General Notes

BRUNHILDA (BRUNECHILDIS), queen of Austrasia (d. 613), was a daughter of Athanagild, king of the Visigoths. In 567 she was asked in marriage by Sigebert, who was reigning at Metz. She then abjured Arianism and was converted to the orthodox faith. Chilperic, brother of Sigebert, and king of the West Frankish kingdom, jealous of the renown which this marriage brought to his elder brother, married Brunhilda's sister, but soon assassinated her at the instigation of his mistress Fredegond. Sigebert was anxious to avenge his sister-in-law, but accepted the compensation offered by Chilperic, namely the cities of Bordeaux, Cahors and Limoges, and Béarn and Bigorre.
This treaty did not prevent war soon again breaking out between Sigebert and Chilperic. So long as her husband lived, Brunhilda played a secondary part, but having been made captive by Chilperic after her husband's assassination (575), she escaped, after a series of extraordinary adventures, by means of a marriage with Merovech, the son of her conqueror. From this time on, she took the lead; in Austrasia she opposed the nobles, who wished to govern in the name of her son Childebert II; but she was worsted and had to seek refuge in Burgundy. After the death of Childebert II (597), she aspired to govern Austrasia and Burgundy in the name of her grandsons Theudebert and Theuderich II. She was expelled from Austrasia, and then stirred up Theuderich II against his brother, whom he defeated and put to death. Theuderich II died shortly after this victory and Brunhilda caused one of her great-grandchildren to be proclaimed king. The nobles of Austrasia and Burdundy, however, summoned Clotaire II, son of Fredegond, to help them against the queen. Brunhilda was given up to him and put to death (613).
Brunhilda seems to have had political ideas and to have wished to attain to the royal power. She was a protectress of the church, and Pope Gregory I (590-604) addressed a series of letters to her in which he showered praises upon her. She took it upon herself, however, to supervise the bishoprics and monasteries, and came into conflict with Columban, abbot of Lexeuil.
------------------------
Brunhild, also spelled BRUNHILDA, BRUNHILDE, or BRUNECHILDIS, French BRUNEHAUT (b. c. 534--d. 613, Renève, Burgundy [now in France]), queen of the Frankish kingdom of Austrasia, daughter of the Visigothic king Athanagild, and one of the most forceful figures of the Merovingian Age.
In 567 Brunhild married Sigebert I, king of Austrasia, changing her religion from Arianism to Roman Catholicism. In the same year, her sister Galswintha married Sigebert's half brother Chilperic I, king of the western part of the Frankish territory, but in 567 or 568, at the instigation of his concubine Fredegund, Chilperic had Galswintha murdered. Prompted by Brunhild, Sigebert then exacted Galswintha's marriage settlement (Bordeaux, Limoges, Quercy, Béarn, and Bigorre) as retribution from Chilperic. When Chilperic tried to recover this territory, war broke out between him and Sigebert (573). At first it ran in Sigebert's favour, but in 575 he was assassinated and Brunhild was imprisoned at Rouen. There, however, Merovech, one of Chilperic's sons, went through a form of marriage with her (576). Chilperic soon had this union dissolved, but Brunhild was allowed to go to Metz in Austrasia, where her young son Childebert II had been proclaimed king. There she was to assert herself against the Austrasian magnates for the next 30 years.
After Childebert's death (595 or 596), Brunhild failed to set herself up as guardian over Childebert's elder son, Theodebert II of Austrasia, and thus stirred up against him his brother Theodoric II, who had succeeded to Burgundy. Theodebert was finally overthrown in 612, but Theodoric died soon afterward (613), whereupon Brunhild tried to make the latter's eldest son, the 12-year-old Sigebert II, king of Austrasia. The Austrasian magnates, reluctant to endure her tyrannous regency, appe