1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:04,600 Speaker 1: Welcome to Noble Blood, a production of iHeartRadio and Grimm 2 00:00:04,600 --> 00:00:11,479 Speaker 1: and Mild from Aaron Mankie listener discretion advised. A lone 3 00:00:11,640 --> 00:00:15,960 Speaker 1: messenger galloped through the gates of Paris, urging his horse 4 00:00:16,040 --> 00:00:19,239 Speaker 1: forward at a swift pace. From a tower in the 5 00:00:19,280 --> 00:00:24,160 Speaker 1: city's main palace, the queen eagerly watched the messenger's arrival. 6 00:00:24,680 --> 00:00:29,440 Speaker 1: She took the messenger's urgency as a positive sign. After all, 7 00:00:29,640 --> 00:00:34,199 Speaker 1: Queen Brunhild and her husband, King Sigbert, the First of Austrasia, 8 00:00:34,600 --> 00:00:38,160 Speaker 1: were on the verge of a decisive victory that would 9 00:00:38,280 --> 00:00:43,360 Speaker 1: unite two neighboring Frankish realms under their rule. So this 10 00:00:43,760 --> 00:00:48,160 Speaker 1: sudden incoming news must mean that the opposition had surrendered. 11 00:00:48,600 --> 00:00:52,479 Speaker 1: Maybe the enemy king had even been killed. Five hundred 12 00:00:52,520 --> 00:00:55,920 Speaker 1: and seventy five would certainly be a year to remember 13 00:00:56,040 --> 00:00:59,800 Speaker 1: for Brunhild, but not for the reasons she had hoped. 14 00:01:00,280 --> 00:01:04,840 Speaker 1: The messenger confirmed that a king had been slain, but 15 00:01:04,920 --> 00:01:10,640 Speaker 1: the victim was Brunehild's own husband. Despite having a vastly 16 00:01:10,760 --> 00:01:17,480 Speaker 1: superior army and a robust kingsguard, Siegbert had apparently been assassinated. 17 00:01:18,000 --> 00:01:21,920 Speaker 1: Brunehild must have been stunned, but she knew she couldn't 18 00:01:21,959 --> 00:01:25,880 Speaker 1: afford to panic or fully mourn what had been, by 19 00:01:26,080 --> 00:01:31,240 Speaker 1: royal standards, a respectful and productive marriage. Being all too 20 00:01:31,319 --> 00:01:37,360 Speaker 1: familiar with Francia's fickle politics and the Merovingian dynasty's history 21 00:01:37,440 --> 00:01:41,119 Speaker 1: of violent betrayal, she was well aware that she could 22 00:01:41,160 --> 00:01:45,800 Speaker 1: easily meet a similarly dire fate, as could her three 23 00:01:45,959 --> 00:01:50,200 Speaker 1: young children, if she didn't play her hand exactly right. 24 00:01:51,280 --> 00:01:55,400 Speaker 1: In the following hours, as many of Brunhild's nobles defected 25 00:01:55,520 --> 00:01:59,840 Speaker 1: and as she frantically strategized, she likely had little doubt 26 00:02:00,040 --> 00:02:03,040 Speaker 1: about who would have had the cunning to have engineered 27 00:02:03,240 --> 00:02:08,040 Speaker 1: such a shocking murder. This was not the first time 28 00:02:08,120 --> 00:02:11,680 Speaker 1: Brunhild had felt the bitter sting of losing a family 29 00:02:11,760 --> 00:02:16,520 Speaker 1: member to the machinations of her main rival, and between 30 00:02:16,560 --> 00:02:20,680 Speaker 1: the swirling rumors and peculiar piece male details of King 31 00:02:20,760 --> 00:02:26,200 Speaker 1: Siegbert's death, this crime had all the hallmarks of Queen Fredegund. 32 00:02:27,240 --> 00:02:31,799 Speaker 1: Sure Enough, forty miles away, Fredegund was triumphantly emerging from 33 00:02:31,800 --> 00:02:35,360 Speaker 1: her hideout after pulling off the Hail Mary of all 34 00:02:35,560 --> 00:02:41,440 Speaker 1: hail Mary's. Like Brunhild, Fredegund was well versed in the bloody, 35 00:02:41,680 --> 00:02:46,320 Speaker 1: rapidly shifting tides of her opposing kingdom's ongoing civil war. 36 00:02:47,120 --> 00:02:50,240 Speaker 1: It must have been gratifying to accept her husband's odd 37 00:02:50,360 --> 00:02:54,400 Speaker 1: gratitude for saving them from the jaws of defeat, but 38 00:02:54,520 --> 00:02:57,680 Speaker 1: she knew time was of the essence. They had to 39 00:02:57,800 --> 00:03:01,480 Speaker 1: press their advantage quickly, because as her rival was far 40 00:03:01,560 --> 00:03:07,440 Speaker 1: too intelligent and resourceful to be underestimated. Calling on allies, 41 00:03:07,560 --> 00:03:12,960 Speaker 1: making desperate deals, and hoarding treasure were all frequent components 42 00:03:13,040 --> 00:03:18,440 Speaker 1: of Queen brune Hild's calculated tactics. Brunehild holed up in 43 00:03:18,520 --> 00:03:23,400 Speaker 1: her Parisian palace as her enemies closed in, suddenly every 44 00:03:23,440 --> 00:03:27,600 Speaker 1: bit as vulnerable as Fredigund had been mere days before. 