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Sigebert I

Type Figure Region Austrasia Time c. 535–575 Also known as Sigebert of Austrasia

Sigebert I (c. 535–575) was the Merovingian king of Austrasia, son of Chlothar I, who married the Visigothic princess Brunhilda in 566 and was assass…

Timeline

  1. c. 535–561Frankish Kingdom · Frankish KingdomSigebert I was among the sons of Chlothar I noted for intellectual and military talent, growing up in the unified Frankish Kingdom. Sources record that his relations with his half-brother Chilperic I were already tense, and Chilperic at one point tried to seize their father's entire inheritance. After Chlothar I died in 561, the four sons divided the kingdom according to Frankish tradition, and Sigebert received Austrasia centered on Metz.
  2. 561–566Metz · AustrasiaIn the early years of his reign, Sigebert I faced the threat of the Avars from the east. He campaigned twice, around 562–566; the first, at Thuringia, ended in defeat and he was even captured, later ransomed; the second, through negotiations with the Avar leader, successfully halted their advance into Frankish territory. These experiences made him renowned as a king skilled at dealing with the barbarians of the east.
  3. 566–575Metz · AustrasiaIn 566 Sigebert married the Visigothic princess Brunhilda, a union contemporaries regarded as a noble model, praised by Gregory of Tours. Brunhilda bore him several children, including Childebert II, born around 570. Around 568, at Fredegund's instigation, Chilperic strangled Brunhilda's sister Galswintha, and Sigebert promptly declared war on Neustria. In 575 he again took the field, nearly capturing Paris and preparing to be acclaimed king of all the Franks, but on the eve of victory he was assassinated at Vitry by killers sent by Fredegund.
  4. 575Vitry · NeustriaIn 575, at the height of his military successes, Sigebert I was struck down at his camp at Vitry by two young assassins sent by Fredegund, wielding poisoned blades, while receiving homage from nobles of various regions, and died on the spot. His death turned the course of the entire war: the Neustrian army quickly stabilized the situation, Brunhilda was captured, and his young son Childebert II (about five years old) succeeded to the throne of Austrasia with noble support. Sigebert I's assassination became the central starting point of the Merovingian civil wars of the following decades.

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