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History of the Franks

St Gregory of Tours, tr. Dalton, 1927

Book 4, 25. Of the Wives of Guntram

Now the good king Guntram first took to his bed as concubine Veneranda, the handmaid of one of his subjects, by whom he had a son Gundobad. Afterwards he took to wife Marcatrude, daughter of Magnar, and sent his son Gundobad to Orleans. But when Marcatrude had a son of her own, she was jealous of this boy, and went about to compass his death; they say that she sent poison for him to drink, and so destroyed him. After his death she lost her own son by the judgement of God, and incurred the hatred of the king, by whom she was put away, dying not long afterwards. After her, the king took to wife Austrechild, also called Bobila, by whom he had two other sons, the elder called Lothar, the younger Chlodomer.