45 00:03:28,240 --> 00:03:32,200 Speaker 1: Looking down from her tower once again as a much 46 00:03:32,440 --> 00:03:38,560 Speaker 1: larger force galloped through the city gates, Brunehild was surely alarmed, 47 00:03:39,240 --> 00:03:42,400 Speaker 1: but she was staunch in her belief that she still 48 00:03:42,440 --> 00:03:46,480 Speaker 1: had enough tricks up her silken sleeves to impact the 49 00:03:46,520 --> 00:03:50,760 Speaker 1: future of Francia. Little did she know that her subsequent 50 00:03:50,920 --> 00:03:56,040 Speaker 1: moves would further cement one of the greatest royal rivalries 51 00:03:56,240 --> 00:04:00,520 Speaker 1: of all time. I'm Dana Schwartz, and this is noble 52 00:04:00,560 --> 00:04:07,880 Speaker 1: blood it's tricky to pinpoint the precise birth of Queen 53 00:04:07,920 --> 00:04:12,480 Speaker 1: burn Hilds and Queen Fredegen's rivalry. Part of their immense 54 00:04:12,560 --> 00:04:18,000 Speaker 1: animosity was personally fostered and part was inherited, So it's 55 00:04:18,000 --> 00:04:22,720 Speaker 1: helpful to first understand in broad terms, the geopolitical landscape 56 00:04:22,760 --> 00:04:27,400 Speaker 1: in the lead up to their unprecedented ascensions. The old 57 00:04:27,640 --> 00:04:31,200 Speaker 1: King of the Franks, Clotar the First, ruled an empire 58 00:04:31,279 --> 00:04:36,680 Speaker 1: that encompassed present day France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, parts 59 00:04:36,680 --> 00:04:40,400 Speaker 1: of Germany, and a good portion of Switzerland. When he 60 00:04:40,480 --> 00:04:44,239 Speaker 1: died in five hundred and sixty one, his four sons 61 00:04:44,320 --> 00:04:48,960 Speaker 1: divided those lands into four kingdoms. After one brother died, 62 00:04:49,400 --> 00:04:53,320 Speaker 1: that left three to share custody of Paris, while each 63 00:04:53,400 --> 00:04:59,599 Speaker 1: also ruled their respective realms. Siegbert ruled Austria, Chilperic ruled 64 00:04:59,680 --> 00:05:04,640 Speaker 1: news Astrea, and Guntram ruled Burgundy. What a fair and 65 00:05:04,839 --> 00:05:09,720 Speaker 1: harmonious decision. Right Naturally, this set up ushered in an 66 00:05:09,800 --> 00:05:15,039 Speaker 1: era of extremely violent unrest due to the king's competitiveness, 67 00:05:15,360 --> 00:05:19,120 Speaker 1: but arguably even more so because of their marital choices. 68 00:05:19,720 --> 00:05:23,839 Speaker 1: It's important to note that, unlike queens of various other empires. 69 00:05:24,279 --> 00:05:28,719 Speaker 1: Queens of the Merevingian dynasty were not crowned on their own, 70 00:05:29,240 --> 00:05:34,920 Speaker 1: Their power almost entirely depended on marriage. Brunehild was a 71 00:05:34,960 --> 00:05:38,880 Speaker 1: well educated daughter of a Visigoth king, and according to 72 00:05:39,000 --> 00:05:42,760 Speaker 1: many contemporary descriptions of her at the time, she was 73 00:05:42,880 --> 00:05:47,400 Speaker 1: quite beautiful and charming. The news that her father had 74 00:05:47,520 --> 00:05:51,880 Speaker 1: strategically betrothed her to King Siegbert would have been daunting. 75 00:05:52,480 --> 00:05:56,000 Speaker 1: It meant traveling over one thousand miles with a massive 76 00:05:56,080 --> 00:06:00,320 Speaker 1: dowry from Spain to the foreign land of Austria Asia, 77 00:06:00,839 --> 00:06:05,080 Speaker 1: all at the age of around eighteen, But despite being 78 00:06:05,200 --> 00:06:09,040 Speaker 1: far from fluent in the native language and customs, Brunhild 79 00:06:09,240 --> 00:06:12,320 Speaker 1: received quite the welcome there in the spring of five 80 00:06:12,400 --> 00:06:17,800 Speaker 1: hundred sixty seven, especially because she came with a prestigious pedigree. 81 00:06:18,480 --> 00:06:22,760 Speaker 1: This put her in stark contrast to the numerous women 82 00:06:22,839 --> 00:06:27,400 Speaker 1: of lower socioeconomic status with whom Siegbert's brothers had had 83 00:06:27,600 --> 00:06:34,359 Speaker 1: various trysts and eyebrow raising relationships. This wedding was extremely lavish, 84 00:06:34,640 --> 00:06:41,640 Speaker 1: and Brunhild was reportedly embraced by the Austrasian court and public. Fredegund, 85 00:06:41,800 --> 00:06:46,520 Speaker 1: on the other hand, had a highly contrasting trajectory. She 86 00:06:46,720 --> 00:06:50,960 Speaker 1: came to Chilbrick's palace in Nutria as an enslaved girl. 87 00:06:51,480 --> 00:06:55,119 Speaker 1: She was likely captured as a young child, but little 88 00:06:55,200 --> 00:06:59,799 Speaker 1: is known about her origin, particularly since she seemingly wanted 89 00:06:59,839 --> 00:07:03,440 Speaker 1: to keep her humble root hidden as she began to 90 00:07:03,520 --> 00:07:07,800 Speaker 1: climb the ranks of power. The more favorable accounts of 91 00:07:07,839 --> 00:07:11,720 Speaker 1: Fredegund describe her at the time as a savvy, young, 92 00:07:12,080 --> 00:07:17,080 Speaker 1: strawberry blonde girl of pleasing generosity. She initially became a 93 00:07:17,200 --> 00:07:20,960 Speaker 1: favorite mistress of the king, but becoming a queen would 94 00:07:21,000 --> 00:07:25,720 Speaker 1: be a tall order. Fredigund purportedly first had to convince 95 00:07:25,840 --> 00:07:29,480 Speaker 1: Chilbric to divorce his first wife and send her to 96 00:07:29,640 --> 