Brunichilde

Brunichilde was a prominent queen of the Franks during the late 6th and early 7th centuries. Born around 540, she was a princess of the Visigoths and the daughter of King Athanagild. In 567, she married Sigebert I, the Merovingian king of Austrasia. Their marriage was part of a larger political arrangement aimed at securing peace between the Franks and the Visigoths. Brunichilde was known for her intelligence and strong will, and she exerted considerable influence over her husband and the Austrasian court.

Following Sigebert's assassination in 575, Brunichilde became a regent for her young son, Childebert II. Her reign was marked by ongoing power struggles with her sister-in-law, Fredegund, the wife of Chilperic I of Neustria. These conflicts, known as the Merovingian civil wars, were brutal and protracted, involving assassinations, betrayals, and shifting alliances. Brunichilde played a significant role in these conflicts, often acting as a shrewd political operator.

After Childebert II's death in 595, she acted as regent for her grandsons, Theudebert II of Austrasia and Theuderic II of Burgundy. Her ambition to expand her influence and unify the Frankish kingdoms led to further conflict, particularly with Neustria. Eventually, her enemies, the Neustrian Franks under Clotaire II, captured her in 613. After a reign of nearly fifty years, during which she shaped the political landscape of the Frankish kingdoms, Brunichilde was brutally tortured and executed, reportedly being torn apart by wild horses. Her life and death are often viewed as a testament to the turbulent and violent nature of Merovingian politics.