1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:04,600 Speaker 1: Welcome to Noble Blood, a production of iHeartRadio and Grim 2 00:00:04,600 --> 00:00:10,840 Speaker 1: and Mild from Aaron Manky listener discretion advised. With the 3 00:00:10,920 --> 00:00:14,920 Speaker 1: king lying dead out in the stable yard, chaos reigned 4 00:00:15,040 --> 00:00:19,680 Speaker 1: inside the villa. Nobles grabbed what valuables they could and fled. 5 00:00:20,200 --> 00:00:25,120 Speaker 1: Servants scrambled as rumors spread about assassins in their midst, 6 00:00:25,640 --> 00:00:30,880 Speaker 1: and the Queen frantically paced in an adviser's chambers, unable 7 00:00:31,160 --> 00:00:35,879 Speaker 1: or unwilling to visit her husband's body. Any shock or 8 00:00:36,159 --> 00:00:41,239 Speaker 1: grief that Queen Fredigound felt on that fateful September night 9 00:00:41,400 --> 00:00:46,640 Speaker 1: in five hundred eighty four was outweighed by her survival instincts. 10 00:00:47,520 --> 00:00:51,920 Speaker 1: Fredegund knew how swiftly the pendulum of power could swing 11 00:00:52,200 --> 00:00:57,520 Speaker 1: in the warring realms of Francia, having experienced higher highs 12 00:00:57,560 --> 00:01:01,760 Speaker 1: and lower lows than just about anyone. If she did 13 00:01:01,800 --> 00:01:06,399 Speaker 1: not act quickly, she and her infant son, whose existence 14 00:01:06,480 --> 00:01:09,200 Speaker 1: she had kept a secret, would both be at the 15 00:01:09,240 --> 00:01:13,000 Speaker 1: mercy of her enemies. By that point, she had already 16 00:01:13,080 --> 00:01:17,080 Speaker 1: lost four boys and could not bear to lose another. 17 00:01:17,640 --> 00:01:21,479 Speaker 1: She had spent years clawing and scheming her way from 18 00:01:21,520 --> 00:01:25,399 Speaker 1: slavery to the pinnacle of the mayor Vingian monarchy, and 19 00:01:25,480 --> 00:01:29,920 Speaker 1: she wasn't about to lose it all. So Fredigund fled 20 00:01:30,040 --> 00:01:33,680 Speaker 1: to a cathedral in Paris and hold up with her baby, 21 00:01:34,200 --> 00:01:40,920 Speaker 1: cornered but still calculating. Historians do not definitively know who 22 00:01:41,160 --> 00:01:44,919 Speaker 1: ordered the hit on Fredgun's husband, but it's not hard 23 00:01:45,080 --> 00:01:49,680 Speaker 1: to make an educated guess. Fredgund herself would have had 24 00:01:49,800 --> 00:01:55,120 Speaker 1: an instant hunch about the orchestrator, because roughly a decade earlier, 25 00:01:55,640 --> 00:01:59,880 Speaker 1: she herself had planned the assassination of a neighboring king 26 00:02:00,040 --> 00:02:04,440 Speaker 1: king who was the husband of a fierce rival. Fredegund 27 00:02:04,600 --> 00:02:08,400 Speaker 1: also knew that whether or not that rival, Queen Brunhild, 28 00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:14,280 Speaker 1: was responsible, Brunhild would certainly seek to capitalize on the 29 00:02:14,440 --> 00:02:18,839 Speaker 1: frenzied aftermath of the killing, because that was exactly how 30 00:02:18,960 --> 00:02:24,840 Speaker 1: Fredagun's rival operated. Sure Enough, as panicky members of Fredagun's 31 00:02:25,000 --> 00:02:30,160 Speaker 1: entourage fled, Brunhild was already waiting to intercept them with 32 00:02:30,280 --> 00:02:35,040 Speaker 1: her own son and their robust army. Similar to Fredegund, 33 00:02:35,240 --> 00:02:42,200 Speaker 1: Brunhild had weathered grave tragedies and engineered stunning victories. She 34 00:02:42,480 --> 00:02:47,399 Speaker 1: too had once even found herself vulnerably confined in Paris 35 00:02:47,800 --> 00:02:52,880 Speaker 1: after suddenly becoming a widow. As Brunhild's forces closed in, 36 00:02:53,200 --> 00:02:57,239 Speaker 1: she was likely unaware that Fredegund had recently given birth. 37 00:02:57,800 --> 00:03:01,200 Speaker 1: She was probably hoping that this conquest would help her 38 00:03:01,280 --> 00:03:06,959 Speaker 1: own teenage son consolidate power over Francia with her expanding 39 00:03:07,040 --> 00:03:12,119 Speaker 1: role as regent. The news that Fredegund had eluded capture 40 00:03:12,280 --> 00:03:16,919 Speaker 1: and entrenched herself in a church would have surely been 41 00:03:17,160 --> 00:03:23,080 Speaker 1: vexing to Brunehild, but probably not surprising. After all, that 42 00:03:23,400 --> 00:03:29,280 Speaker 1: was how Brunehild's rival maneuvered. To some the two queen's 43 00:03:29,560 --> 00:03:34,200 Speaker 1: looming showdown might have seemed like it would finally bring 44 00:03:34,240 --> 00:03:39,120 Speaker 1: an end to their epic war perpetuating conflict, But for 45 00:03:39,320 --> 00:03:44,480 Speaker 1: Brunhild and Fredegund, this would be yet one more blood 46 00:03:44,520 --> 00:03:51,120 Speaker 1: stained piece of their utterly unprecedented puzzle. I'm Dana Schwartz, 47 00:03:51,640 --> 00:03:58,560 Speaker 1: and this is noble blood. Quite a lot happened in 48 00:03:58,680 --> 00:04:03,160 Speaker 1: Brunehild's and Freddigun's storylines prior to where we left them 49 00:04:03,200 --> 00:04:07,279 Speaker 1: at the end of part one, and in quickly recapping 50 00:04:07,360 --> 00:04:11,680 Speaker 1: the highlights, eerie parallels and stark differences in their reigns, 51 00:04:12,120 --> 00:04:16,760 Speaker 1: the narrative practically comes off like a sensational boxing match. 