General Notes

King of Newustria, KING OF SOISSONS, King of France

Upon Clotaire's birth, his mother had his father assassinated and ruled Neustrie in his name. He became King of Soissons in 584, and was sole King of the Franks in 613.  He had his aunt Brunehaut (sister of his father's second wife) killed. In the year 596, through his mother Fredegonde, Clotaire II's territories were extended in the East. In 599, King Theodebert II of Austrasia and King Thierry II of Burgundy joined forces to take revenge upon Clotaire II. The Army of Neustria is beatten and the entire valley of the Seine is devastated. As a result, Thierry II's territory increased by taking away from Clotaire II, the lands between the Seine and the Loire. Theodebert II takes the lands of the Duchy of Dentelin. In 604, the Mayor of the Palace, Bertaut arouses the subjects against the King of Burgundy and they call on Clotaire II for help. On Christmas Day, 604, Clotaire rushes to their aid and crosses the Seine and pushes all to way to Orleans. On his return, he encounters an Army of Bourgogne, and is defeated at Etampes at which battle Bertaut is killed. Because Theodebert had not intervened, actually he had made peace in Compiegne with Clotaire II, Thierry II took offense and the two brothers became less than thrilled with each other. Brunehaut, unhappy with Theodebert, names as next Mayor of the Palace a Gallo-Roman named Protadius.  In 607, she pushed Thierry II to take up arms against his brother. During the battle, Protadius is killed and the two brothers make peace, humiliating their mother, Brunehaut. By 612, the brothers again were at war and Thierry II purchases Clotaire's neutrality by offering him the Duchy of Dentelin.  In 613 Clotaire II invades Austrasia upon the death of Thierry II, kills two of Thierry's sons [the other two disappear] , and has Brunehaut killed after the lords of Burgundy seize her and give her to him. At her "trial" Clotaire II had accused Brunehaut of having caused the death of ten frankish Kings:
1. Sigebert her first spouse, who was assassinated [though through no fault of Brunehaut] ;
2. Merovee, the son of Chilperic I [who was actually assassinated on the orders of Fredegonde] ;
3. Chilperic [killed in 584, and through no part from Brunehaut] ;
4. Theodebert II
5. of his son Clotaire [it is possible that Brunehaut had Cloraire assassinated after he deserted her] ;
6. Merovee, son of Clotaire II [highly doubtful that Brunehaut had a part in this murder] ;
7. Thierry II and his three sons [Thierry died of dysentery, and 8-10. his three sons were massacred on the order of Clotaire II himself].  For 3 days, Clotaire II personally tortures Brunehaut, then he parades her tied cross-wise to the back of a camel in front of his entire assembled army. Finally, he had her hair, and limbs tied to a wild horse which was allowed to run within a confined space while being beaten, therebye causing every limb to be broken and shortly thereafter she died at age 60 to 65. At this time, Clotaire II becomes the only surviving descendant of the sons of Clovis. He governs the Frankish Kingdom from the Pyrenees to the Rhine and beyond all the way to the Elbe, and the germanic peoples must pay him tribute. However, his power is limitted as in each of the three ancient kingdoms [Austrasia, Neustria and Burgundy] the Major Domus [Mayor of the Palace] becomes progressively more important. Submitting to the pressure of these mayors, Clotaire, Clotaire II on 23 January 623 makes his son Dagobert, King of occidental Austrasia [West of the Vosges and the Ardennes] as well as of Aquitaine. Again under pressure, in 626, Clotaire gives Dagobert Gomatrude [his wife's sister] as spouse. Three days after the wedding, Dagobert claims all of Austrasia was his, but Clotaire keeps control over Provence and Aquitaine. Married before 603: Bertrude . Married before 604: Haldetrude ; Haldetrude was one of three wives.