Sigebert I (King Of Metz - 561-575)

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• _UID: DB3FA6A838F7418E80A18137C19C3A21F7AF

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King of Metz 561-575 - Sigebert inherited the kingdom of Metz on thedeath of his father Chlotar in 561. In 562, Sigebert defeated a Hunnicarmy that invaded Gaul, and peace was made between the two forces. Atthat time, his brother Chilperic, King of Soissons, invaded Metz and tookseveral cities rightly belonging to Sigebert, thus starting a civil war.Sigebert marched to the city of Soissons, exiled Theudebert, Chilperic'sson in command of the city, and then beat Chilperic in battle. Sigebertmarried Brunhild, the Arian daughter of King Anthanagild of theVisigoths, who was converted to Catholicism. In 566 the Huns againinvaded Metz, and this time were successful over Sigebert. The next year,Sigebert's brother King Charibert of Paris died, and his kingdom wasdivided between the three living sons of Chlotar. Right away, Chilpericinvaded Sigebert's share. He attacked Tours and left his son Clovis incommand. Clovis was driven out of Tours by Sigebert, and then driven outof Bordeaux by Sigulf (573), one of Sigebert's generals. Civil war thenbegan between Sigebert and his other brother King Guntram of Burgundy,and, at the same time, Theudebert (son of Chilperic before mentioned)invaded Metz and destroyed many cities. In 574, Sigebert allied himselfwith Guntram and planned to counter, but when Guntram shifted hisalliance from Chilperic to Sigebert that was enough to make himsurrender. However the next year, Chilperic succeeded in winning back hisbrother Guntram, and another war was started with Sigebert. Theudebertwas beaten and killed, Guntram again swiched alliances, and Chilpericagain retreated. This year, however, Sigebert was assassinated, and hiskingdom passed to his son Childebert II.

Sigebert married in 566. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

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• FamilySearch ID: GJTW-84V
• Name: The Old
• Occupation: King of France
• _UID: 7F12558251B640A1914C6297F797DA8B19C0

Notes:

King of Soissons 511-558 - King of Austrasia 555-558 - King of the Franks558-561. Son of Clovis I King of the Franks, Chlotar inherited Soissonson Clovis' death in 511. He, with his four brothers, attached and defeated Burgundy under the kings Sigisbert and Godomar early in his reign. With this oldest brother, Theuderic I, King of Metz, he attacked the Thuringian Franks under King Hermanfrid, took the kingdom, and took his daughter Radegund. Next, with his brother Childebert I, King of Paris, Chlotar murdered his nephews who were under the care of Queen Clotilda, his mother. When Theuderic died, the kingdom was up for grabs. Chlotar and Childebert each received only a small part, the most of it going to Theudebert, his son. In 555, Theudebald, who had succeeded hisfather Theudebert in Austrasia, died, and Austrasia passed to Chlotar. When Chlotar died in 561, the kingdom was divided among his four living sons: Charibert (Paris), Guntram (Burgundy), Chilperic (Soissons), andSigebert (Metz).

King of Franks (558-561)
King of Soissons (511), King of Orleans, King of France
Sources - "Rulers of the World" by R.F.Tapsell
Clotaire = Clothar I, King de Soissons (Paul, Nouveau LarousseUniversel.) (Rosamond, Frankish kingdom under Carolingians.)
(Stuart, Royalty for Commoners, Page 216, Line 303-50.) (Andre Castelot,Histoire de La France, Tome 1, Pages 200 - 208, 214).

AKA - Clotaire I, King d'Orleans. AKA: Clotaire I, King d'Austrasie.Born: in 497, son of Clovis I, King des Francs and Sainte Clotilde deBourgogne.

