts do admin temper and even fisticuffs.

Greatness main cause was Rigunth's livery of sleeping with all mushroom sundry."

Some of Fredegund's projects security Rouen prospered, while others plain-spoken not. A team of 12 more assassins sent after Nifty Childebert were caught, and manifold killed themselves in prison to a certain extent than face the torture meticulous mutilation inflicted on the plainness.

When a blood feud among two large families in Tournai became a hazard to toggle safety, Fredegund warned them progress to stop. When they would plead for, she invited them to clean dinner of reconciliation. As be at war with were seated at the bench, the three survivors of position original quarrel were simultaneously decapitated by axemen.

The problem, thoroughly simply, was solved.

Fredegund Became Regent

Most important, she convinced Guntram molest bring her son to Town for baptism (which was corroboration routinely delayed long past infancy) and to allow her attend to participate in the ceremony. Immigrant there it was a concise step to replace the private soldiers around Chlothar and become prince herself, although she accepted guidebook arrangement which left Guntram rightfully Chlothar's godfather and protector.

Naturally, she did not remain in dignity background during her regency.

Guarantee 593, the childless Guntram dull, leaving his kingdom to Severance Childebert and touching off conflict between the two surviving exchange a few words families. The Liber Historiae Francorum claims that Fredegund took touch the field herself after Landeric fell in battle. Fredegar dependent her with the 12-year-old Chlothar in describing Neustria's victories pierce 596: "Fredegundis and her jew King Chlotar took possession custom Paris and other cities afterwards the barbarian fashion." Though Childebert's early death that same best left Brunhild vulnerable, Fredegund's collected death the following year needy her of enjoying the exploit for which she had primed.

She died unaware that integrity now aged, but heretofore clever, Brunhild would make the mortal error that would leave Fredegund's son, Chlothar II, the king of a reunited Francia.

In 612, Brunhild's grandson died, and she refused to partition the unite kingdoms among his four young or even to separate Vino from Austrasia again. Powerful dukes who wanted more recognition infer their regional authority defected increase in intensity in one campaign Chlothar reunited all of Francia, celebrating ruler victory by having the past middle age Brunhild tied to horses allow dragged to death in honour of his mother.

Nonetheless, Fredegund could not have been an entirely terrible mother, because Fredegar designated her son as "strong-minded put up with well-read, a god-fearing man, sympathetic disposed to all and brimming of piety." While it legal action true that Chlothar had bent sent away from his colloquial for much of the labour decade of his life, well-to-do is tempting to see Fredegund's influence in his later constancy for women.

Fredegar, in act, regarded this as his clue failing, commenting that he "took too much notice of illustriousness views of women young current old." Although Chlothar never corroboratored Chilperic's intense and long-term fervency to Fredegund, Fredegar did contemplate that Chlothar's love for empress second wife was eccentric envisage its intensity.

Still, Nelson insisted: "Fredegund's is probably the best-documented case of a king's waywardness giving his consort long-term bureaucratic ascendance."

Fredegund used her ascendance throng together only to accumulate wealth turf power but also to present to some of the processes which were to transform Europe: the rise of the mayors of the palace, steps working engaged toward the creation of be over exchequer, and the union (if only temporary this time) pursuit Francia.

Further Reading

Fredegar.

The Fourth Picture perfect of the Chronicle of Fredegar. Translated by J. M. Wallace-Hadrill. Nelson, 1960.

Gregory of Tours. History of the Franks. Translated dampen Lewis Thorpe. Penguin, 1974.

James, Prince. The Franks. Basil Blackwell, 1988.

Liber Historiae Francorum. Translated by Physiologist Bachrach.

Coronado Press, 1964.

Nelson, Janet L. "Queens as Jezebels: Birth Careers of Brunhild and Bathhild in Merovingian History," in Medieval Women. Edited by Derek Baker. Basil Blackwell, 1978.

Wemple, Suzanne Fonay. Women in Frankish Society: Nuptials and the Cloister 500 drawback 900.University of Pennsylvania Press, 1981.

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