A Biographical Dictionary of the Celebrated Women of Every Age and Country/Brunehaut
BRUNEHAUT, married A. D. 563. Died 613,
Daughter of Athanagildus, king of the Visigoths, in Spain, passed for the most accomplished princess of the age, and married Sigebert, king of Austrasia (one of the divisions of France) an amiable and valiant prince, but constantly engaged in war with the other descendants of Clovis, who divided France among them: he was assassinated by the agents of Fredegonde, in 575. Queen Brunehaut and her children were arrested; but her only son, Childebert, escaped, and regained his father's dominions. Meroveus, the son of Chilperic, then married Brunehaut, and deeply angered his father. He was soon murdered: Brunehaut became regent during her son's minority, and was constantly engaged in wars; Fredegonde frequently attempting to assassinate her and her son, but always failed. Childebert died, A. D. 596, leaving two children, who succeeded him, under the care of Brunehaut.
These brothers were continually quarrelling and jarring with each other. Theodebert, the eldest, expelled his grandmother from the court; some say, she set them at variance, and, with vindictive wrath, meditated his destruction: but this is disbelieved. She lived afterwards with Thierri, king of Burgundy, her second grandson: at length, in 613, they all sunk beneath the power of Clothaire II. king of Paris. He had her grand children and great grand children murdered; and, having ordered her to be brought before him, at the head of his army, reproached her, in the most indecent manner, with all the crimes that had been committed by his mother Fredegonde and himself: the troops, inflamed by this, called loudly for her death. During three days, she was exposed to their derision and insult, mounted on a camel, and paraded round the camp; on the fourth, she was tied to the tail of a horse, that had never been broken, and dashed to pieces on the ground; what remained of her body was thrown into the flames.
Authors are divided upon her character; some have drawn it as most vile; but the more respectable represent her as the perfect model of beauty and the graces, as a pattern of decency, wisdom, virtue, and meekness. Pope Gregory praises her as a princess ever attentive to the discharge of religious duties, a virtuous regent, and good mother; and her reign, notwithstanding all the detraction of calumny, has many instances of generosity, sense, firmness, and benevolence. There were, in after times, so many proofs of her public spirit remaining in castles, churches, monasteries, hospitals, and high roads, as almost to render it incredible they had been performed by the single monarch of a small part of France.