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History of the Franks

St Gregory of Tours, tr. Dalton, 1927

Book 9, 38. Of that Which Certain Men Sought to Do Against Brunhild

While Faileuba, queen of King Childebert, was still weakly, after giving birth to a child which hardly came into the world alive, a rumour reached her ears that a plot was on foot against herself and Queen Brunhild. As soon as she was recovered, she went to the king and revealed all that she had heard to him and to his mother. The report was that Septimina, nurse of the royal children, sought to persuade the king to drive out his mother, forsake his consort, and take another spouse; by this means the conspirators hoped to do with him what they liked, and obtain whatever they chose to ask. If the king would not agree to their plan, they would cause his death by witchcraft, raise his sons to the throne, and rule the kingdom themselves, while the grandmother and mother of the children would be banished just the same. She denounced as implicated in the plot Sunnegisil,¹ count of the stables, Gallomagnus the referendary, and Droctulf, who had been associated with Septimina to aid her in bringing up the young princes. The last two, Septimina and Droctulf, were arrested and put to the torture by being stretched upon the rack and severely flogged, whereupon the woman confessed that she had killed her husband Jovius by witchcraft for the love of Droctulf, who was her paramour. They both confessed to all the charges which I have above related, and denounced the persons whom I have mentioned as privy to their design. A search was at once made for them, but in the fear born of a guilty conscience they left their hiding-place and sought refuge in the churches. The king visited them there in person, saying: ‘Come forth and stand your trial, that we may learn whether the charges brought against you be true or false. Our belief is that never had ye fled for refuge in this church, if conscience had not filled you with dread. Nevertheless, I promise that your lives shall be spared even though ye be found guilty. For we are Christians, and it is forbidden to take even the criminal out of a church for punishment.’ They were then led forth, and came with the king, that they might be tried. When they were examined, they protested innocence, crying: ‘It was Septimina and Droctulf who opened this plot to us. But we received the plan with execration and kept apart from it, for never would we consent to such a crime.’ The king said: ‘If ye had in no wise connived, assuredly ye had brought the matter to our ears. Is it not sure that ye were privy to the plot, when of your own will ye kept it from my knowledge?’ Straightway they were driven out, and once more fled into the church. Septimina was severely flogged, together with Droctulf, and her face was seared with red-hot irons; all that she had was taken from her, and she was sent to the domain of Marlenheim² to turn the mill and daily prepare the flour for the food of the women in the gynaeceum. Droctulf’s hair and ears were cut off, and he was sent to labour in the vineyards; but after a few days he escaped. Search was made by the bailiff, and he was discovered and again brought before the king, who had him harshly flogged and sent back to the vineyard which he had left. Sunnegisil and Gallomagnus were stripped of all the property which they held of the domain, and driven into exile. But King Guntram sent envoys, among whom were bishops, to intercede for them, and they were recalled from banishment, though nothing was left them but their private property.

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