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History of the Franks
St Gregory of Tours, tr. Dalton, 1927
Book 7, How the Envoys of Childebert Demanded the Surrender of Fredegund
The envoys having departed, other ambassadors came from Childebert to the aforesaid king, demanding the surrender of Queen Fredegund in these words: ‘Give up to me this murderess, who suffocated my aunt,1 who did to death my father2 and my uncle,3 and put my cousins to the sword.’4 But Guntram replied: ‘We will decide all in the assembly which we shall hold, after discussing what is proper to be done.’ For he had taken Fredegund under his protection, many times inviting her to his table, and promising her to be her chief defender. Now on a certain day, when they feasted at the board together, the queen rose and took her leave, but he sought to detain her, calling upon her to partake of something more. She answered: ‘Suffer me to rise, my lord, I pray thee of thy grace; it is that I have conceived; it hath befallen me according to the manner of women.’ When the king heard this he was amazed, knowing that it was but the fourth month since she had borne a son; but he granted her his permission to withdraw.
The chief men of the kingdom, Ansovald and the rest, rallied round the son of Chilperic, now, as I have said, four months old, and hailed him under the name of Lothar. They exacted from all the cities which had acknowledged the rule of Chilperic an oath of loyalty to Guntram and his nephew Lothar. King Guntram, by exercise of justice, restored to divers persons all that the companions of King Chilperic had wrongly taken from them, himself making large gifts to the churches. Moreover, he restored the validity of the wills containing bequests to the Church which had been suppressed by Chilperic. He showed graciousness to many, and made large gifts to the poor.
Notes
- Galswinth; cf. IV. 21 (28).
- Sigibert; cf. IV. 36 (51).
- Chilperic; cf. VI. 46 n.
- Merovech and Chlodovech, sons of Chilperic; cf. V. 12 (18) and 29 (39).