52 00:04:17,320 --> 00:04:21,520 Speaker 1: In the Austrasian corner, there was the early crowd favorite 53 00:04:21,640 --> 00:04:27,240 Speaker 1: brune Hild, the highly touted princess turned queen fighting out 54 00:04:27,279 --> 00:04:32,400 Speaker 1: of Neustria. There's the underdog Fredigund, a survivor who lifted 55 00:04:32,440 --> 00:04:36,720 Speaker 1: herself all the way from forced servitude to the highest 56 00:04:36,880 --> 00:04:40,719 Speaker 1: seat of power available. The early rounds of their battle 57 00:04:40,839 --> 00:04:46,640 Speaker 1: saw fierce sparring, everything from Fredigund possibly influencing her husband 58 00:04:46,960 --> 00:04:52,279 Speaker 1: to murder Brunhild's sister, to Brunhild helping mastermind a clever 59 00:04:52,520 --> 00:04:57,400 Speaker 1: legal claim so that her husband, King Siegbert, could invade 60 00:04:57,520 --> 00:05:02,640 Speaker 1: Fredagun's country. Just when Brunhild's side seemed poised to strike 61 00:05:02,680 --> 00:05:07,480 Speaker 1: a knockout blow, Fredegund came in with a stunningly sneaky 62 00:05:07,600 --> 00:05:14,000 Speaker 1: jab engineering King Siegbert's assassination. This flipped the whole fight 63 00:05:14,480 --> 00:05:18,960 Speaker 1: and left Brunhild on the ropes. Nevertheless, she opted to 64 00:05:19,040 --> 00:05:23,920 Speaker 1: go down swinging, saving her children and getting herself sent 65 00:05:24,040 --> 00:05:27,960 Speaker 1: off to a convent. This is where we pick back up, 66 00:05:28,000 --> 00:05:32,920 Speaker 1: with Brunhild stuck desperately figuring out how to get herself 67 00:05:33,000 --> 00:05:38,400 Speaker 1: back in the game. Fortunately for Brunhild. In that convent 68 00:05:38,480 --> 00:05:44,760 Speaker 1: in Ruan, she reportedly found an ideal co conspirator, Odovera, 69 00:05:45,240 --> 00:05:51,680 Speaker 1: the banished first wife of Chilpric, Fredign's husband. According to 70 00:05:51,880 --> 00:05:56,839 Speaker 1: some accounts, Otdevera had high status among the insular world 71 00:05:57,000 --> 00:06:01,400 Speaker 1: of the nuns. This won her certain priviledges and a 72 00:06:01,480 --> 00:06:05,839 Speaker 1: level of respect from the older bishop in charge, which 73 00:06:05,920 --> 00:06:10,839 Speaker 1: in turn made her a useful ally for Brunhild, especially 74 00:06:10,880 --> 00:06:15,720 Speaker 1: because the two had so much in common. Both Brunhild 75 00:06:16,200 --> 00:06:21,640 Speaker 1: and Odevera had been deposed by Fredigend and Chilpric, suffering 76 00:06:21,720 --> 00:06:27,359 Speaker 1: losses and humiliating ostracisms in the process. On top of 77 00:06:27,480 --> 00:06:31,960 Speaker 1: all the painful and personal reasons, the queens may have 78 00:06:32,080 --> 00:06:37,920 Speaker 1: wanted to seek revenge against the Nustrian monarchs, immense power 79 00:06:38,080 --> 00:06:43,600 Speaker 1: and lucrative assets were hanging in the balance. Brunehild's son 80 00:06:44,200 --> 00:06:48,240 Speaker 1: was in a risky position as the king of Austrasia, 81 00:06:48,360 --> 00:06:51,360 Speaker 1: since he was so young and did not have her 82 00:06:51,440 --> 00:06:56,760 Speaker 1: there as a protective regent for Otdevera. Her own children 83 00:06:56,960 --> 00:07:01,360 Speaker 1: were supposed to inherit lands and titles after Chilprick's death, 84 00:07:02,040 --> 00:07:05,320 Speaker 1: except those agreements were put in jeopardy by all of 85 00:07:05,360 --> 00:07:09,640 Speaker 1: Fredigun's plotting and the birthing of her own heirs. So 86 00:07:09,880 --> 00:07:16,120 Speaker 1: despite their limited resources inside the nunnery, Brunhild and Odevera 87 00:07:16,560 --> 00:07:23,240 Speaker 1: yearned to execute a decisive move. Otdovera's connections evidently allowed 88 00:07:23,280 --> 00:07:27,800 Speaker 1: them to send and receive covert messages, but the all 89 00:07:27,880 --> 00:07:33,840 Speaker 1: important question was whom should they contact. Meanwhile, Fredegund was 90 00:07:33,960 --> 00:07:38,240 Speaker 1: enjoying the dominance that her successful regicide had won. Her 91 00:07:38,880 --> 00:07:43,200 Speaker 1: sources claimed that her husband would defer so significantly to 92 00:07:43,320 --> 00:07:46,920 Speaker 1: Fredegund on court matters that he would sometimes refuse to 93 00:07:47,000 --> 00:07:53,320 Speaker 1: take unilateral action without her approval. As previously mentioned, Fredegund 94 00:07:53,400 --> 00:07:58,160 Speaker 1: seemed particularly keen on using her newfound authority to dole 95 00:07:58,280 --> 00:08:05,679 Speaker 1: out brutal justice. She reportedly regularly sentenced failed assassins, servants, 96 00:08:05,720 --> 00:08:11,120 Speaker 1: and supposedly disloyal subjects to having their hands, noses, and 97 00:08:11,400 --> 00:08:16,600 Speaker 1: ears hacked off. There are