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Encyclopedia Britannica

BRUNHILDA (Brunechildis)

This article appears in Volume V04, Page 684 of the Encyclopedia Britannica.

Encyclopedia Britannica - Main :: BRI-BUN

BRUNHILDA (Brunechildis) , queen of Austrasia (d. 613), was a daughter of

Athanagild

ATHANAGILD (d. \$47)

, king of the Visigoths. In 567 she was asked in

marriage

MARRIAGE

by Sigebert, who was reigning at Metz. She now abjured Arianism and was converted to the orthodox faith, and the union was celebrated at Metz; on which occasion Fortunatus, an Italian poet, who was then at the Frankish court, composed the epithalamium. Chilperic, brother of Sigebert, and king of the wet Frankish kingdom, jealous of the renown which this

marriage

MARRIAGE

brought to his elder brother, hastened to ask the hand of Galswintha, sister of Brunhilda; but at the instigation of his mistress

Fredegond

FREDEGOND (Fredigundis) (d. 597)

, he assassinated his wife. Sigebert was anxious to avenge his sister-in-law, but on the intervention of Guntram, he accepted the compensation offered by Chilperic, namely the cities of Bordeaux, Cahors and

Limoges

LIMOGES

, with Beam and Bigorre.
This treaty did not prevent war soon again breaking out between Sigebert and Chilperic. 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

SERIES (a Latin word from serere, to join)

of extra-

ordinary

ORDINARY (med. Lat. ordinarius, Fr. ordinaire)

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.; but she was worsted in the conflict and for some time had to seek

refuge

REFUGE

Burgundy

BURGUNDY

. After the death of Childebert II. (597) she aspired to govern Austrasia and

Burgundy

BURGUNDY

in the name of her grandsons Theudebert and Theuderich II. She was expelled from Austrasia, and then stirred up Theuderich II. against his brother, whom he defeated at

Toul

TOUL

and Tolbiac, and put to death. Theuderich II. died shortly after this victory, and Brunhilda caused one of her

great

GREAT

-grandchildren to be proclaimed king. The nobles of Austrasia and Burgundy, however, now summoned Clotaire II., son of

Fredegond

FREDEGOND (Fredigundis) (d. 597)

, and king of Neustria, to help them against the queen. Brunhilda was given up to him, and died a terrible death, being dragged at the heels of a wild horse (613).
Brunhilda seems to have had political ideas, and to have wished to attain to the royal power. She was a protectress of the Church, and Pope Gregory I. (590-604) addressed a

series

SERIES (a Latin word from serere, to join)

of letters to her, in which he showered praises upon her. She took it upon herself, however, to supervise the bishoprics and monasteries, and came into conflict with Columban (Columbanus), abbot of Luxeuil. As Brunhilda was a

great

GREAT

queen, tradition ascribes to her the construction of many old castles, and a number of old Roman roads are also known by the name of Chaussees de Brunehaut.

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