00:07:33,800 Speaker 1: a convent. Then Fredigund had to deal with Chilbric getting 97 00:07:33,800 --> 00:07:36,160 Speaker 1: married again. Not wanting to. 98 00:07:36,080 --> 00:07:40,160 Speaker 2: Be upstaged by his brother Siegbert and his big name, 99 00:07:40,280 --> 00:07:46,480 Speaker 2: big title bride, Chilbric married Brunhild's sister in another exceedingly 100 00:07:46,520 --> 00:07:51,000 Speaker 2: opulent wedding in five hundred and sixty eight, two brothers 101 00:07:51,000 --> 00:07:55,800 Speaker 2: marrying two sisters too. Some of the citizens and nobles 102 00:07:55,840 --> 00:07:59,840 Speaker 2: of Austrasia and Neustria. The notion of such closely knit 103 00:08:00,280 --> 00:08:04,680 Speaker 2: royal families likely seemed like it would bring increased peace 104 00:08:04,800 --> 00:08:10,720 Speaker 2: and prosperity, as legend has it, Fredigund had other ideas. 105 00:08:11,280 --> 00:08:16,640 Speaker 2: She continued her close relationship with Chilbric, striving to finally 106 00:08:16,720 --> 00:08:21,520 Speaker 2: sit on a throne herself. After Chilbric's second wife grew 107 00:08:21,720 --> 00:08:27,320 Speaker 2: unhappy about his ongoing affair, he supposedly had her strangled 108 00:08:27,400 --> 00:08:31,400 Speaker 2: in her bed. Many claimed that Fredigund had put him 109 00:08:31,480 --> 00:08:35,440 Speaker 2: up to it, although again this could have been gossip 110 00:08:35,520 --> 00:08:41,120 Speaker 2: and slanderous rumor. Whatever the case, Chilbric's first two wives 111 00:08:41,160 --> 00:08:44,360 Speaker 2: were out of the picture. Apparently he didn't even bother 112 00:08:44,480 --> 00:08:48,760 Speaker 2: to appear upset about it, as evidenced by the conspicuous 113 00:08:48,800 --> 00:08:53,439 Speaker 2: absence of a duly sincere acknowledgment of the loss, let 114 00:08:53,480 --> 00:08:58,440 Speaker 2: alone any sort of basic investigation into Brunhild's sister's death. 115 00:08:59,480 --> 00:09:05,280 Speaker 2: Only three days later he married Fredigund. The celebration was 116 00:09:05,440 --> 00:09:09,040 Speaker 2: far more rushed as would be expected given the lack 117 00:09:09,120 --> 00:09:14,600 Speaker 2: of planning time and gigantic dead elephant in the room. Nevertheless, 118 00:09:14,800 --> 00:09:20,040 Speaker 2: this meant that two incredibly formidable women, Fredagund and Brunehild, 119 00:09:20,480 --> 00:09:24,840 Speaker 2: were sisters in law as well as respective queens of 120 00:09:24,960 --> 00:09:30,600 Speaker 2: Neustria and Australia, and although one had allegedly had a 121 00:09:30,679 --> 00:09:34,760 Speaker 2: hand in killing the other's sisters in the grand scheme 122 00:09:34,800 --> 00:09:42,400 Speaker 2: of things, their rivalry was only just beginning. Brunhild was 123 00:09:42,520 --> 00:09:47,640 Speaker 2: reportedly devastated by her sister's death. She had no other siblings, 124 00:09:47,679 --> 00:09:51,680 Speaker 2: and only months before she had learned about her father's passing. 125 00:09:52,400 --> 00:09:56,360 Speaker 2: While grieving her family's plight in her distant foreign palace, 126 00:09:56,800 --> 00:10:00,800 Speaker 2: it's easy to imagine Brunhild also fearing a similar fate 127 00:10:00,920 --> 00:10:05,160 Speaker 2: for herself. Frankish laws and customs were such that there 128 00:10:05,160 --> 00:10:08,679 Speaker 2: seemed to be little hope of holding her ex brother 129 00:10:08,720 --> 00:10:14,000 Speaker 2: in law or Fredigund specifically accountable for their murder. For all, 130 00:10:14,040 --> 00:10:17,600 Speaker 2: Brunhild knew, one day, she too could be killed in 131 00:10:17,640 --> 00:10:20,880 Speaker 2: her bed, and no one from Australia or beck Home 132 00:10:21,200 --> 00:10:26,280 Speaker 2: would be willing or able to pursue significant retribution. But 133 00:10:26,440 --> 00:10:30,560 Speaker 2: giving up was not in Brunhild's nature. She knew that 134 00:10:30,679 --> 00:10:34,400 Speaker 2: even if her husband Siegbert was sympathetic to her sadness 135 00:10:34,440 --> 00:10:38,360 Speaker 2: and outrage, and according to some accounts he was, he 136 00:10:38,480 --> 00:10:42,480 Speaker 2: could not take decisive action without the support of a 137 00:10:42,600 --> 00:10:47,280 Speaker 2: sizable portion of his court Brunhild was also painfully aware 138 00:10:47,360 --> 00:10:51,800 Speaker 2: that for all those ambitious, self interested nobles, the idea 139 00:10:51,880 --> 00:10:55,640 Speaker 2: of avenging a short lived foreign queen of a neighboring 140 00:10:55,800 --> 00:11:02,960 Speaker 2: kingdom was simply not sufficient motivation in steadily making alliances 141 00:11:03,000 --> 00:11:08,359 Speaker 2: and learning the desires of various factions. However, Brunhild discovered 142 00:11:08,440 --> 00:11:12,840 Speaker 2: a broadly enticing carrot that she could dangle at the 143 00:11:13,000 --> 00:11:18,800 Speaker 2: end of her justice seeking stick. Traditionally, Frankish