Married between 510 and 515: Ingonthe who was Clotaire I's first wife.She gave him a daughter and five sons, three of whom survived. Marriedcirca 516: Aregonde); Radegonde was Clotaire I's second legitimate wife.Note - between 523 and 560: In accordance with Salic Law, upon Clovis I'sdeath, his four sons [Thierry, the eldest and born from an unknownconcubine before Clovis was married, and the other three, Clodomir,Childebert and Clotaire, divided the kingdom not unlike a cake, but withunequal parts. Clotaire, the youngest, received the most primitive lands,extending from the charbonniere forest [the North of Gaule] to the SommeRiver and beyond to include Noyon, Soissons and Laon. Soissons was itscapital. The brothers constantly engaged in bloody fights in order toaugment their holdings. In 523, three of Clovis I's sons, Clotaire,Childebert and Clodomir, launch their first campaign against theBurgundians. They catch Sigismond=Zygmund, out of the Monastery ofAgaune, as well as his wife and his children. They are given to thecustody of Clodomir. He has the entire family murdered by throwing theminto a well at Saint-Peravy-la-Coulombe [near Patay] . Clotaire I becameKing of Orleans in 526 and King of Austrasie in 555. He was known for hiscruelty and plotted and implemented the murder of his brother's(Clodomir) sons with Childebert, his other brother. In July throughDecember 524, two of Clodomir's sons thus are murdered. Clodomir himselfhad died at the Battle of Vezeronce [in Isere] on 25 June 524. Clotairegets Tours and Poitiers. In 531 Thierry and Clotaire I are occupied inbattle against the Thuringians. Their King, Hermanefried died in combatby falling from a rempart in Tolbiac [with a little push] . His mother,Radegonde, who is among the captives, becomes Clotaire's third wife. In532, Clotaire and Childebert begin their third campaign against theBurgundians. This time, they take Autun. Upon Thierry;s death in 534, hislands are divided, and Clotaire gets the entire southern portion ofThierry's holdings including Grenoble, Die and neighboring cities.

In 536, Clotaire obtains the northern part of Provence encompassingOrange, Carpentras and Gap from Vitiges, King of the Ostrogoths. WhenTheobald dies in 555, Clotaire gives the Auvergne to his son, Chramne.The next year, Clotaire would fail in his campaign against the Saxons,but they will continue to pay him an annual tribute of 500 cows. Chramnerebels and fights against his father. Upon Childebert's death 23 December558, he reunited all parts of the Frankish kingdom, and Clotaire becomessole King of the Francs. The following year, his son, Chramne againrebels, but has to seek refuge with the Count of Brittany, Conober who isestablished in Vannes. In 560, they lose to Clotaire and Chramne, hiswife and their children are burnt alive on the orders of Clotaire.Married circa 547: Radegonde, Princess de Turinge , daughter of Hermanefried, King de Turinge (8164) and N? ; The Thuringians had been submitted to the Francs. Clotaire and his half-brother Thierry had led a brutal campaign against them and had crushed them on the banks of the Saale in 531. Among Clotaire's share of the bounty was a beautiful young girl, the Christian Princess Radegonde. Radegonde was Clotaire I's third legitimate wife, and fifth mate. Clotaire I was about 50 years old.

Clothaire married Ingonde Von Thuringen in 514. Ingonde was born in 500 in Thuringia, Germany; died in 536. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

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• _UID: FE0CD4F3805B47888DD8C00862DDF81DFC1E

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• FamilySearch ID: GJGB-HMY
• RULED: 481-511
• RULED: 481-511
• Name: The Great
• _UID: D376BB2765A04D8C91F73C5094E68ACEEFFE
• Christened: 25 Dec 496, Reims, Neustria

Notes:

Born circa 466, son of Childeric I, King des Francs and Basine Andoverade Turinge , Clovis I became King between the Summer of 481 and Autumn of482. According to Gregoire de Tours, he was only about 15 years of age atthe time. In any case he was quite young as he was called "juvenis".Timelines here are bound to be fraught with error since the custom ofcounting years from the time of Jesus Christ was not established untilthe 8th Century. Thus, both the Larousse and the History of France asserta birth date circa 466 whereas Stuart's "Royalty for Commoners" claimsClovis I was alive in the year 420! That date is necessary to claim thatSigebert I is the son of Childebert, son of Clovis, since Stuart claimsSigebert I was King of the Salic Francs from 481 to 511.