also several recorded instances of 98 00:08:16,680 --> 00:08:19,680 Speaker 1: her ordering her enemies to be broken on the rack 99 00:08:19,960 --> 00:08:25,240 Speaker 1: or burned alive. Fredigund also often pursued her own ends 100 00:08:25,240 --> 00:08:29,880 Speaker 1: without input from her husband, by bribing many officials and 101 00:08:30,120 --> 00:08:35,080 Speaker 1: planning further assassinations. She was so effective in her aims 102 00:08:35,400 --> 00:08:41,679 Speaker 1: that many Francs, particularly brune Hild's supporters, increasingly labeled her 103 00:08:41,920 --> 00:08:45,880 Speaker 1: an evil witch, but there appears to be little to 104 00:08:45,960 --> 00:08:51,240 Speaker 1: no evidence that Fredagund even tried to refute those supernatural rumors. 105 00:08:51,720 --> 00:08:58,480 Speaker 1: Presumably she preferred being feared, with word of Fredagund's growing 106 00:08:58,640 --> 00:09:04,400 Speaker 1: influence reaching even their convent. Brunhild and Otdevera knew the 107 00:09:04,480 --> 00:09:09,119 Speaker 1: clock was ticking on their comeback, so their strategic instincts 108 00:09:09,400 --> 00:09:14,559 Speaker 1: hit on the fastest means of gaining power. Marriage. They 109 00:09:14,720 --> 00:09:20,000 Speaker 1: hatched a mutually beneficial plan for Brunhild to contact and 110 00:09:20,120 --> 00:09:25,800 Speaker 1: marry otto Vera's oldest living son, who was Chilprick's son 111 00:09:25,960 --> 00:09:30,840 Speaker 1: and Fredigun's step son. If you're keeping track, bucking norms, 112 00:09:30,880 --> 00:09:35,640 Speaker 1: Brunehild even probably proposed to him. This is not just 113 00:09:35,840 --> 00:09:40,640 Speaker 1: revisionist history. A seventh century scribe stated it that way, 114 00:09:41,040 --> 00:09:45,839 Speaker 1: reframing the bride as the active party in theory that 115 00:09:45,960 --> 00:09:51,240 Speaker 1: match would greatly elevate both vanished queen's positions. Otto Vera's 116 00:09:51,280 --> 00:09:54,679 Speaker 1: son would become even more prominent, and they could then 117 00:09:54,760 --> 00:09:59,079 Speaker 1: claim that he was the rightful heir of Neustria, undermining 118 00:09:59,200 --> 00:10:04,240 Speaker 1: Fredigund and her children and Brunhild would be regent as 119 00:10:04,320 --> 00:10:08,840 Speaker 1: her son ruled Austrasia, and she could be a queen consort. 120 00:10:08,960 --> 00:10:13,280 Speaker 1: If her new husband overthrew his estranged father, she could 121 00:10:13,360 --> 00:10:19,000 Speaker 1: potentially become queen of two thirds of Francia. Brunhild and 122 00:10:19,080 --> 00:10:23,880 Speaker 1: Odevera's son wed in five hundred seventy six in the 123 00:10:23,920 --> 00:10:30,080 Speaker 1: same cathedral where Brunhild's sister had married Chilpric. This wedding 124 00:10:30,360 --> 00:10:34,160 Speaker 1: was much more cobbled together than Brunhild's first, and was 125 00:10:34,200 --> 00:10:40,280 Speaker 1: also somewhat scandalous, since technically a groom marrying his uncle's 126 00:10:40,400 --> 00:10:44,720 Speaker 1: widow was a form of incest frowned upon by the Church. 127 00:10:45,559 --> 00:10:51,480 Speaker 1: But their union was bolstered by several elements. First, Brunhild 128 00:10:51,559 --> 00:10:56,760 Speaker 1: and her new husband were not blood relatives. Second, Otdovera 129 00:10:56,920 --> 00:11:01,120 Speaker 1: had previously gotten the presiding bishop to agree to be 130 00:11:01,280 --> 00:11:05,800 Speaker 1: the groom's godfather, so he likely fancied himself a plumb 131 00:11:05,840 --> 00:11:09,680 Speaker 1: position if his godson became the new king of Neustria. 132 00:11:10,320 --> 00:11:13,880 Speaker 1: And Third, stirring up a bit of scandal was the 133 00:11:13,920 --> 00:11:19,120 Speaker 1: whole point. Brunhild was trying to stoke a rebellion against 134 00:11:19,160 --> 00:11:22,920 Speaker 1: her ex brother in law and new sister in law. 135 00:11:23,600 --> 00:11:28,040 Speaker 1: Sorry for all the complicated inter family dynamics here, but 136 00:11:28,160 --> 00:11:32,160 Speaker 1: the headline is this was a power move, and time 137 00:11:32,240 --> 00:11:36,720 Speaker 1: to get your royal rivalry scorecards out, because both queens 138 00:11:37,040 --> 00:11:43,160 Speaker 1: were fully back in the ring. Unfortunately for Brunhild, her 139 00:11:43,200 --> 00:11:47,000 Speaker 1: new husband's army seems to have been defeated in such 140 00:11:47,120 --> 00:11:51,760 Speaker 1: a quick manner that their downfall comes across as mystifyingly 141 00:11:51,960 --> 00:11:56,640 Speaker 1: vague in most historical accounts. Nevertheless, what was clear was 142 00:11:56,679 --> 00:12:01,760 Speaker 1: that Chilbric easily captured the newlyweds. He forced his wayward 143 00:12:01,840 --> 00:12:05,319 Speaker 1: son to become a priest. Then, apparently tired of all 144 00:12:05,320 --> 00:12:09,320 Speaker 1: these scandals and headaches that Brunhild was causing, the King 145 00:12:09,559 --> 00:12:13,599 Speaker 1: negotiated with her to allow her to return to Austrasia 146 00:12:13,880 --> 00:12:19,160 Speaker 1: if she promised to completely abandon her new husband. Brunhild's 147 00:12:19,160 --> 00:12:22,280 Speaker 1: deal making skills were so honed by this point, though, 148 00:12:22,640 --> 00:12:26,319 Speaker 1: that on top of securing her release, she also bought 149 00:12:26,360 --> 00:12:31,280 Speaker 1: herself some added time to sneakily shore up her alliances. 