brides at 144 00:11:18,800 --> 00:11:22,920 Speaker 2: that time were given a quote mourning gift after consummating 145 00:11:23,000 --> 00:11:26,000 Speaker 2: their marriage. To win the hand of such a high 146 00:11:26,000 --> 00:11:30,880 Speaker 2: profile bride, as Brunhild, Sigbert had promised her an extravagant 147 00:11:31,000 --> 00:11:35,360 Speaker 2: villa to secure a marriage with Brunhild's sister, Chilpric had 148 00:11:35,440 --> 00:11:39,720 Speaker 2: upped the ante and offered her essentially the southern third 149 00:11:39,920 --> 00:11:46,360 Speaker 2: of his lands. Here, Brunhild saw a legal opportunity. Technically, 150 00:11:46,640 --> 00:11:50,320 Speaker 2: valuable holdings in Francia were supposed to pass to the 151 00:11:50,480 --> 00:11:55,319 Speaker 2: deceased's family, and since her sister had no children and 152 00:11:55,480 --> 00:11:59,959 Speaker 2: Brunhild herself had just given birth to a succession secure 153 00:12:00,000 --> 00:12:04,640 Speaker 2: cacuring sun, Brunhild could make a pretty solid case that 154 00:12:04,720 --> 00:12:09,760 Speaker 2: those gifted lands should pass to her. Many Austrasian nobles 155 00:12:10,000 --> 00:12:14,800 Speaker 2: loved the prospect of increasing their kingdom's boundaries and overall wealth, 156 00:12:15,240 --> 00:12:19,959 Speaker 2: and after a fair amount of official wrangling, Siegbert used 157 00:12:20,000 --> 00:12:25,720 Speaker 2: that claim as grounds to invade. The larger Australian army 158 00:12:26,040 --> 00:12:31,360 Speaker 2: soon overwhelmed their opposition and surged towards the Nustrian capital 159 00:12:31,480 --> 00:12:35,680 Speaker 2: of Sissan. This forced Fredignd and her husband to flee, 160 00:12:36,080 --> 00:12:38,720 Speaker 2: bringing as much of their treasury with them as they 161 00:12:38,760 --> 00:12:44,920 Speaker 2: could mobilize. With victory imminent, Brunhild and Siegbert moved to Paris, 162 00:12:45,400 --> 00:12:51,359 Speaker 2: their prospective new capital for there soon to be larger country. Meanwhile, 163 00:12:51,480 --> 00:12:55,920 Speaker 2: Fredegund hid in a bunker about forty miles away. Defeat 164 00:12:56,120 --> 00:13:01,280 Speaker 2: seemed inevitable as the Australian forces approached. She was probably 165 00:13:01,320 --> 00:13:05,040 Speaker 2: still bleeding from what had been a traumatic birth of 166 00:13:05,080 --> 00:13:08,520 Speaker 2: her second son, and her husband was off preparing for 167 00:13:08,559 --> 00:13:12,080 Speaker 2: the likely end of his kingdom and his life. But 168 00:13:12,480 --> 00:13:17,280 Speaker 2: just like Brunhild, Fredigund was not one to simply surrender. 169 00:13:18,040 --> 00:13:22,360 Speaker 2: As a last gasp plan, she summoned two enslaved boys 170 00:13:22,400 --> 00:13:27,160 Speaker 2: whose loyalty she trusted, possibly having first connected with them 171 00:13:27,440 --> 00:13:31,240 Speaker 2: while serving the Royal family herself. She then gave them 172 00:13:31,280 --> 00:13:38,920 Speaker 2: a nearly impossible suicide mission kill King Siegbert. According to 173 00:13:38,960 --> 00:13:42,440 Speaker 2: a detailed account of the time, Fredigund knew there was 174 00:13:42,480 --> 00:13:46,959 Speaker 2: no way to confront Siegbert outright, considering he was surrounded 175 00:13:47,040 --> 00:13:52,120 Speaker 2: by thousands of soldiers, had numerous formidable guards, and was 176 00:13:52,200 --> 00:13:56,920 Speaker 2: even an experienced fighter himself. The only real chance her 177 00:13:57,000 --> 00:14:02,280 Speaker 2: young agents had was to exploit Siegbert's seeming hubrious by 178 00:14:02,360 --> 00:14:06,800 Speaker 2: launching a sneak attack while he was celebrating his military victories. 179 00:14:07,440 --> 00:14:12,720 Speaker 2: Infiltrating these celebrations was actually not overly difficult. According to 180 00:14:12,760 --> 00:14:17,520 Speaker 2: some sources, the Austrasian invasion was so fast and convincing 181 00:14:17,960 --> 00:14:22,440 Speaker 2: that many Neustrians were practically tripping over themselves to switch 182 00:14:22,680 --> 00:14:26,880 Speaker 2: to their aggressor's side. The two boys were apparently able 183 00:14:26,920 --> 00:14:32,320 Speaker 2: to pose as two such defectors. The trickiest part, then, 184 00:14:32,720 --> 00:14:37,080 Speaker 2: was striking the final blow. Fredagund counted on the fact 185 00:14:37,200 --> 00:14:43,040 Speaker 2: that most Frankish men carried utility knives known as scram saxes. 