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History of the Franks

St Gregory of Tours, tr. Dalton, 1927

Book 3, 6. Of the Death of Chlodomer

Queen Clotild thus spoke to Chlodomer and her other sons: ‘Let it not repent me, dearest sons, to have brought you up with tenderness; resent in wrath, I entreat you, the wrong done to me; with all your hearts and minds avenge the death of my father and mother.’ After this appeal they set out for Burgundy and marched against Sigismund and his brother Godomar. The Burgundian army was defeated, and Godomar took to flight. Sigismund was taken prisoner by Chlodomer with his wife and sons, while endeavouring to escape to the monastery of Agaune, and was kept imprisoned in the territory of Orleans.¹ When the Frankish kings had departed, Godomar recovered his powers, rallied the Burgundians, and won his kingdom again. Chlodomer prepared once more to attack him, and determined upon the death of Sigismund. But the blessed abbot Avitus, great among the priests of those days, addressed him in these terms: ‘If for the fear of God thou amend thy purpose, and wilt not suffer these men to be slain, God shall be with thee, and thou shalt go forth to victory. But if thou slay them, thou shalt thyself be given into the hands of thine enemies, and shalt die by a like fate. It shall be done unto thee and thy wife and thy sons according as thou doest unto Sigismund, his wife, and children.’ But the king scorned to hearken to his counsel, and said: ‘Methinks it were a fool’s act to leave some of my foes behind me when I march against the rest; for were some to rise up before me and others behind, I should fall between forces on either hand. I shall triumph better and with more ease, if I keep the one party from the other; if one be slain, the other can readily be marked to die.’ And immediately he ordered Sigismund to be slain with his wife and sons, and to be thrown down a well in the village of S. Péravy la Colombe in the territory of Orleans. Whereupon he set forth for Burgundy, first calling King Theuderic to his assistance. This king, having no wish to avenge the wrong done to his father-in-law, promised that he would come. They joined forces at a place named Vézeronce in the territory of Vienne, and there gave battle to Godomar.² But Godomar retreated with his army, pursued by Chlodomer, who was soon separated by some distance from his own men. Thereupon the Burgundians imitated his battle-cry, shouting to him: ‘This way, this way! we are thy own men.’ He was tricked and went, falling thus into the midst of his enemies, who cut off his head, fixed it on a pole, and raised it aloft. When the Franks saw this, and learned that Chlodomer was slain, they rallied, put Godomar to flight, bore down the Burgundians, and brought the country into their own power. Lothar forthwith espoused his brother’s wife, whose name was Guntheuc. Queen Clotild, when the days of mourning were over, took his sons and kept them with her; the name of the first was Theudovald, that of the second Gunthar, that of the third Chlodovald. Godomar once more recovered his kingdom.

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