Significant-Other - Evochilde before 486 - Evochilde was a concubine.Note - between 486 and 507: King of the Franks, Clovis I vanquished theRomans at Soissons in 486. Syagrius, the "Roman King" takes refuge inToulouse under the protection of the King of the Wisigoths, Alaric [whohad just become King in 484]. By the end of the year, Clovis I forcedAlaric to give up Syagrius, and Clovis I secretly has Syagrius put todeath. From 487 to 490, Clovis I extended his kingdom all the way to theLoire River, however, he respects the border of the Wisigoths to theSouth and of the Burgundians to the South-West, as well as that of theriparian Francs to the East. From 490 to 495, Clovis is occupied with theliquidation of the Salic Franc dynasty North of Gaule. King Chararic ofTongres is decapitated, and King Ragnacaire of Cambrai is executed. Uponthe request for aid from the Riparian Francs, Clovis I defeats theAlamans (Germans) at the Battle of Tolbiac in 496 thus bringing Champagneunder his jurisdiction. In 500, he wages war against Gondebaud, King ofBurgundy defeating him near Dijon. Gondebaud retreats to Avignon. In502, on the Cure and the Cousin, Clovis I and Gondebaud seal an alliance.From April to June 507, the French Army attack the Wisigoths, whoseKingdom extends from the Mediterranean to the ocean, and cross the Loire,going up the Valley of Calin toward Poitiers and encounter the VisigothArmy in the plain of Vouille, 15 km West of Clain. Alaric II, King ofthe Visigoths is killed and the Wisigoths thus are defeated. By 507,thanks to the efforts of his son, Thierry, the entire Meridional Gaulefalls into Clovis I's control. In 508, the Franc Army lays siege onArles in order to secure Provence. Theodoric, King of the Ostrogoths,occupies Provence, and his general, Ibbas, crosses the Alps to deliverArles from Clovis I's clutch. Theodoric conquers the Burgundians atAvignon and Orange and makes Amalaric, his grandson and son of Alaric II,King of the Wisigoths. Clovis I loses the Bas-Languedoc, then calledSeptimania.

Around 510, Clovis has Cloderic, King of the Riparian tribes who hadfought in his support at Vouille, assassinated, and proclaims himselfKing of the Riparians. Thus, the Kingdom extends from the Pyrenees, tothe ocean to beyond the Rhine. Upon his death, according to Frankishcustom, his kingdom was divided among his four sons: Thierry, Clodomir,Childebert and Clotaire. Married circa 493: Sainte Clotilde de Bourgogne, daughter of Chilperic, King de Bourgogne and N?; Clotilde was aMerovingien. By the time Clovis I married her, he already had a sonthrough his concubine. Clotilde contributed to the conversion of Clovisto Christianity. After his death, she retired to the monastery ofSaint-Martin in Tours (France). Her Feast Day is 3 June. Baptized: on 25December 496; When the Queen, Clotilde, convinced Clovis I to have theirson Ingomer baptized, he relented. Shortly afterwards, the son died.

481 - Clovis - "The Franks were a Germanic tribe just east of the Rhinewho, even in the time of Julian, had carried through serious raids intoGaul. The rulers of the Franks were descended from a leader namedMerovech, so that they were called the 'Merovingians.' In 481, a15-year-old Merovingian named Clovis succeeded to the leadership of theFrankish tribes." [Isaac Asimov, Asimov's Chronology Of The World]

"When Meroveus's son Childeric died in AD 481, he was followed by his sonClovis, the most prominent of all the Merovingians and traditionallyreckoned founder of the French monarchy. At that time the Roman Churchgreatly feared the increasing popularity of the Arian religion in Gaul [aChristian faith which did not subscribe to the divinity of Jesus], andCatholicism was dangerously close to being completely overrun in WesternEurope. Clovis was, in practice, neither Catholic nor Arian and itoccured to the Roman hierarchy that the rise of Clovis could be used totheir advantage. As it transpired, Clovis aided them quite inadvertentlywhen he married the Burgundian Princess Clotilde." [Laurence Gardner,Realm Of The Ring Lords]