186 00:14:43,560 --> 00:14:47,520 Speaker 2: The blades were so omnipresent that her chosen assassins would 187 00:14:47,520 --> 00:14:51,040 Speaker 2: be able to openly carry them, even if they were 188 00:14:51,200 --> 00:14:54,040 Speaker 2: able to reach the king, though they might only be 189 00:14:54,040 --> 00:14:57,040 Speaker 2: able to get one or two jabs in, so those 190 00:14:57,160 --> 00:15:02,200 Speaker 2: had to count. This is where fredagh Une's grim innovation shows, 191 00:15:02,680 --> 00:15:07,800 Speaker 2: because she supposedly gave them an added secret weapon, fast 192 00:15:08,080 --> 00:15:12,920 Speaker 2: acting poison. By that time, poison made from herbs or 193 00:15:12,960 --> 00:15:17,160 Speaker 2: berries had been used in countless murders, but it typically 194 00:15:17,240 --> 00:15:21,920 Speaker 2: had to be directly ingested. Fredegund was clever enough to 195 00:15:22,000 --> 00:15:26,720 Speaker 2: know that. Similar to many paranoid Roman emperors, Siegbert was 196 00:15:26,800 --> 00:15:31,880 Speaker 2: presumably careful to avoid such devious methods, and likely even 197 00:15:31,880 --> 00:15:36,040 Speaker 2: employed official tasters to check his food and drink. Which 198 00:15:36,080 --> 00:15:39,720 Speaker 2: he needed was a poison that could kill upon direct 199 00:15:39,920 --> 00:15:44,280 Speaker 2: contact with a wound. The only two such substances known 200 00:15:44,320 --> 00:15:48,120 Speaker 2: to have existed during this Frankish era were snake venom 201 00:15:48,240 --> 00:15:53,840 Speaker 2: and wolf spain. Both required careful preparation and their potency 202 00:15:54,160 --> 00:15:58,280 Speaker 2: rapidly decreased when exposed to the air, meaning that in 203 00:15:58,400 --> 00:16:01,200 Speaker 2: order to be effective they had to be applied to 204 00:16:01,280 --> 00:16:06,520 Speaker 2: a knife a relatively short time before use. If the 205 00:16:06,560 --> 00:16:11,880 Speaker 2: tales are to be believed, Fredagund was knowledgeable enough in medicine, or, 206 00:16:12,000 --> 00:16:16,000 Speaker 2: per some claims, in witchcraft and the Dark arts, to 207 00:16:16,240 --> 00:16:20,920 Speaker 2: make or procure one of the two deadly toxins. She 208 00:16:21,040 --> 00:16:23,720 Speaker 2: then gave it to the boys in a small vial 209 00:16:24,200 --> 00:16:27,480 Speaker 2: and directed them to apply it to their knives only 210 00:16:27,640 --> 00:16:31,840 Speaker 2: once they were within close enough range of Siegbert. Against 211 00:16:31,960 --> 00:16:37,960 Speaker 2: all odds, Fredagun's loyal assassins followed her orders. They stalked 212 00:16:38,040 --> 00:16:42,000 Speaker 2: their target, and they stabbed him with their poisoned daggers. 213 00:16:42,760 --> 00:16:46,640 Speaker 2: The two boys were immediately caught and killed by guards, 214 00:16:47,120 --> 00:16:52,760 Speaker 2: but soon the king was also dead. Fredagun's diabolical plan 215 00:16:53,240 --> 00:16:58,640 Speaker 2: had tilted the entire fate of Francia. As soon as 216 00:16:58,680 --> 00:17:02,720 Speaker 2: the news of Siegert's death reached Brunhilde in Paris, she 217 00:17:02,760 --> 00:17:05,480 Speaker 2: would have known that she and her children were in 218 00:17:05,640 --> 00:17:10,520 Speaker 2: grave danger. She had a few options, though given the 219 00:17:10,560 --> 00:17:16,120 Speaker 2: Frank's line of succession and generally minimal respect for widowed queens, 220 00:17:16,200 --> 00:17:19,360 Speaker 2: it would be foolhardy to try to claim the Australian 221 00:17:19,480 --> 00:17:23,720 Speaker 2: throne outright. Her five year old son was the official heir, 222 00:17:24,160 --> 00:17:28,720 Speaker 2: which normally would ensure her position to a degree, except 223 00:17:29,000 --> 00:17:33,600 Speaker 2: they were isolated fairly far from home soil. Brunhild could 224 00:17:33,600 --> 00:17:37,320 Speaker 2: attempt to flee with her son and two daughters, but 225 00:17:37,400 --> 00:17:41,440 Speaker 2: traveling as a family for several days through what could 226 00:17:41,640 --> 00:17:47,000 Speaker 2: become increasingly hostile territory would leave them extremely open to attack. 227 00:17:48,000 --> 00:17:52,240 Speaker 2: Brunhilda's court was also rapidly shrinking, as most of her 228 00:17:52,280 --> 00:17:57,000 Speaker 2: nobles and guards began escaping or defecting. If she were 229 00:17:57,080 --> 00:18:00,199 Speaker 2: closer to her royal treasury, she would have been able 230 00:18:00,280 --> 00:18:03,359 Speaker 2: to bribe many of them to stay, since Marevni and 231 00:18:03,440 --> 00:18:07,120 Speaker 2: queens may have lacked power in other areas, but were 232 00:18:07,160 --> 00:18:11,760 Speaker 2: often able to exercise control over their realm's tangible riches, 233 00:18:12,440 --> 00:18:17,840 Speaker 2: alas handing out IOUs to flighty aristocrats and nervous soldiers 234 00:18:17,920 --> 00:18:23,280 Speaker 2: was not going to fly during such a chaotic span. However, 235 00:18:23,400 --> 00:18:27,119 Speaker 2: Brunhild was savvy enough to have brought along her own 236 00:18:27,320 --> 00:18:30,920 Speaker 2: stash of gold. It was not a large enough fortune 237 00:18:30,960 --> 00:18:34,320 Speaker 2: to pay a whole army, and would probably be stolen 238 00:18:34,400 --> 00:18:39,520 Speaker 2: if transported, so rather than feutally trying to retain all 239 00:18:39,560 --> 00:18:44,720 Speaker 2: of her allies, Brunhild set her sights on her key enemies. 