Brunhilda of Austrasia. The Life of the Frankish Queen (eBook)

Essay in the subject History of Europe - Middle Ages, Early Modern Age, , language: English, abstract: Brunilda (other versions of her name in Latin sources include Brunhilde, Brunehilde, Brunichild, Brunechilde or Brunichildis) was a Frankish queen of Visigothic origin from 567 to 613. She was born between 445 and 550, the daughter of the Arian Visigoth king Atanagildo and his wife Gosuinda. In 566, she married the Merovingian king Sigeberto I, who ruled the Frankish subkingdom of Austrasia. After his assassination in 575, she entered into a short-lived marriage with Meroveu, the son of Quilperico I, king of the subkingdom of Neustria and Sigeberto's half-brother. After his death in 577, she played an important role as regent and representative of a strong kingship until her fall and execution in 613 by Clotário II, son and successor of Quilperico I. As wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother of the Austrasian and, since 592, Burgundian kings, she had decisive influence on the politics of the Frankish Empire. As a royal dowager, she took over the regency for her son and grandchildren several times and repeatedly asserted herself against attempted overthrows and conspiracies by opposition groups.