486 - Clovis - Clovis beat Syagrius at Soissons in northern Gaul. Thelast bit of land in the west that might be considered Roman was gone.
500 - Clovis - "About 500, Clovis defeated the Burgundians [his wife'skingsmen] in eastern Gaul."
507 - Clovis - "In 507, Clovis defeated the Visigoths and drove them outof Gaul."
508 - Clovis - "Clovis made his capital at Paris."
511 - Franks - "By the time of his death in 511, Clovis was master ofvirtually all of Gaul. In centuries to come, Gaul was the one province inthe west that lost its name. It was Gaul no more, but eventually became'France,' from the word 'Frank.' In German, the land is called'Frankreich' ['realm of the Franks']. On Clovis's death, his four sonseach inherited a portion of the Frankish kingdom and, as was inevitable,they fought eachother. This happened over and over and kept the Franksfrom becoming stronger than they were." [Isaac Asimov, Asimov'sChronology Of The World]

Clovis married Saint Clotilda (Queen Of The Franks) BURGUNDY in 492 in France. Clotilda (daughter of King Chilperic II Des BURGONDES and Caratene Of The Suevics (Agrippina De Narbonnaise) NARBONNE) was born in 475 in Remu, Bourgogne, Burgundy, France; died on 3 Jun 545 in Tours, Indre-Et-Loire, Touraine, France; was buried in Basilica Of The Holy Apostles Church, St. Genevieve, Paris, Ile-DE-France, France. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

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• FamilySearch ID: G611-BCW
• _UID: 7D2FEF41446C4A1AA63BAA2815C0C8C00007

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Clotilda was the wife of Clovis I, and the daughter of Chilperic, King of Burgundians of Lyons, and Caretena. After the death of King Gundovic (Gundioch), the Kingdom of Burgundy had been divided among his four sons, Chilperic reigning at Lyons, Gondebad at Vienne, and Godegisil at Geneva; Gondemar's capital is not mentioned. Chilperic and probably Godegisil were Catholics, while Gondebad professed Arianism. Clotilda was given a religious training by her mother caretena, who, according to Sidonius Apollinaris and Fortunatus of Poitiers, was a remarkable woman. After the death of Chilperic, Caretena seems to have made her home with Godegisil at Geneva, where her other daughter, Sedeleuba, or Chrona, founded the church of Saint-Victor, and took the religious habit. It was soon after the death of Chilperic that Clovis asked and obtained the hand of Clotilda.

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• FamilySearch ID: GJTW-452
• RULED: 458-481
• _UID: F31C825971AE41DBB0A20E676663C14CC24C

Notes:

Page 212 in "Dawn of European Civilization" has Merovingian chart. Itdiffers a little from some others; Cloderic is same as Childeric.

From "Rulers of the World" by R. F. Tapsell: "Childeric I became thethird King of the Franks in 458. He fought with the Roman Aegidiusagainst the Wisigoths. When Aegidius died in 464, he was succeeded byCount Paul. Childeric I's army helped Count Paul push back a Saxonadvance from Angers around 466. Count Paul died in 470. They had torepeat this feat around 475, since Count Paul had died and the Saxonsonce again had attempted to expand into Angers.

(Andre Castelot, Histoire de La France, Pages, 176, 200). Born: before 433, son of Merovee=Merovech, Prince des Francs and N?, Childeric I is presumed to have been at least 15 years of age by the time he succeeded his father in 448. Between 480 and 481 Childeric I's tomb in Tournai was discovered in 1653 and contained magnificent weapons. Buried: circa 481 in Tournai, Bigorre, France.

King of the Salian Franks 456-481, Childeric succeeded his semi-legendary father Merovech as king of the Salian Franks of northern Gaul in 456, during Roman times. He became infatuated with the daughters of his subjects, who were so incensed about this that they forced him to give up the throne. He discovered that they intended to assassinate him, and he fled to Thuringia, leaving a close friend and telling him to send him amessage when Childeric could return to his kingdom.

