The Dark Queens by Shelley Puhak

Author:Shelley Puhak
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

A Late Medieval portrait of Fredegund reigning as regent for her infant son

Guntram could see the situation in Neustria was spinning out of his control. But there was little he could do. The Septimania campaign had been such a disaster that when Guntram’s military commanders returned, they went into sanctuary in a church rather than have to face their king. Guntram visited the church and threatened to put an ax in their skulls,34 as Clovis had done. To save face with the public, Guntram blamed his military’s poor performance not on the lack of strategy or leadership, but on the lack of religion35 in the lives of the younger generations.

Guntram had no troops in reserve to send into Rouen to subdue the Neustrians; he was spread too thin. Fredegund increased the pressure upon Guntram, sending in two separate teams of assassins after the king. One set was secreted in a Neustrian diplomatic party while the other lay in wait for Guntram in church.36 Neither was successful, but perhaps they didn’t need to be. Fredegund only had to remind Guntram of how persistent she could be, and how close she could get.

Eventually, Guntram had to throw up his hands and concede defeat.

By the end of the summer of 586, Fredegund was regent, the undisputed ruler of Neustria.

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