150 00:12:31,320 --> 00:12:38,000 Speaker 1: Before returning home, she supposedly secretly delivered more accrude treasure 151 00:12:38,400 --> 00:12:42,600 Speaker 1: to that same enterprising bishop in case he could support 152 00:12:42,640 --> 00:12:47,800 Speaker 1: her now disavowed husband in a second effort to overthrow 153 00:12:47,880 --> 00:12:52,559 Speaker 1: his father, and on top of that, Brunhild somehow also 154 00:12:52,679 --> 00:12:57,320 Speaker 1: got Chilbric to agree to return her hostaged daughters to her. 155 00:12:57,880 --> 00:13:02,199 Speaker 1: So miraculously, if you're keeping, in a matter of months, 156 00:13:02,520 --> 00:13:07,280 Speaker 1: Brunhild had managed to escape her convent, return home, richer 157 00:13:07,360 --> 00:13:11,920 Speaker 1: in gold and allies, and reunite her family so she 158 00:13:11,960 --> 00:13:16,400 Speaker 1: could watch over them as regent of Australia. Fredigund may 159 00:13:16,440 --> 00:13:19,360 Speaker 1: have gained the upper hand in the last few rounds 160 00:13:19,360 --> 00:13:23,679 Speaker 1: of their fight, but this one went resoundingly to Brunhild. 161 00:13:24,679 --> 00:13:29,320 Speaker 1: Over the next eight years, both Brunhild and Fredigund both 162 00:13:29,520 --> 00:13:34,640 Speaker 1: proved to be productive rulers. As regent, Brunhild became a 163 00:13:34,800 --> 00:13:39,840 Speaker 1: skilled diplomat, deftly managed the squabbling nobles of her court, 164 00:13:40,320 --> 00:13:45,080 Speaker 1: and heavily invested in infrastructure that included repairing old Roman 165 00:13:45,160 --> 00:13:50,880 Speaker 1: roads and constructing a hospital and beautiful churches. Fredegund was 166 00:13:50,920 --> 00:13:55,120 Speaker 1: noted for her popular tax reforms, as well as for 167 00:13:55,200 --> 00:14:00,240 Speaker 1: sniffing out plots against her, both legitimate and perceived, and 168 00:14:00,360 --> 00:14:06,040 Speaker 1: even for her military acumen. The legendary boldness and creativity 169 00:14:06,120 --> 00:14:11,400 Speaker 1: that Fredigund exhibited especially when her forces were vastly outnumbered. 170 00:14:11,880 --> 00:14:17,280 Speaker 1: Won her the respect of her armies and inspired numerous historians, writers, 171 00:14:17,320 --> 00:14:23,480 Speaker 1: and tacticians, but Fredigund also suffered many tragedies through this period. 172 00:14:24,000 --> 00:14:28,560 Speaker 1: She devastatingly lost four sons in a seven year span, 173 00:14:29,160 --> 00:14:33,880 Speaker 1: mostly due to dysentery, and just after birthing a fifth 174 00:14:34,000 --> 00:14:37,880 Speaker 1: son in secret, her life would once again be turned 175 00:14:38,000 --> 00:14:42,000 Speaker 1: upside down. While staying at a villa outside of Paris 176 00:14:42,040 --> 00:14:46,560 Speaker 1: in five hundred eighty four, her husband Chilpric, returned to 177 00:14:46,680 --> 00:14:51,120 Speaker 1: his stables after a hunt. His party began to disperse, 178 00:14:51,200 --> 00:14:56,640 Speaker 1: and allegedly, as he dismounted himself, an assassin lunged forward 179 00:14:56,960 --> 00:15:01,480 Speaker 1: and stabbed him multiple times. Whether or not brun Hild 180 00:15:01,720 --> 00:15:07,200 Speaker 1: sent the assassin, momentum was massively swinging back into her favor. 181 00:15:07,960 --> 00:15:11,200 Speaker 1: The king bled out on the ground, and his death 182 00:15:11,320 --> 00:15:15,840 Speaker 1: caused such an instant frenzy that no one dared approach 183 00:15:16,000 --> 00:15:20,320 Speaker 1: the body for hours, being either afraid of associating themselves 184 00:15:20,400 --> 00:15:24,200 Speaker 1: with the murder or too preoccupied with planning their next 185 00:15:24,360 --> 00:15:30,920 Speaker 1: strategic moves. Fredigund fell into the latter category, while brun 186 00:15:31,040 --> 00:15:36,240 Speaker 1: Hilled and her Australian forces rapidly approached. Fredigund fled to 187 00:15:36,360 --> 00:15:40,000 Speaker 1: Paris to seek sanctuary in a huge cathedral that was, 188 00:15:40,320 --> 00:15:45,000 Speaker 1: by all accounts as extravagant as most palaces, but it 189 00:15:45,280 --> 00:15:50,640 Speaker 1: essentially amounted to Fredigund as an ornate bunker as she 190 00:15:50,920 --> 00:15:57,680 Speaker 1: once again had to brainstorm how to avoid death or imprisonment. Ultimately, 191 00:15:57,840 --> 00:16:01,400 Speaker 1: she would choose a similar strategy as the one Brunhild 192 00:16:01,520 --> 00:16:06,400 Speaker 1: had used years ago, namely, using persuasive talents as well 193 00:16:06,440 --> 00:16:11,880 Speaker 1: as a large stash of treasure, Fredigund successfully drew Brunhild 194 00:16:11,920 --> 00:16:15,720 Speaker 1: