The History of the Franks

Saint Martin’s successor as bishop of Tours was Bricius. Gregory recounts how, when Saint Martin was alive, Bricius “continued to cause pain to the Saint by his sarcastic remarks” (104). Still, Gregory admits that Bricius was chaste and spent much time in prayer. When a crowd accused Bricius of impregnating a woman, he miraculously caused the baby to declare that Bricius was not his father. When the crowd accused him of witchcraft, Bricius tried to prove himself by putting hot coals on his body at the tomb of Saint Martin without causing himself pain, but he was still exiled from Tours. The people of Tours tried nominating two new bishops, Justinian and Armentius, who both died suddenly, which Gregory attributes to God's intervention. At last, Bricius was restored as the bishop of Tours.

In the meantime, a Germanic people, the Vandals, attacked Gaul and Spain and settled in the old Roman province of Africa in North Africa. The kings of the Vandals belonged to the Arian sect of Christianity and persecuted Catholic Christians (See: Background). The Arian bishop Cyrola had the bishop Eugenius brought before the Vandal king Huneric. Eugenius was able to defeat Cyrola in debate and perform miracles.