Editing Guntram

{{Short description|King of Orléans from 561 to 592 AD}}
{{about|the Frankish king|the Strauss opera|Guntram (opera)|the German noble|Guntram the Rich}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name         = St. Gontrand
| image        = File:Tiers_de_sou_de_Gontran_frapp%C3%A9_%C3%A0_Chalon-sur-Sa%C3%B4ne.jpeg
| caption      = A [[tremissis]] bearing Guntram's effigy and minted at Chalon-sur-Saône
| succession   = [[King of Orléans]]
| reign        = 561–592
| predecessor  = [[Chlothar I]]
| successor    = [[Childebert II]]
| house        = [[Merovingian]]
| birth_date   = 532
| birth_place  = [[Soissons]]
| death_date   = 28 March {{death year and age|592|532}}
| death_place  = [[Chalon-sur-Saône]]
| father       = [[Chlothar I]]
| mother       = [[Ingund]]
| spouses      = Veneranda<br>Marcatrude<br>[[Austregilde]]
| spouse-type  = 
| issue        = Gundobad<br>Clothar<br>Chlodomer
}}
Saint '''Gontrand''' ({{circa}} 532 in [[Soissons]] – 28 March 592 in [[Chalon-sur-Saône]]), also called '''Gontran''', '''Gontram''', '''Guntram''', '''Gunthram''', '''Gunthchramn''', and '''Guntramnus''', was the king of the Kingdom of Orléans from AD 561 to AD 592.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wVOsCgAAQBAJ&pg=PT220|title=Lives of the Saints: For Every Day in the Year|last=Butler|first=Rev Fr Alban|date=May 2009|publisher=TAN Books|isbn=9781618903075|pages=220|language=en}}</ref> He was the third-eldest and second-eldest-surviving son of [[Chlothar I]] and [[Ingunda]]. On his father's death in 561, he became king of a fourth of the [[Kingdom of the Franks]], and made his capital at [[Orléans]].<ref>Ian Wood, ''The Merovingian Kingdoms 450–751'' (Longman Group, 1994), 56.</ref> The name "Gontrand" denotes "[[Cultural depictions of ravens|War Raven]]".

==Personal life==
King Gontrand had something of that fraternal love which his brothers lacked; the preeminent chronicler of the period, [[St. Gregory of Tours]], often called him "good king Gontrand", as noted in the quotation below from the former's ''Decem Libri Historiarum'', in which St. Gregory discussed the fate of Gontrand's three marriages:

<blockquote>The good king Gontrand first took a concubine Veneranda, a slave belonging to one of his people, by whom he had a son Gundobad. Later he married Marcatrude, daughter of Magnar, and sent his son Gundobad to [[Orléans]]. But after she had a son Marcatrude was jealous, and proceeded to bring about Gundobad's death. She sent poison, they say, and poisoned his drink. And upon his death, by God's judgment she lost the son she had and incurred the hate of the king, was dismissed by him, and died not long after. After her he took [[Austregilde]], also named Bobilla. He had by her two sons, of whom the older was called Clothar and the younger Chlodomer.<ref>[http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/basis/gregory-hist.html ''Medieval Sourcebook'': (St.) Gregory of Tours: ''History of the Franks'' (''Decem Libri Historiarum'')<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref></blockquote>

Gontrand had a period of intemperance. He was eventually overcome with remorse for the sins of his past life, and spent his remaining years repenting of them, both for himself and for his nation. In atonement, he fasted, prayed, wept, and offered himself to God. Throughout the balance of his prosperous reign he attempted to govern by Christian principles. According to St. [[Gregory of Tours]], he was the protector of the oppressed, caregiver to the sick, and the tender parent to his subjects. He was generous with his wealth, especially in times of plague and famine. He strictly and justly enforced the law without respect to person, yet was ever ready to forgive offences against himself, including two attempted assassinations. Gontrand munificently built and endowed many churches and monasteries. St. Gregory related that the king performed many miracles both before and after his death, some of which St. Gregory claimed to have witnessed himself.

==Politics==

[[File:Statue de saint Gontran.jpg|thumb|150px|Later statue depicting Gontrand]]

[[File:FrankishRealm561.jpg|thumb|right|The Frankish Realm in 561, after the death of Clothar I]]

In 567, his elder brother [[Charibert I]] died and his lands of the [[King of Paris|Kingdom of Paris]] were divided between the surviving brothers: Gontrand, [[Sigebert I]], and [[Chilperic I]]. They shared his realm, agreeing at first to hold [[Paris]] in common. Charibert's widow, Theudechild, proposed a marriage with Gontrand, the eldest remaining brother, though a council convened at [[Paris]] as late as 557 had forbidden such tradition as incestuous. Gontrand decided to house her more safely, though unwillingly, in a monastery in [[Arles]].

In 573, Gontrand was caught in a [[civil war]] with his brother Sigebert I of [[Austrasia]], and in 575 summoned the aid of their brother Chilperic I of [[Soissons]]. He reversed his allegiance later, due to the character of Chilperic, if we may give him the benefit of the doubt in light of [[Gregory of Tours|St. Gregory]]'s commendation, and Chilperic retreated. He thereafter remained an ally of Sigebert, his wife, and his sons until his death. When Sigebert was assassinated later in 575, Chilperic invaded the kingdom, but Gontrand sent his general [[Mummolus]], who was always Gontrand's greatest weapon, for he was the greatest general in [[Gaul]] at the time, to remove him. Mummolus defeated Chilperic's general [[Desiderius of Aquitaine|Desiderius]] and the Neustrian's forces retreated from Austrasia.

