General Notes

When Chlotar, King of the Franks, died in 561 he divided the kingdomamong his four sons: Chilperic received Soissons. Right away, in 562,Chilperic invaded the lands of his brother King Sigebert I of Metz, thusstarting the civil wars. Sigebert advanced all the way to the city ofSoissons, exiled Chilperic's son Theudebert, and forced a peace treatyout of Chilperic. In 567, their brother King Charibert I of Paris died,the kingdom was partitioned among the two and their other brother KingGuntram of Burgundy, and Chilperic immediately invaded Sigebert's legalshare, but was defeated.

Chilperic next allied with Guntram against Sigebert (who was in the midstof a war with Guntram). As hostilities mounted, Guntram swiched hisalliance to Sigebert and Chilperic surrendered. The same exact thinghappened the next year, 575, when Guntram again allied with Chilperic.That year, Sigebert died and left his kingdom to his son Childebert II.Chilperic banished Sigebert's wife Brunhild, took her money, andimprisoner her daughters. Chilperic then renewed hostilities withGuntram. In that year, Guntram's general Mummolus defeated DukeDesidarius, Chilperic's senior general. In 577, Guntram and Childebert
made an alliance, demanding all of the lands Chilperic took from them.When the dysentery epidemic swept through Gaul in 580, Chilperic not onlylost two sons but became ill himself. However, by the next year he wasdoing better and was able to make peace with Childebert. That year, asChilperic had no sons of his own, he named his nephew, King Childebert IIof Austrasia, his successor. A war with Guntram began and ended this yearin which Duke Desidarius took many cities from the kingdom of Burgundy.In 582, Chilperic and Fredegund had another son, Theuderic, who died twoyears later. In 584,
Chilperic was assassinated. He died at peace with his brother Guntram andat war with his nephew and alleged successor Childebert, but left a sonborn that very year: Chlotar.

King of Soissons 561-584