Editing Sigebert I

{{Short description|King of Austrasia from 561 to 575}}
{{For|the Saxon ruler by this name|Sigeberht I of Essex}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name = Sigebert I
| title = 
| image = Sigebert 1.jpg
| caption = Sigebert I's bust on his coin, minted in [[Reims]]
| succession = [[King of Austrasia]]
| reign = 561–575
| predecessor = [[Clotaire I]]
| successor = [[Childebert II of Austrasia|Childebert II]]
| birth_date = {{circa}} 535
| birth_place =
| death_date = {{circa}} {{death year and age|575|535}}
| death_place = [[Vitry-en-Artois]]
| house = [[Merovingian dynasty|Merovingian]]
| house-type = Dynasty
| father = [[Clotaire I]]
| mother = [[Ingund]]
| spouse = [[Brunhilda of Austrasia]]
| spouse-type = Consort
| issue = [[Ingund (wife of Hermenegild)|Ingund]] <br> [[Chlodosinda (daughter of Sigebert I)|Chlodosind]] <br> [[Childebert II]]
| religion = 
}}
'''Sigebert I''' ({{circa}} 535 – {{circa}} 575) was a [[Franks|Frankish]] king of [[Austrasia]] from the death of his father in 561 to his own death.  He was the third surviving son out of four of [[Clotaire I]] and [[Ingund]].  His reign found him mostly occupied with a successful civil war against his [[half-brother]], [[Chilperic I|Chilperic]].

When Clotaire I died in 561, his kingdom was divided, in accordance with [[Franks|Frankish]] custom, among his four sons: Sigebert became king of the northeastern portion, known as [[Austrasia]], with its capital at [[Rheims]], to which he added further territory on the death of his brother, [[Charibert I]], in 567 or 568; Charibert himself had received the kingdom centred on [[Paris]]; [[Guntram]] received the [[Kingdom of Burgundy]] with its capital at [[Orléans]]; and the youngest son, the aforementioned Chilperic, received [[Soissons]], which became [[Neustria]] when he received his share of Charibert's kingdom. Incursions by the [[Pannonian Avars|Avars]], a fierce nomadic tribe related to the [[Huns]], caused Sigebert to move his capital from Rheims to [[Metz]].  He repelled their attacks twice, in 562 and c. 568. He was defeated and captured by Huns(Avars), but at the end he made peace with them.<ref>https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/basis/gregory-hist.asp#book4  Internet Medieval Sourcebook

Gregory of Tours (539-594): History of the Franks: Books I-X

Book IV, part '''29.'''

The Huns were again endeavoring to make an entrance into the Gauls. Sigibert marched against them with his army, leading a great number of brave men. And when they were about to fight, the Huns, who were versed in magic arts, caused false appearances of various sorts to come before them and defeated them decisively. Sigibert's army fled, but he himself was taken by the Huns and would have remained a prisoner if he had not overcome by his skill in making presents the men whom he could not conquer in battle. He was a man of fine appearance and good address. He gave gifts and entered into an agreement with their king that all the days of their lives they should fight no battles with one another. And this incident is rightly believed to be more to his credit than otherwise. The king of the Huns also gave many gifts to king Sigibert. He was called Gaganus. All the kings of that people are called by this name.</ref>

About 567, he married [[Brunhilda of Austrasia|Brunhilda]], daughter of the [[Visigoths|Visigothic]] king [[Athanagild]].  According to [[Gregory of Tours]]:

: Now when king Sigebert saw that his brothers were taking wives unworthy of them, and to their disgrace were actually marrying slave women, he sent an embassy into [[Spain]] and with many gifts asked for Brunhilda, daughter of king Athanagild. She was a maiden beautiful in her person, lovely to look at, virtuous and well-behaved, with good sense and a pleasant address. Her father did not refuse, but sent her to the king I have named with great treasures. And the king collected his chief men, made ready a feast, and took her as his wife amid great joy and mirth. And though she was a follower of the [[Arianism|Arian]] law she was converted by the preaching of the bishops and the admonition of the king himself, and she confessed the blessed [[Trinity]] in unity, and believed and was baptized. And she still remains catholic in [[Christ]]'s name.<ref>[http://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/halsall/basis/gregory-hist.asp#book4 Gregory of Tours, The History of the Franks, IV 27]</ref>

[[Image:Assassinat de Sigebert Ier.jpg|thumb|220px|right|The assassination of Sigebert by [[Jean Fouquet]], from the fifteenth century [[Grandes Chroniques de France]].]]
Upon seeing this, his brother Chilperic sent to Athanagild for his other daughter's hand.  This daughter, [[Galswintha]], was given him and he abandoned his other wives.  However, he soon tired of her and had her murdered in order to marry his mistress [[Fredegund]]. Probably spurred by his wife Brunhilda's anger at her sister's murder, Sigebert sought revenge. The two brothers had already been at war, but their hostility now elevated into a long and bitter war that was continued by the descendants of both.

In 573, Sigebert took possession of [[Poitiers]] and [[Touraine]], and conquered most of his kingdom. Chilperic then hid in [[Tournai]]. But at Sigebert's moment of triumph, when he had just been declared king by Chilperic's subjects at [[Vitry-en-Artois]], he was struck down by two assassins working for Fredegund.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=PDkNAAAAIAAJ&dq=chlothar+ii+king+of+the+franks&pg=PA522 Oman, Charles. ''The Dark Ages, 476-918'', Rivingtons, 1908, p. 164]{{PD-notice}}</ref>

He was succeeded by his son [[Childebert II|Childebert]] under the regency of Brunhilda.  Brunhilda and Childebert quickly put themselves under the protection of Guntram, who eventually adopted Childebert as his own son and heir.<ref>{{cite book|chapter=Anglo-Saxon Kinship Revisited |author=Thomas Charles-Edwards |title=The Anglo-Saxons from the Migration Period to the Eighth Century |others=John Hines (ed.) |publisher=Boydell Press |date=2003 |page=178}}</ref> With Brunhilda he had two daughters: [[Ingund (wife of Hermenegild)|Ingund]] and Chlodosind.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
*[[Joseph Henry Dahmus|Dahmus, Joseph Henry]]. ''Seven Medieval Queens''. 1972.

==External links==
{{commons category}}
*[http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/basis/gregory-hist.html History of the Franks: Books I-X] at Medieval Sourcebook.


{{s-start}}
{{s-reg}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Clotaire I]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Austrasia|King of Austrasia]]|years=561–575}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Childebert II of Austrasia|Childebert II]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Chilperic I]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Neustria|King of Neustria]]|years=575}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Chilperic I]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Merovingians}}
{{Monarchs of France}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sigebert 01}}
[[Category:Merovingian kings]]
[[Category:530s births]]
[[Category:570s deaths]]
[[Category:Frankish warriors]]
[[Category:6th-century murdered monarchs]]
[[Category:Burials at the Abbey of Saint-Médard de Soissons]]
[[Category:6th-century Frankish kings]]