and her son's full attention while also drawing the eye 195 00:16:16,120 --> 00:16:22,200 Speaker 1: of another influential figure, Guntram, King of Burgundy. We haven't 196 00:16:22,280 --> 00:16:25,800 Speaker 1: brought up Guntram and his third Kingdom of Francy up 197 00:16:25,840 --> 00:16:30,800 Speaker 1: much until this point, because, frankishly speaking, his ambitions and 198 00:16:31,000 --> 00:16:35,080 Speaker 1: actions did not seem to be as consistently dramatic or 199 00:16:35,160 --> 00:16:39,360 Speaker 1: earthshaking as his brothers, let alone those of his sisters 200 00:16:39,400 --> 00:16:44,040 Speaker 1: in law. Gontram often fell into the role of peacemaker, 201 00:16:44,160 --> 00:16:48,800 Speaker 1: buffer or underdog supporter in the civil war. Basically, he 202 00:16:48,840 --> 00:16:53,840 Speaker 1: didn't want either neighboring kingdom to become too powerful. Guontram 203 00:16:54,000 --> 00:16:58,480 Speaker 1: also detested the idea of women ruling and thought widowed 204 00:16:58,640 --> 00:17:03,800 Speaker 1: deposed queen's should stay stashed in convents, but when needed, 205 00:17:03,920 --> 00:17:09,640 Speaker 1: Brunhild and Fredegund both found ways to get crafty with him. 206 00:17:09,960 --> 00:17:14,480 Speaker 1: Knowing that Gutram had no surviving heirs, Brunehilde had managed 207 00:17:14,520 --> 00:17:16,960 Speaker 1: to make a deal with him to adopt her son 208 00:17:17,240 --> 00:17:21,280 Speaker 1: as heir to Burgundy in exchange for agreeing to stop 209 00:17:21,320 --> 00:17:26,600 Speaker 1: the Australian's war against Neustria. Once again. She was angling 210 00:17:26,760 --> 00:17:30,359 Speaker 1: to ensure that her line would eventually be able to 211 00:17:30,440 --> 00:17:35,359 Speaker 1: control at least two thirds of Francia. However, Fredegund was 212 00:17:35,440 --> 00:17:40,120 Speaker 1: apparently aware that Gutram had done that, and she had 213 00:17:40,160 --> 00:17:44,919 Speaker 1: also intuited that Gutram was still resentful of Brunhild for 214 00:17:45,040 --> 00:17:50,360 Speaker 1: wielding so much power. So, while stuck in her Paris 215 00:17:50,400 --> 00:17:56,040 Speaker 1: cathedral with limited time and means of communication, Fredegund thought 216 00:17:56,200 --> 00:18:01,560 Speaker 1: carefully on the best tact to take with her potential lifeline. 217 00:18:02,440 --> 00:18:07,479 Speaker 1: She tapped into Gutram's paternal instincts, but rather than asking 218 00:18:07,560 --> 00:18:11,720 Speaker 1: him for any adoption favors, she sent him a message 219 00:18:12,040 --> 00:18:17,080 Speaker 1: appealing for pity since she had a newborn baby. According 220 00:18:17,080 --> 00:18:21,280 Speaker 1: to Bishop Gregory of tour Our most thorough source from 221 00:18:21,320 --> 00:18:25,840 Speaker 1: this time. Fredegund wrote to Gutram quote, let my lord 222 00:18:25,960 --> 00:18:29,439 Speaker 1: come and take charge of his brother's kingdom. I have 223 00:18:29,480 --> 00:18:33,200 Speaker 1: a tiny baby whom I longed to place in his arms. 224 00:18:33,720 --> 00:18:37,800 Speaker 1: At the same time, I shall declare myself his humble servant. 225 00:18:39,160 --> 00:18:45,800 Speaker 1: Fredigun's cleverly timed baby surprise worked. Guntram stepped in and 226 00:18:46,000 --> 00:18:50,719 Speaker 1: he prevented Brunhild and her son from capturing Fredigund and 227 00:18:50,880 --> 00:18:54,880 Speaker 1: her infant son, and Guntram also pushed for an end 228 00:18:55,240 --> 00:19:00,560 Speaker 1: to his fellow Frankish country's civil war. For his troubles, 229 00:19:00,880 --> 00:19:05,120 Speaker 1: he also likely helped himself to some of Fredigun's treasure, 230 00:19:05,760 --> 00:19:09,920 Speaker 1: so major diplomacy points go to Fredegund here, although as 231 00:19:10,080 --> 00:19:14,000 Speaker 1: part of the deal she agreed to step away from 232 00:19:14,119 --> 00:19:20,439 Speaker 1: royal life. But at last there was relative peace, at 233 00:19:20,520 --> 00:19:25,880 Speaker 1: least until Guntram died. Soon, Brunhild and Fredigund went right 234 00:19:25,960 --> 00:19:32,280 Speaker 1: back to leading their queendoms against each other. Fredigund planned 235 00:19:32,440 --> 00:19:37,159 Speaker 1: more assassinations and again grabbed her throne. Serving as regent 236 00:19:37,320 --> 00:19:42,440 Speaker 1: for her son, she oversaw Neustria's army and one decisive 237 00:19:42,640 --> 00:19:48,720 Speaker 1: military victories, despite almost always being outnumbered. At one point 238 00:19:48,800 --> 00:19:52,320 Speaker 1: after one of her generals was felled on the battlefield. 239 00:19:52,760 --> 00:19:58,680 Speaker 1: Fredigund reportedly shocked the enemy by leading the neustran charge herself. 240 00:19:59,440 --> 00:20:03,200 Speaker 1: At the same same time, brune Hild shepherded her son's 241 00:20:03,280 --> 00:20:08,440 Speaker 1: reign so skillfully that she was credited with impacting almost 242 00:20:08,480 --> 00:20:13,360 Speaker 1: all of Austrasia's biggest decisions. The young king is usually 243 00:20:13,400 --> 00:20:18,840 Speaker 1: portrayed as dependent and ineffectual. In five hundred ninety five, 244 00:20:18,920 --> 00:20:22,840 Speaker 1: Brunhild's son died, leaving behind three of his own children. 