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History of the Franks

St Gregory of Tours, tr. Dalton, 1927

Book 10, 9. Of King Guntram’s Army Which Marched into Brittany

Meanwhile the Bretons committed great ravages in the districts of Nantes and Rennes. King Guntram therefore ordered an army to be levied for war against them, sending to command it dukes Beppolen¹ and Ebrachar.² But Ebrachar feared that if they won a victory Beppolen might usurp his dukedom; he therefore started a quarrel, and during the whole march they were assailing each other with abuse, taunts, and curses. Wherever they passed, they burned, slew, robbed, and committed every sort of crime. Thus they came to the Vilaine; this river they crossed, and reached the Oust. Here they destroyed the houses near by, and constructed bridges; thus their whole army passed over. Beppolen was now joined by a certain priest, who said to him: ‘If thou wilt follow me, I will lead thee to Waroch,³ and show thee all the Bretons assembled in one place.’ When the news of Beppolen’s expedition reached Fredegund, she commanded the Saxons of Bayeux, wearing their hair cut in the Breton manner, and dressing themselves after the same fashion, to march in support of Waroch; for she had a grudge of long standing against Beppolen.⁴ As soon as Beppolen came up with the men who were willing to follow him, he gave battle, and for the space of two days made great slaughter of these same Bretons and Saxons. But Ebrachar had already withdrawn, taking with him the greater part of the troops, refusing to come back until he heard of his rival’s death. On the third day of the battle, his companions being already slain, Beppolen, though wounded, still defended himself with his spear; but at length Waroch and his aforesaid allies rushed in and slew him, for Beppolen had been shut in between narrow passes and the marshes, and more of his men perished in the bogs than by the edge of the sword.⁵

Ebrachar now advanced to Vannes, for Bishop Regalis had sent his clergy out to meet him with crosses and chanting of psalms, and he was thus escorted into the city. It was said at this time that Waroch attempted to take refuge among the islands, and that he had ships laden with his gold and silver and other effects; but that when he was in the open sea, a storm arose, some of the ships were sunk, and he lost all the property which they carried. He now came to Ebrachar to sue for peace, handing over hostages and rich gifts, and pledging himself never again to act to the injury of King Guntram. After he was gone, Bishop Regalis with his priests and the inhabitants of his city took like oaths of loyalty, declaring ‘that they were in nothing guilty against their lords the kings, nor had they ever done frowardly to their prejudice; they were held in duress by the Bretons, and lay under a heavy yoke’. Peace having been thus concluded between Ebrachar and Waroch, the latter spoke as follows: ‘Withdraw now to thy country, and tell the king that I will fulfil all his commands of my free will. And that thou mayst have the fullest trust in my word, I will give thee my nephew as a hostage.’ And he did so, and there was an end of the war, wherein a great multitude had fallen, both of the royal army and of the Bretons.

So the army returned from Brittany. But while the stronger were able to pass the river Vilaine, the weaker men and the poor people with them were unable to get across, and had to remain on the western bank. Then Waroch, regardless of his oath and of the hostages which he had given, sent thither his son Canao with an army. Canao captured and bound the men whom he found on the hither bank, slaying all who resisted; some who tried to swim across on horseback were carried down to the sea by the force of the stream. Some of the men thus taken were afterwards freed by the consort of Waroch by taper and tablet; so they returned to their homes. Ebrachar’s army, which had crossed the river first, was afraid to go home as it had come, fearing to suffer from the people the same treatment which it had meted to them; it therefore took the road by Angers, making for the bridge over the Mayenne. But a small party which crossed first at this bridge was stripped, beaten, and exposed to every kind of indignity. The army in its passage through the territory of Tours pillaged on all sides, and despoiled many, for the inhabitants were caught unawares. Many of those who took part in this expedition went to King Guntram and declared that Duke Ebrachar and Count Wiliachar⁶ had been bribed by Waroch, and had caused the disaster to the army. When Ebrachar presented himself, the king showered reproaches on him and ordered him to quit his presence. Count Wiliachar fled, and remained in hiding.

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