In 577, Chlothar and Clodomir, his two surviving children, died of [[dysentery]] and he adopted as his son and heir [[Childebert II]], his nephew, Sigebert's son, whose kingdom he had saved two years prior. However, Childebert did not always prove faithful to his uncle. In 581, Chilperic took many of Gontrand's cities and in 583, he allied with Childebert and attacked Gontrand. This time Gontrand made peace with Chilperic and Childebert retreated. In 584, he returned Childebert's infidelity by invading his land and capturing [[Tours]] and [[Poitiers]], but he had to leave to attend the [[baptism]] of [[Chlothar II]], his other nephew, who now ruled in Neustria. Supposed to take place on 4 July, the feast of St. [[Martin of Tours]], in [[Orléans]], it did not and Gontrand turned to invade [[Septimania]]. Peace was soon made.

[[Image:Gontran et Childebert II.JPG|thumb|left|225px|King St. Gontrand and Childebert II, from the ''[[Grandes Chroniques de France]]'']]
In 584 or 585, one [[Gundowald]] claimed to be an illegitimate son of [[Chlothar I]] and proclaimed himself king, taking some major cities in southern [[Gaul]], including [[Poitiers]] and [[Toulouse]], which belonged to Gontrand. Gontrand marched against him, calling him nothing more than a miller's son named Ballomer. Gundowald fled to [[Comminges]] and Gontrand's army proceeded to besiege the citadel. He could not capture it, but did not need to. Gundowald's followers gave him over and he was executed.

In 587, [[Fredegund]] attempted to assassinate him but failed. On 28 November he went to [[Trier]] to conclude a treaty with Childebert; [[Brunhilda of Austrasia|Brunhilda]], his sister-in-law, Sigebert's wife, whose ally he had always been; Chlodosind, Childebert's sister; [[Faileuba]], Childebert's queen; [[Magneric]], [[Bishop of Trier]]; and Ageric, [[Bishop of Verdun]]. This was called the [[Treaty of Andelot]] and it endured until Gontrand died.

Also in 587, Gontrand compelled obedience from [[Waroch II]], the [[Brittany|Breton]] ruler of the [[Vannetais]]. He forced the renewal of the oath of 578 in writing and demanded 1,000 ''[[solidi]]'' in compensation for raiding the [[Nantais]]. In 588, the compensation was not yet paid, as Waroch promised it to both Gontrand and [[Chlothar II]], who probably had [[suzerainty]] over Vannes.

In 589 or 590, Gontrand sent an expedition against Waroch under Beppolem and Ebrachain, mutual enemies. Ebrachain was also enemy of Fredegund, who sent the [[Saxons]] of [[Bayeux]] to aid Waroch.<ref>Howorth, 310.</ref> Beppolem fought alone for three days before dying, at which point Waroch tried to flee to the [[Channel Islands]], but Ebrachain destroyed his ships and forced him to accept a peace,<ref>Gregory, 10, 9.</ref> the renewal of the oath, and the surrender of a nephew as a hostage. This was all to no effect. The Bretons maintained their independent mindedness.

In 589, Gontrand made a final advance on [[Septimania]], to no avail. He fought against the barbarians who menaced the kingdom and quelled a rebellion of his niece [[Basina, daughter of Chilperic|Basina]] at the Holy Cross abbey of Poitiers with the aid of many of his bishops in 590.

==Death and veneration==

He died at [[Chalon-sur-Saône]] in 592, and his nephew Childebert II succeeded him.<ref>Ian Wood, ''The Merovingian Kingdoms 450–751'', 91.</ref> He was buried in the [[Saint Marcellus of Chalons|Church of Saint Marcellus]], which he had founded in [[Chalon-sur-Saône|Chalon]]. Almost immediately, his subjects proclaimed Gontrand a saint and the [[Catholic Church]] celebrates his feast day on 28 March. The [[Huguenots]], who scattered his ashes in the 16th century, left only his skull untouched in their fury. It is now kept there in a silver case.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
*Henry H. Howorth. "[https://www.jstor.org/stable/2841006 The Ethnology of Germany. Part 3: The Migration of the Saxons]." ''The Journal of the Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland'', Vol. 7. 1878. pp.&nbsp;293–320.
*[[Joseph Henry Dahmus|Dahmus, Joseph Henry]]. ''Seven Medieval Queens''. 1972.
*[[St. Gregory of Tours]]. ''The History of the Franks, Volume II: Text''. Trans. by [[Ormonde Maddock Dalton]]. Clarendon Press: 1967.
*[http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/basis/gregory-hist.html ''Decem Libri Historiarum'': Books 1-10.] Translated by [[Ernest Brehaut]]. Available at ''Medieval Sourcebook''.

==External links==
{{commons category|Gontran}}
* [https://www.fairytalechannel.com/2010/04/grimms-saga-no.html Translation of Grimm's Saga No. 433, "The Sleeping King" Gontrand]

{{s-start}}
{{s-hou|[[Merovingian|Merovingian dynasty]]||545||592}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Chlothar I]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[List of Frankish Kings|King of Orléans]]|years=561–592}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Childebert II]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Merovingians}}
{{Monarchs of France}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Guntram}}
[[Category:530s births]]
[[Category:592 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Soissons]]
[[Category:Frankish warriors]]
[[Category:Merovingian kings]]
[[Category:Christian royal saints]]
[[Category:Roman Catholic royal saints]]
[[Category:6th-century Frankish kings]]
[[Category:6th-century Frankish saints]]
[[Category:Colombanian saints]]