240 00:18:45,359 --> 00:18:50,840 Speaker 2: Between her personal wealth and remaining reputation, she figured she 241 00:18:51,119 --> 00:18:56,280 Speaker 2: might have just enough leverage to draw Fredigound and Chilpric's 242 00:18:56,280 --> 00:19:00,439 Speaker 2: full attention. She was essentially opting for a life last 243 00:19:00,600 --> 00:19:05,160 Speaker 2: ditch move utilized by many a brave matriarch within the 244 00:19:05,200 --> 00:19:10,639 Speaker 2: animal world, stay and distract her attackers for long enough 245 00:19:10,800 --> 00:19:16,160 Speaker 2: that her children might reach safety. Brunhild's gambit paid off 246 00:19:16,359 --> 00:19:20,600 Speaker 2: to an extent. She ensured that her son and daughters 247 00:19:20,640 --> 00:19:25,439 Speaker 2: were safely snuck away by those few individuals still loyal 248 00:19:25,560 --> 00:19:29,520 Speaker 2: to her. Then she waited several days for the Neustrian 249 00:19:29,680 --> 00:19:34,200 Speaker 2: army to reach her. This gave Brunhild's son enough time 250 00:19:34,280 --> 00:19:38,040 Speaker 2: to make it back to Metz, the Australian capital, where 251 00:19:38,040 --> 00:19:41,080 Speaker 2: he was crowned king at the tender age of five. 252 00:19:41,800 --> 00:19:45,000 Speaker 2: Her daughters briefly made it back over the border too, 253 00:19:45,080 --> 00:19:49,440 Speaker 2: but they were eventually captured by Neustrian scouts and would 254 00:19:49,560 --> 00:19:54,640 Speaker 2: later be leveraged by Chilbrick as hostages. As for Brunhild, 255 00:19:55,040 --> 00:20:00,800 Speaker 2: she had to anxiously anticipate her enemy's arrival. Defenseless yet defiant. 256 00:20:01,600 --> 00:20:05,440 Speaker 2: Who would find her her impulsive brother in law, more 257 00:20:05,560 --> 00:20:09,440 Speaker 2: agents of her vindictive sister in law, and what would 258 00:20:09,440 --> 00:20:13,160 Speaker 2: they want to do with her? Ultimately, it was Chilpric 259 00:20:13,200 --> 00:20:17,840 Speaker 2: who purportedly found Brunhild waiting in her chambers. He could 260 00:20:17,880 --> 00:20:20,639 Speaker 2: not have been thrilled that she had managed to sneak 261 00:20:20,680 --> 00:20:25,280 Speaker 2: her children away, but seizing her hoarded treasure likely perked 262 00:20:25,359 --> 00:20:30,360 Speaker 2: up his spirits somewhat, and, rather than immediately sentencing her 263 00:20:30,400 --> 00:20:34,399 Speaker 2: to death, likely thanks at least in part to Brunhild's 264 00:20:34,440 --> 00:20:38,840 Speaker 2: careful persuasion, he ordered that Brunhild live out the rest 265 00:20:38,840 --> 00:20:42,639 Speaker 2: of her days in a convent. To many, this must 266 00:20:42,640 --> 00:20:46,520 Speaker 2: have seemed like a natural and all too common end 267 00:20:46,920 --> 00:20:51,679 Speaker 2: to a promising young queen's rule. But as history would 268 00:20:51,720 --> 00:20:57,960 Speaker 2: soon show, neither convent nor conventional wisdom could permanently snuff 269 00:20:58,000 --> 00:21:04,639 Speaker 2: out a royal rivalry as incandescent as Brunhild and Frediguns. 270 00:21:07,240 --> 00:21:12,560 Speaker 2: It's difficult to definitively say whether Fredagund and Brunehilde ever 271 00:21:12,680 --> 00:21:16,600 Speaker 2: met face to face in the direct aftermath of Siegbert's death, 272 00:21:17,080 --> 00:21:19,879 Speaker 2: but there is a reasonable argument to be made that 273 00:21:20,000 --> 00:21:25,560 Speaker 2: Fredagund meaningfully impacted her husband's pivotal decision to force her 274 00:21:25,640 --> 00:21:29,240 Speaker 2: opposite number to become a nun. Even in a time 275 00:21:29,280 --> 00:21:33,560 Speaker 2: when female agency was drastically limited, It's hard to think 276 00:21:33,600 --> 00:21:36,200 Speaker 2: of many more effective cards to play in a power 277 00:21:36,240 --> 00:21:38,879 Speaker 2: struggle than if it weren't for me, you'd be dead. 278 00:21:39,600 --> 00:21:44,720 Speaker 2: Factoring in that Fredagun's poison tipped plan had also helped 279 00:21:44,720 --> 00:21:48,400 Speaker 2: her and her husband upgrade from cowering in a bunker 280 00:21:48,840 --> 00:21:53,280 Speaker 2: to once again luxuriating in palaces. Her new clout as 281 00:21:53,400 --> 00:21:57,840 Speaker 2: queen was off the charts. On top of that, Fredagund 282 00:21:57,920 --> 00:22:02,040 Speaker 2: had already had a demonstable degree of influence over her 283 00:22:02,119 --> 00:22:07,240 Speaker 2: husband's actions prior to rejuvenating their country's war efforts, so 284 00:22:07,520 --> 00:22:11,919 Speaker 2: was said that he became exceedingly deferential to her afterward, 285 00:22:12,320 --> 00:22:16,959 Speaker 2: particularly when it came to handing out punishments. On a 286 00:22:17,040 --> 00:22:21,520 Speaker 2: personal level, It's possible that Fredagund could have empathized with 287 00:22:21,600 --> 00:22:26,199 