Chilperic I

Timeline

1. c. 539–561Frankish Kingdom · Frankish KingdomChilperic I was a son of Chlothar I; his father is said to have intended to leave him the entire kingdom but was prevented by his other brothers. After Chlothar I died in 561, the kingdom was divided among four sons according to Frankish custom: Chilperic received Neustria with Soissons at its core, while the other three kingdoms went to his brothers Charibert I, Guntram, and Sigbert I.
2. 561–575Soissons · NeustriaAfter accession, Chilperic briefly seized his father's treasury and tried to take Paris, only to be driven out by his brothers acting together. He took the Visigoth princess Galswintha of Spain as his second wife, but soon had her strangled at the instigation of his concubine Fredegund (c. 567–568), an act that completely inflamed the enmity with Galswintha's sister Brunhilda, queen of Austrasia, and sparked years of Frankish civil war.
3. 575–584Paris · NeustriaAfter Fredegund's assassins killed Sigbert I in 575, Chilperic seized Paris and large tracts of Austrasian territory, briefly capturing Brunhilda. During this period he pursued religious policies, forcing Jews to be baptized, and revised the Salic Law. He also tried adding new letters to the Latin alphabet and composed Latin poetry, both of which drew Gregory's criticism of his shallow learning.
4. 584An estate near Chièvres · NeustriaIn autumn 584 Chilperic I was stabbed to death while returning from an estate; the killer's identity remains a mystery. Some historians suspect Fredegund arranged it, others believe Brunhilda was behind it, or that other political opponents were responsible. After his death, Fredegund secured the regency of Neustria with the young Chlothar II.