Childeric took refuge with Bisinus, King of the Thuringian Franks, and his wife Basina. The king elected by the Franks was cruel, and soon after Childeric was re-called to his kingdom by his friend, and was restored to the throne. Once Bisinus and Childeric were both kings, Basina deserted her husband and went to live with Childeric, who married her and had a son Clovis.

After a battle with Odoacer, King of the Saxons (and conquerer of the Western Roman Empire, 476), at Orleans, Childeric and the Saxon king made a peace treaty and together subdued the Alamanni, who had invaded a part of Italy. In 481 Childeric died and was succeeded by Clovis, his son by Basina.

Childeric married Basina, Princess Of Thuringia in 464 in Germany. Basina (daughter of Banin Chlodwig I (King Of Cologne) and Basina Of Saxony) was born in 444 in Thuringia, Germany; died in 489. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

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• FamilySearch ID: GJT7-L1S
• _UID: BB05D86167CF4414AAB92BAB7D2FE7CA1D9E

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Basina (Basine, Basina II), was queen of Thuringia in the middle of the fifth century. She left her husband king Bisinus (Basinus I) and went to Roman Gaul. She herself took the initiative to ask for the hand of Childeric I, king of the Franks, and married him. For as she herself said, "I want to have the most powerful man in the world". This remark of her may have been related to Childeric's successful invasion of the Roman Empire and his attempt to settle a Frankish kingdom on Roman soil.

Basina's name is probably Low Franconian for 'female boss'. She is the mother of the man who is remembered as the founder of the Frankish realm and modern France. She (not her husband Childeric) named her son Chlodovech, but he is better remembered under his Latinized name Clovis I. The simple fact that Chlodovech's name comes from Basina is remarkable since it was a common practice for the Franks to name a son after a member of the family of the male-line of ancestors. Through the ages historians have been intrigued by the story of Basina since she obviously acted as a player and not as bystander ? which is not uncommon for the women of the Franks, but highly uncommon for the Italians.

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• _UID: 9031B945410D43BD9593D95FEC2C96748FCE

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Third son of Gundioc, King of the Burgundians - After succeeding hisfather with his three brothers, Chilperic II was killed by his brotherGundobad, along with his wife. His two daughters were driven into exile.

Chilperic II (Latin: Chilperikus; c. 450? 493 AD) was the King of Burgundy from 473 until his death. Before that he co-ruled with his father Gondioc beginning in 463. He began his reign in 473 after the partition of Burgundy with his younger brothers Godegisel, Gundobad, and Godomar; he ruled from Valentia Julia (Valence) and his brothers ruled respectively from Geneva, Vienne, and Lyon.

Sometime in the early 470s Chilperic was forced to submit to the authority of the Roman Empire by the magister militum Ecdicius Avitus. In 475 he probably sheltered an exiled Ecdicius after the Visigoths had obtained possession of the Auvergne.

After his brother Gundobad had removed his other brother Godomar (Gundomar) in 486, he turned on Chilperic. In 493 Gundobad assassinated Chilperic and drowned his wife, then exiled their two daughters, Chroma, who became a nun, and Clotilde, who fled to her uncle, Godegisel. When the Frankish king, Clovis I, requested the latter's hand in marriage, Gundobad was unable to decline. Clovis and Godegisel allied against Gundobad in a long, drawn-out civil war.

Chilperic married Caratene Of The Suevics (Agrippina De Narbonnaise) NARBONNE in 474 in Remu, Bourgogne, Burgundy, France. Caratene (daughter of Ricimer General Of The ROMAN EMPIRE and Alypia DI ROMA) was born in 448 in Spain; died on 6 Sep 506 in Bourgogne, Burgundy, France. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

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• _UID: A3C24637C38D4891B47FC4802D5517DBF636

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event 0486, in Geneva. ?made her home, with her daughter Chrona, with her brother-in-law Godegeisel following her husbands death ? death 0506. ?She died "full of days", says her epitaph, having had the joy of seeing her children brought up in catholic religion. ABT 0486. ?Legend has it that she was killed by her brother-in-law, Gundobad, who had her sunk in water with a stone tied to her neck. The details of this are purely legendary and not based on fact.