Speaker 2: Brunhild's plight as a desperate mother of young children, but 288 00:22:26,440 --> 00:22:31,480 Speaker 2: given the cruel nature with which Fredigund judged many other victims, though, 289 00:22:31,880 --> 00:22:36,240 Speaker 2: the idea of executing Brunhild was presumably even more tempting 290 00:22:36,320 --> 00:22:41,040 Speaker 2: because of that. However, by that point Fredagund would have 291 00:22:41,080 --> 00:22:45,639 Speaker 2: been well aware of other pressing economic factors, and in 292 00:22:45,720 --> 00:22:50,479 Speaker 2: potentially hashing those out with her husband, they ostensibly reached 293 00:22:50,520 --> 00:22:56,600 Speaker 2: the conclusion that Brunhild was simply worth more alive. After all, 294 00:22:56,680 --> 00:23:00,520 Speaker 2: the war had taken its toll on Fredagun and her 295 00:23:00,600 --> 00:23:05,160 Speaker 2: husband's personal wealth, as well as their country's treasury, which 296 00:23:05,200 --> 00:23:10,480 Speaker 2: again per precedent, was often overseen by the queen. Brunhild, 297 00:23:10,640 --> 00:23:13,600 Speaker 2: on the other hand, had coughed up a small fortune 298 00:23:13,640 --> 00:23:17,840 Speaker 2: when captured, and it was possible that the Neustrian rulers 299 00:23:18,200 --> 00:23:21,720 Speaker 2: saw her as a cash cow whom they could somehow 300 00:23:21,760 --> 00:23:27,960 Speaker 2: extort for more riches. Perhaps even more importantly, Fredegund would 301 00:23:28,040 --> 00:23:32,960 Speaker 2: have known that, despite their latest upswing, her side was 302 00:23:33,000 --> 00:23:37,879 Speaker 2: still in a delicate position in the larger war. They 303 00:23:37,920 --> 00:23:42,440 Speaker 2: didn't have the resources or manpower to launch a full 304 00:23:42,600 --> 00:23:47,440 Speaker 2: scale counter invasion of Austrasia, and also had other foes 305 00:23:47,520 --> 00:23:51,879 Speaker 2: to consider. Brunhild had worked to form ties with the 306 00:23:51,960 --> 00:23:56,240 Speaker 2: ambitious Byzantine court, and the Visigoths might soon pose a 307 00:23:56,280 --> 00:24:00,479 Speaker 2: threat as well. The Neustrian monarchs had gotten off easy 308 00:24:00,600 --> 00:24:06,160 Speaker 2: after the strangling of Brunhild's sister, partially because her Visigothic 309 00:24:06,320 --> 00:24:10,560 Speaker 2: family had been struggling to sort out their own succession 310 00:24:10,640 --> 00:24:16,600 Speaker 2: crisis after Brunhild's father's death, but the Spanish realm seemed 311 00:24:16,680 --> 00:24:22,159 Speaker 2: to be gradually solidifying, so if Fredagund and Chilprick killed 312 00:24:22,240 --> 00:24:26,440 Speaker 2: their last remaining princess, that might have meant eventually fighting 313 00:24:26,560 --> 00:24:32,160 Speaker 2: on multiple fronts. The discovery that Brunhild had already managed 314 00:24:32,320 --> 00:24:35,639 Speaker 2: to sneak her son off to Australia would have only 315 00:24:35,680 --> 00:24:40,000 Speaker 2: increased the queen's value as an insurance play and make 316 00:24:40,200 --> 00:24:44,399 Speaker 2: killing her even more risky. Fredagund, being both a mother 317 00:24:44,680 --> 00:24:49,000 Speaker 2: and a budding military strategist by this point, could have 318 00:24:49,160 --> 00:24:52,760 Speaker 2: easily envisioned how effective it would be to tell a 319 00:24:52,960 --> 00:24:56,800 Speaker 2: resentful little king tread lightly if you ever want to 320 00:24:56,800 --> 00:25:01,240 Speaker 2: see your mother again. So all in an all, Brunhild's 321 00:25:01,400 --> 00:25:05,800 Speaker 2: nunnery banishment was logical enough, and there was plenty of 322 00:25:05,880 --> 00:25:10,480 Speaker 2: precedent for dispatching widowed and or deposed queens in that way. 323 00:25:11,280 --> 00:25:15,240 Speaker 2: That said, in handing out such a relatively common sentence, 324 00:25:15,760 --> 00:25:21,040 Speaker 2: Fredegund and Chilpric should probably have been more careful when 325 00:25:21,240 --> 00:25:28,080 Speaker 2: specifically choosing and monitoring Brunhild's new holy home. Brunhild was 326 00:25:28,119 --> 00:25:32,600 Speaker 2: sent to a small convent in Ruam, a Neustrian stronghold, 327 00:25:32,920 --> 00:25:37,240 Speaker 2: where life was by all accounts strict. None Recruits had 328 00:25:37,280 --> 00:25:40,400 Speaker 2: to live by a harsh code, and they were almost 329 00:25:40,560 --> 00:25:44,080 Speaker 2: entirely shut off from the outside world. But it was 330 00:25:44,160 --> 00:25:49,520 Speaker 2: actually the world inside this particular convent that would be 331 00:25:49,720 --> 00:25:55,520 Speaker 2: critically useful for the socially skilled Brunhild, because, according to 332 00:25:55,840 --> 00:26:01,399 Speaker 2: some sources, one of the other top inmates there was 333 00:26:01,560 --> 00:26:07,840 Speaker 2: none other than Chilbrick's first wife, and in her Brunehild 334 00:26:08,320 --> 00:26:14,879 Speaker 2: found a similarly