Queens, Concubines, and Succession Crises

The Merovingian practice of polygamy created complex dynamics around succession and female power. Kings maintained multiple sexual relationships, with the status of different partners often remaining ambiguous until succession issues arose. This system provided flexibility—kings could form alliances through marriages while maintaining other relationships—but also generated conflicts among rival queens and their supporters.

The career of Fredegund illustrates both the opportunities and dangers facing royal women. Beginning as a slave or servant, she became the concubine and later wife of King Chilperic I. After Chilperic's assassination in 584, Fredegund ruled as regent for her infant son Chlothar II, successfully defending his inheritance against rival Merovingian branches. Her methods—which included assassination, military campaigns, and careful alliance building—demonstrated the resources available to determined royal women.

Brunhild, Fredegund's great rival, represented a different model of female power. A Visigothic princess who married King Sigibert I, she outlived her husband, son, and grandsons, effectively ruling Austrasia and Burgundy for nearly forty years. Her attempts to strengthen royal authority and control aristocratic violence earned her powerful enemies. When she finally fell from power in 613, her enemies executed her with spectacular brutality, dragging her to death behind a horse—a fate that reflected both fear of her power and anger at her transgression of gender norms.

These succession crises revealed fundamental tensions in Merovingian politics. The principle of dynastic legitimacy—that only Merovingians could be kings—remained strong, but determining which Merovingian should rule proved contentious. The absence of primogeniture meant that all royal sons, whether born of wives or concubines, could claim inheritance rights. Minorities necessitated regencies, creating opportunities for queen mothers but also for aristocratic factions to expand their influence.