245 00:20:23,480 --> 00:20:27,359 Speaker 1: Surely there were some tributes to the dead king, but 246 00:20:27,480 --> 00:20:31,440 Speaker 1: the fact that so many chronicles paid so little attention 247 00:20:31,600 --> 00:20:35,080 Speaker 1: to his death goes to show how unremarkable of a 248 00:20:35,160 --> 00:20:40,520 Speaker 1: ruler he probably was. Likewise, Brunhild's reaction to this loss 249 00:20:40,680 --> 00:20:44,720 Speaker 1: comes off as murky. In some accounts. It must have 250 00:20:44,800 --> 00:20:48,600 Speaker 1: been an emotional blow, but having learned the hard way 251 00:20:48,720 --> 00:20:52,920 Speaker 1: that a king's death could rip away a queen's power, 252 00:20:53,400 --> 00:20:58,280 Speaker 1: Brunhild prudently secured her position as regent for two of 253 00:20:58,280 --> 00:21:03,119 Speaker 1: her grandsons. They were nine and ten, and technically the 254 00:21:03,280 --> 00:21:08,359 Speaker 1: new rulers of Austrasia and Burgundy respectively. At that time. 255 00:21:08,560 --> 00:21:15,200 Speaker 1: Fredigun's king son was only eleven, meaning Francia was entirely 256 00:21:15,359 --> 00:21:20,439 Speaker 1: in the hands of child kings, although not really, the 257 00:21:20,480 --> 00:21:24,560 Speaker 1: two queen mothers wielded all of the true power, and 258 00:21:24,760 --> 00:21:28,400 Speaker 1: though both were in their ruling primes, if we were 259 00:21:28,440 --> 00:21:33,000 Speaker 1: to update our royal rivalry score sheets at this point, 260 00:21:33,000 --> 00:21:39,719 Speaker 1: Brunhild probably is winning for presiding over two thirds of Francia. Still, 261 00:21:39,960 --> 00:21:44,119 Speaker 1: anytime Brunhild or Fredigund got the upper hand, the opposing 262 00:21:44,200 --> 00:21:47,720 Speaker 1: queen would pull off a gritty move to save herself 263 00:21:47,800 --> 00:21:52,760 Speaker 1: and her lineage. Astonishingly, considering how powerful and wily they 264 00:21:52,800 --> 00:21:56,920 Speaker 1: each could be, Brunehild and Fredegund were so evenly matched 265 00:21:56,960 --> 00:22:01,120 Speaker 1: that in the end neither was able to directly defeat 266 00:22:01,160 --> 00:22:04,760 Speaker 1: the other and settle the final score. In five hundred 267 00:22:04,760 --> 00:22:09,359 Speaker 1: and ninety seven, Fredagund suddenly died. She was in her fifties, 268 00:22:09,680 --> 00:22:12,560 Speaker 1: She didn't seem to have a specific illness, and it 269 00:22:12,600 --> 00:22:17,160 Speaker 1: didn't appear to be poison. It was a surprisingly quiet 270 00:22:17,440 --> 00:22:21,439 Speaker 1: end for such a fiery person, and at long last, 271 00:22:21,840 --> 00:22:28,960 Speaker 1: her decades spanning quarrel with Brunhild was over. Mostly Brunhild 272 00:22:29,080 --> 00:22:34,640 Speaker 1: may have outlived Fredegund, but eventually Fredigun's line would get 273 00:22:34,720 --> 00:22:39,400 Speaker 1: the final say and brune Hild's death wouldn't be anything 274 00:22:39,680 --> 00:22:45,000 Speaker 1: close to quiet. Fast forward to six hundred and thirteen, 275 00:22:45,520 --> 00:22:50,560 Speaker 1: brune Hild served as regent for her great grandson, meaning 276 00:22:50,680 --> 00:22:54,840 Speaker 1: that she had been regent for three different generations, and 277 00:22:55,240 --> 00:22:59,679 Speaker 1: no surprise, she was helping him wage war against Neustria, 278 00:23:00,359 --> 00:23:04,800 Speaker 1: but many of their side defected and Fredigun's ruling son 279 00:23:05,320 --> 00:23:09,600 Speaker 1: finally captured them. In the spirit of his mother's pensiant 280 00:23:09,680 --> 00:23:16,640 Speaker 1: for creative punishments, he purportedly had Brunhild quartered, that is, 281 00:23:16,960 --> 00:23:21,080 Speaker 1: tied to several horses and pulled apart in a grizzly 282 00:23:21,280 --> 00:23:25,760 Speaker 1: public spectacle. For the first time in fifty two years. 283 00:23:26,280 --> 00:23:32,680 Speaker 1: Francia became united under one ruler, but Frediguon's and Brunhild's 284 00:23:32,800 --> 00:23:38,560 Speaker 1: legacies and long simmering hostilities would continue to haunt the 285 00:23:38,640 --> 00:23:48,080 Speaker 1: realm for centuries. Although many subsequent monarchs and historians obscured 286 00:23:48,240 --> 00:23:53,080 Speaker 1: certain facets of Brunhild's and Fredigun's lives, their reigns remain 287 00:23:53,440 --> 00:23:57,959 Speaker 1: uniquely fascinating and have had meaningful impacts on art and 288 00:23:58,160 --> 00:24:03,480 Speaker 1: popular culture. For example, Fredigun's military genius was on full 289 00:24:03,560 --> 00:24:06,560 Speaker 1: display during the Battle of Drozi in five hundred and 290 00:24:06,640 --> 00:24:11,800 Speaker 1: ninety three, Far outmatched by Australian forces, she disguised her 291 00:24:11,960 --> 00:24:15,960 Speaker 1: army with branches and leaves. This made it appear to 292 00:24:16,119 --> 00:24:20,520 Speaker 1: an enemy century as if the forest were moving, which 293 00:24:20,640 --> 00:24:26,280 Speaker 1: reportedly got this watchman derided as a drunkard. Fredigund also 294 00:24:26,440 --> 00:24:30,639 Speaker 1: had her mounted troops attach bells to their horses to 295 00:24:30,680 --> 00:24:35,080 Speaker 1: make opposing soldiers think they were simply grazing cattle, thus 296 00:24:35,160 --> 00:24:38,640 Speaker 1: allowing her army to sneak up and steal a victory. 