The History of the Franks

King Guntram visited the city of Orleans and was greeted by cheering crowds of Gallo-Romans, Jews, and “Syrians” (which may be Gregory’s generic term for people from the eastern Mediterranean region). However, according to Gregory, Guntram scoffed at the Jews’ welcome, saying, “They sang my praises in this flattering way today, calling upon all peoples to submit to me as their overlord, in the hope that I should give an order that their synagogue, which was destroyed some time ago by the Christians, should be rebuilt from public funds. This I will never do, for it is contrary to the Lord’s will” (433).

Later, Guntram met with Gregory and had a meal with him. Guntram also held a council of bishops and scolded those, like Bishop Bertram of Bordeaux, who supported Gundovald while asking that they support his chosen heir, Childebert. After the meeting, Gregory asked Guntram to pardon those who had sided with Gundovald and sought refuge in Gregory’s church like Count Garachar of Bordeaux. Guntram harshly rebuked them, but eventually forgave them and restored them to their positions.

At Paris, Guntram gave a speech in which he expressed doubt that King Lothar II was actually Chilperic’s son. Fredegund had three bishops and over 300 prominent individuals swear an oath that Lothar II’s father was Chilperic (440), which appeased Guntram. He was still upset over the deaths of Chilperic’s other sons, Clovis and Merovich, and when someone revealed the locations of their corpses to him, he had them properly buried: “He wept for his dead nephews as bitterly as when he had seen his own sons buried” (441).

Despite his pardoning of some of Gundovald’s supporters, Guntram had imprisoned one of Gundovald’s key supporters, the bishop Theodore. Childebert stepped in, warning Guntram that the civil war might start again if Guntram harmed Theodore. Meanwhile, Gregory set out on a journey and met with Childebert in Coblenz. Gregory recounts a miracle in Coblenz, where he was in a boat that started to sink but did not, which Gregory attributes to the fact he had holy relics with him (444).

Next, Gregory went to a town named Carignan, where the deacon Vulfolaic reluctantly told him about how he miraculously convinced the locals to stop worshipping and to destroy a statue of the Roman goddess Diana. Guntram eventually freed Theodore, but he also planned to exile a number of bishops, which is why Gregory claims that Guntram was struck by God with a serious illness (453). Berulf, the Duke of Tours and Poitiers, and a friend of his named Arnegisel, stole treasure that belonged to King Sigibert. The two were going to be executed on the order of King Childebert, although a bishop convinced him to spare their lives. Their property was confiscated, however.

Guntram’s sister, Ingund, had married a Spanish prince, Hermenegild. He revolted against his father, the king of Spain, Liuvigild, but he was defeated and executed. Ingund and her young son tried to escape to Constantinople, but they both died while detained in Africa. Due to this situation, Guntram and Childebert decided to attack Spain. Guntram’s men discovered a letter from Leuvigild to Fredegund, asking for her help in making peace with Guntram and assassinating Childebert and Brunhild.

To this end, Gregory alleges that Fredegund had two iron daggers doused in poison made and sent two clerics to carry out the murders while disguised as beggars. The would-be assassins were caught, tortured, and killed. Guntram’s army against Spain not only failed in their mission, but they looted the region of Provence in Gaul. The leaders of the army took sanctuary in a church as the king of Spain attacked Gaul itself. Guntram called a council of the bishops to denounce the actions of his commanders.

Fredegund had her old enemy, the bishop Praetextatus, assassinated in Rouen. The people of Rouen denounced Fredegund, who poisoned one of their leaders in retaliation. Guntram sent envoys to King Lothar II to investigate Fredegund’s murder of Praetextatus, but in the end Guntram could only delay Fredegund’s choice of a replacement for Praetextatus, Melantius, from assuming the office.

In Paris, a woman predicted that the city would be devastated. Only the sacred oratory of Saint Martin and the churches of Paris were completely spared from a devastating fire. Back in Tours, Gregry had a long-standing dispute with a man named Pelagius, who was guilty of various crimes around Tours and once knocked to the ground pots of sea-urchins being carried by Gregory’s servants. Gregory would not allow him to take communion, but under pressure from some citizens of Tours, he lifted this suspension. Pelagius died from a fever after he tried reaping from a field owned by local nuns.

A duke named Beppolen defected from Fredegund’s court and swore allegiance to Guntram. In Guntram’s name, he tried to take control of several cities like Angers, which belonged to Fredegund and Lothar II, but the people of those cities successfully resisted him. As the war with Spain continued, Gregory alleges that Fredegund tried sending messages to the king of Spain. A bishop named Palladius was accused of helping Fredegund’s messengers.

Meanwhile, a man acting suspiciously in Guntram’s court was captured. Under torture, he claimed that he and some messengers sent by Fredegund were plotting to assassinate Guntram. As the war went on, Duke Desiderius died fighting against the Spanish Goths in Toulouse. Leuvigild also died and his son Recared succeeded him as the king of Spain.