infuriated ally none life could not nullify 335 00:26:14,960 --> 00:26:21,320 Speaker 2: these cloistered women's ambitions. If anything, it amplified them. Sure, 336 00:26:21,440 --> 00:26:25,560 Speaker 2: Brunehild and her new guide were basically captives in this 337 00:26:26,000 --> 00:26:30,359 Speaker 2: austere house of God. Yes, their odds of mounting a 338 00:26:30,640 --> 00:26:36,560 Speaker 2: successful revenge mission against Fredagund must have seemed low, But 339 00:26:36,800 --> 00:26:42,280 Speaker 2: ask any bedding enthusiast when does a single queen ever 340 00:26:42,359 --> 00:26:49,640 Speaker 2: beat a pair. That's the first part of the unparalleled 341 00:26:49,760 --> 00:26:54,480 Speaker 2: story of Brunhild and Fredagun's rivalry. But stick around after 342 00:26:54,520 --> 00:26:57,959 Speaker 2: a brief sponsor break to get a fuller sense of 343 00:26:58,000 --> 00:27:06,240 Speaker 2: what it was like to attend a franket wedding. Brune 344 00:27:06,320 --> 00:27:11,520 Speaker 2: Hills and Fredigoon's marriages are intriguing for many reasons. They 345 00:27:11,560 --> 00:27:15,879 Speaker 2: obviously afforded them both queens status and laid the foundation 346 00:27:16,160 --> 00:27:22,840 Speaker 2: for contrasting yet unusually devoted royal relationships. Because the queen's 347 00:27:22,960 --> 00:27:28,560 Speaker 2: respective nuptials also involved kings wanting to outdo or undermine 348 00:27:28,680 --> 00:27:34,280 Speaker 2: their sibling rivals. These events also provide stellar windows into 349 00:27:34,400 --> 00:27:38,399 Speaker 2: another component that practically everyone who's bent a wedding is 350 00:27:38,520 --> 00:27:43,919 Speaker 2: curious about the food. According to biographer Shelley Puick in 351 00:27:44,000 --> 00:27:47,760 Speaker 2: her book The Dark Queens, the Bloody Rivalry that forged 352 00:27:47,840 --> 00:27:52,840 Speaker 2: the medieval world, quote, the tables were loaded down with food, 353 00:27:53,000 --> 00:27:57,119 Speaker 2: we would have no trouble recognizing today loaves of white bread, 354 00:27:57,440 --> 00:28:02,119 Speaker 2: beef slathered in brown gravy, carrots and turnips sprinkled with 355 00:28:02,200 --> 00:28:06,360 Speaker 2: salt and pepper. The Frank's love of bacon was renowned too, 356 00:28:06,720 --> 00:28:09,960 Speaker 2: as were their sweet tooths, so much so that the 357 00:28:10,119 --> 00:28:14,160 Speaker 2: kings themselves owned many of the sugar refineries of the era, 358 00:28:14,640 --> 00:28:18,119 Speaker 2: the bee hives. The honey was used to sweeten the 359 00:28:18,160 --> 00:28:23,280 Speaker 2: cakes baked for special occasions. As rushed as Fredgon's and 360 00:28:23,480 --> 00:28:29,240 Speaker 2: Chilprick's wedding was, cake was supposedly still served there and 361 00:28:29,359 --> 00:28:33,359 Speaker 2: in some ways grounded. Details like that can add just 362 00:28:33,480 --> 00:28:36,960 Speaker 2: as much insight into the lived experience of the day 363 00:28:37,400 --> 00:28:42,840 Speaker 2: as devious betrayals and momentous battles. It's humanizing to imagine 364 00:28:42,880 --> 00:28:47,120 Speaker 2: all those wedding guests clustering around the dessert table as 365 00:28:47,120 --> 00:28:50,640 Speaker 2: they struggled to cope with the awkwardness stemming from the 366 00:28:50,720 --> 00:28:55,000 Speaker 2: fact that the previous queen had been murdered seventy two 367 00:28:55,080 --> 00:28:59,120 Speaker 2: hours prior. What better way to avoid saying the wrong 368 00:28:59,200 --> 00:29:04,080 Speaker 2: thing and by nervously gobbling honeycake. All in all, these 369 00:29:04,120 --> 00:29:08,400 Speaker 2: folks might as well have tried to enjoy every sweet 370 00:29:08,440 --> 00:29:12,200 Speaker 2: respite they could get, because in Francia, the land of 371 00:29:12,360 --> 00:29:18,680 Speaker 2: dueling Queens, there were plenty more murders, backstabbings, and even hasty, 372 00:29:18,840 --> 00:29:23,560 Speaker 2: awkward weddings on the horizon. See You Again Part two 373 00:29:24,000 --> 00:29:35,680 Speaker 2: next week. Noble Blood is a production of iHeartRadio and 374 00:29:35,840 --> 00:29:39,440 Speaker 2: Grim and Mild from Aaron Mankey. Noble Blood is hosted 375 00:29:39,560 --> 00:29:43,560 Speaker 2: by me Dana Schwartz, with additional writing and research by 376 00:29:43,600 --> 00:29:48,320 Speaker 2: Hannah Johnston, Hannaswick, Courtney Sender, Amy Hit and Julia Milaney. 377 00:29:48,960 --> 00:29:52,600 Speaker 2: The show is edited and produced by Jesse Funk, with 378 00:29:52,760 --> 00:29:59,200 Speaker 2: supervising producerrima Ill Kali and executive producers Aaron Mankey, Trevor Young, 379 00:29:59,320 --> 00:30:03,760 Speaker 2: and Matt Frett. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the 380 00:30:03,840 --> 00:30:07,959 Speaker 2: iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your 381 00:30:08,000 --> 00:30:08,760 Speaker 2: favorite shows.