297 00:24:39,520 --> 00:24:44,480 Speaker 1: These specific tactics became so famous that scholars claim that 298 00:24:44,600 --> 00:24:49,480 Speaker 1: Shakespeare borrowed and featured them in Macbeth. Brunehild was also 299 00:24:49,600 --> 00:24:54,720 Speaker 1: an inspiration for the slightly differently spelled character Brunehild with 300 00:24:54,760 --> 00:24:57,680 Speaker 1: an E at the end, the lead valkyrie in the 301 00:24:57,720 --> 00:25:02,720 Speaker 1: famous four part cycle of musical dramas composed by Richard 302 00:25:02,760 --> 00:25:07,200 Speaker 1: Wagner called the Ring Cycle. This became such a memorable 303 00:25:07,359 --> 00:25:11,879 Speaker 1: role that brune Hild even affected how vikings are commonly 304 00:25:12,040 --> 00:25:17,240 Speaker 1: visualized today. Many historians assert that by outfitting performers in 305 00:25:17,640 --> 00:25:22,040 Speaker 1: winged and horned helmets, the costume designer of the opera's 306 00:25:22,160 --> 00:25:28,080 Speaker 1: Cycle nineteen seventy six premiere inextricably linked Vikings with that 307 00:25:28,240 --> 00:25:32,680 Speaker 1: headgear in modern depictions, despite there being no actual evidence 308 00:25:32,720 --> 00:25:37,520 Speaker 1: that Viking warriors really wore pointy horns on their helmets. 309 00:25:38,280 --> 00:25:41,760 Speaker 1: For many, the name Brunhild might even first conjure up 310 00:25:41,760 --> 00:25:45,879 Speaker 1: images of bugs Bunny evading Elmer Fudd as he sings 311 00:25:46,280 --> 00:25:50,159 Speaker 1: kill the Abbott in the nineteen fifty seven Looney Tunes 312 00:25:50,200 --> 00:25:55,080 Speaker 1: cartoon What's Opera doc. It's impossible to say what brun 313 00:25:55,200 --> 00:25:58,480 Speaker 1: Hild would have thought about her decades in power being 314 00:25:58,520 --> 00:26:03,480 Speaker 1: distilled into an animated opera parody starring a rabbit in drag. 315 00:26:03,960 --> 00:26:07,199 Speaker 1: But on the other hand, in terms of lasting legacies, 316 00:26:07,680 --> 00:26:10,560 Speaker 1: how many other sixth century rulers can you say have 317 00:26:10,640 --> 00:26:17,160 Speaker 1: been immortalized that way? Analyzing Fredigund and Brunhild also brings 318 00:26:17,240 --> 00:26:21,040 Speaker 1: up intriguing questions about why the two are so often 319 00:26:21,080 --> 00:26:25,960 Speaker 1: framed as adversaries in a heightened personal feud. On a 320 00:26:26,000 --> 00:26:30,720 Speaker 1: basic level, conflict obviously sells, and the two did try 321 00:26:30,760 --> 00:26:34,160 Speaker 1: to kill each other and each other's families quite a bit. 322 00:26:34,720 --> 00:26:39,520 Speaker 1: It's worth asking whether Fredigund and Brunhild's actions, though, would 323 00:26:39,520 --> 00:26:43,040 Speaker 1: be discussed or framed in these same terms if they 324 00:26:43,080 --> 00:26:49,600 Speaker 1: were kings. Was it easier, particularly from many male historians' perspectives, 325 00:26:49,920 --> 00:26:54,480 Speaker 1: to frame their relationship as a vindictive personal feud rather 326 00:26:54,520 --> 00:26:59,000 Speaker 1: than a complicated imperial dispute. To be sure, there was 327 00:26:59,080 --> 00:27:03,840 Speaker 1: ample fuel or personal vendettas, but there were also critical 328 00:27:04,280 --> 00:27:11,000 Speaker 1: economic factors in play, treasuries, titles, lands, all up for grabs. Again, 329 00:27:11,080 --> 00:27:15,840 Speaker 1: Brunhild and Siegert didn't invade Nustria on the official grounds 330 00:27:15,920 --> 00:27:19,639 Speaker 1: that Brunhild's sister was murdered, but technically in order to 331 00:27:19,800 --> 00:27:25,720 Speaker 1: reclaim her extremely valuable land. All of that said, just 332 00:27:25,840 --> 00:27:30,359 Speaker 1: as viewing Fredigund and Brunhild's relationship through too much of 333 00:27:30,400 --> 00:27:34,000 Speaker 1: a personal drama focused lens wouldn't reveal the full picture, 334 00:27:34,680 --> 00:27:39,359 Speaker 1: neither is viewing their interrelated reigns as solely hinging on 335 00:27:39,480 --> 00:27:45,280 Speaker 1: coldly logical chest moves. In sixth century Francia, it was 336 00:27:45,359 --> 00:27:49,679 Speaker 1: difficult for women to exercise various freedoms, much less rule. 337 00:27:50,200 --> 00:27:55,720 Speaker 1: Yet both Brunhild and Fredigund maintained power for many years, 338 00:27:56,119 --> 00:28:01,000 Speaker 1: perhaps partly because both were able to affect actively master 339 00:28:01,119 --> 00:28:08,040 Speaker 1: political strategy and harness deep levels of emotional intelligence. Another 340 00:28:08,280 --> 00:28:11,560 Speaker 1: possible way to look at it is that instead of 341 00:28:11,600 --> 00:28:15,040 Speaker 1: a passionate feud being a narrative that was forced on 342 00:28:15,119 --> 00:28:18,560 Speaker 1: the queen's histories, it could be the other way around. 343 00:28:19,320 --> 00:28:22,959 Speaker 1: Is it possible that having such a worthy adversary in 344 00:28:23,080 --> 00:28:26,320 Speaker 1: some manner forced each other to, for lack of a 345 00:28:26,359 --> 00:28:31,960 Speaker 1: better phrase, up their game, which then catapulted both to 346 00:28:32,200 --> 00:28:38,120 Speaker 1: new history impacting heights. Brunehild and Fredigund are each undoubtedly 347 00:28:38,280 --> 00:28:43,640 Speaker 1: worthy of extensive individual study, but nevertheless, discussing the two 348 00:28:43,720 --> 00:28:47,080 Speaker 1: as a pair doesn't have to be productive and can 349 00:28:47,120 --> 00:28:52,680 Speaker 1: actually be tremendously informative and also interesting. Even today, it's 350 00:28:52,800 --> 00:28:58,400 Speaker 1: pretty tricky to find examples of two competing female rulers 351 00:28:58,680 --> 00:29:03,120 Speaker 1: who simultaneous hold the amount of power that Brunhild and 352 00:29:03,320 --> 00:29:08,400 Speaker 1: Fredegund did. Even with all the violence, upheaval and lingering 353 00:29:08,520 --> 00:29:12,640 Speaker 1: questions of the two queen's reigns, one thing is for sure, 354 00:29:13,160 --> 00:29:20,080 Speaker 1: their epic rivalry was unrivaled. That's the second part of 355 00:29:20,120 --> 00:29:24,400 Speaker 1: the fascinating story of Brunhild and Fredigund. But stick around 356 00:29:24,480 --> 00:29:28,280 Speaker 1: after a brief sponsor break to learn an additional method 357 00:29:28,320 --> 00:29:39,400 Speaker 1: of trying to quantify our queen's power. Attempting to keep 358 00:29:39,480 --> 00:29:42,800 Speaker 1: score on a rivalry that lasted over forty years may 359 00:29:42,840 --> 00:29:48,720 Speaker 1: seem silly, but quantifying certain complicated subjects like individuals overall 360 00:29:48,800 --> 00:29:52,880 Speaker 1: statuses in life was actually common practice for a time. 361 00:29:53,560 --> 00:29:58,760 Speaker 1: Frankish law dictated that every citizen was given a monetary 362 00:29:58,880 --> 00:30:02,720 Speaker 1: value called of airgeld, and if a heinous crime was 363 00:30:02,760 --> 00:30:07,280 Speaker 1: committed against that person, their family could legally claim that 364 00:30:07,480 --> 00:30:12,080 Speaker 1: amount as compensation. It was essentially a kind of life 365 00:30:12,120 --> 00:30:17,000 Speaker 1: insurance policy. Women's verigelds were typically higher than men's and 366 00:30:17,240 --> 00:30:20,960 Speaker 1: very dependent on their ages and abilities to have children. 367 00:30:21,480 --> 00:30:26,040 Speaker 1: They usually ranged from around two hundred to six hundred 368 00:30:26,160 --> 00:30:32,000 Speaker 1: gold coins. For female rulers, the calculus was on another scale. 369 00:30:32,520 --> 00:30:35,120 Speaker 1: The killing of a queen could lead to a fine 370 00:30:35,240 --> 00:30:40,520 Speaker 1: as sky high as fifty thousand gold coins, and, while 371 00:30:40,640 --> 00:30:45,360 Speaker 1: not always the case, for some aging queens, their perceived 372 00:30:45,480 --> 00:30:49,280 Speaker 1: worth did not simply depend on whether they could birth heirs, 373 00:30:49,760 --> 00:30:52,520 Speaker 1: but on how much value they could provide in terms 374 00:30:52,600 --> 00:30:57,800 Speaker 1: of their royal networking and ruling expertise. There don't appear 375 00:30:57,880 --> 00:31:03,720 Speaker 1: to be surviving records guarding specific values assigned to Brunhild 376 00:31:03,920 --> 00:31:09,160 Speaker 1: or Fredgund, but given their accumulated experience in ruling Francia, 377 00:31:09,600 --> 00:31:12,800 Speaker 1: as they each stayed in power for longer than almost 378 00:31:12,840 --> 00:31:16,040 Speaker 1: every Roman emperor and king who came before them. The 379 00:31:16,120 --> 00:31:20,040 Speaker 1: two queen's exploits surely put them at the top of 380 00:31:20,160 --> 00:31:33,040 Speaker 1: the all time franking order. Noble Blood is a production 381 00:31:33,240 --> 00:31:37,680 Speaker 1: of iHeartRadio and Grim and Mild from Aaron Manke. Noble 382 00:31:37,680 --> 00:31:41,680 Speaker 1: Blood is hosted by me Dana Schwartz, with additional writing 383 00:31:41,720 --> 00:31:46,240 Speaker 1: and research by Hannah Johnston, Hannaswick, Courtney Sender, Amy Hit 384 00:31:46,440 --> 00:31:50,440 Speaker 1: and Julia Melaney. The show is edited and produced by 385 00:31:50,520 --> 00:31:56,120 Speaker 1: Jesse Funk, with supervising producer rima il KLi and executive 386 00:31:56,160 --> 00:32:00,400 Speaker 1: producers Aaron Manke, Trevor Young, and Matt Frederick. For more 387 00:32:00,480 --> 00:32:05,880 Speaker 1: podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or 388 00:32:06,000 --> 00:32:07,880 Speaker 1: wherever you listen to your favorite shows.