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History of the Franks

St Gregory of Tours, tr. Dalton, 1927

Book 4, 26. Of the Wives of Charibert

King Charibert took Ingoberg to wife; by her he had a daughter who, wedding in after years, was taken as a bride to Kent. At this time Ingoberg had in her service two daughters of a certain poor man; one of them was called Marcovefa and wore the religious habit, the other bore the name of Merofled; the king was strongly attracted by them both: I have said that she was the daughter of a worker in wool. Ingoberg was jealous that the king looked with favour on them, and secretly set their father to work, hoping that when the king saw him thus, he would despise the daughters. When the man was at work, she called the king, who in the hope of being shown something new, saw only the man from a distance arranging the royal wool. At this sight he was moved to anger, and forsaking Ingoberg, took Merofled. Another girl he had, daughter of a shepherd; her name was Theudechild, and she is said to have given him a son who was carried to burial immediately upon his birth. In the time of this king, Leontius¹ assembled at Saintes the bishops of his province, and expelled Emerius from his see, declaring that he had attained his rank against the canons. This prelate had received a decree from King Lothar permitting him to be consecrated without the consent of the metropolitan, who was absent at the time. After his expulsion they formally chose Heraclius, then a priest of Bordeaux, and sent the document to the king by the hands of the aforesaid priest, with all their signatures upon it. He came to Tours, and explained to the blessed Eufronius² what had been done, praying him to add his signature. But this the man of God plainly refused to do. So when the priest had entered the gates of Paris, and was come into the king’s presence, he spoke as follows: ‘Hail, glorious king. The apostolic see sendeth thy majesty most ardent prayer for thy welfare.’ To whom the king: ‘Comest thou then from Rome, that thou bringest us a greeting from the pope of that city?’ ‘Nay,’ said the priest, ‘it is thy father in God Leontius, with the bishops of his province, who sendeth thee greeting, giving thee to know that Cymulus’ (the name commonly given to Emerius in his infancy) ‘is expelled from the bishopric for having usurped the see of Saintes in disregard of canonical sanction. For which cause they have sent thee their resolution that he should be replaced by another, to the end that both transgressors of the canons may without fail be condemned, and the power of thy dominion may spread to the remotest ages.’ At these words the king, falling into a fury, ordered him to be dragged from his sight, placed on a wagon filled with thorns, and driven into exile, saying: ‘Deemest thou that there remaineth not one of the sons of Lothar to maintain his father’s acts, because these men without waiting for our decision have rejected the bishop whom he chose?’ And forthwith he dispatched men of religion to restore the bishop to his place, and at the same time certain of his chamberlains to exact a thousand pieces of gold from Bishop Leontius and punish the other bishops as far as their circumstances allowed. After this manner he avenged the outrage done to King Lothar.

After this he wedded Marcovefa, sister of Merofled, for which thing the holy bishop Germanus excommunicated them both. And because the king would not put her away, she was stricken by God’s judgement and died. Not long after her King Charibert also died,³ whereupon Theudechild, one of his queens,⁴ sent envoys to King Guntram, offering herself to him in marriage. But the king gave them this reply: ‘Let her not fear to come to me with her treasures. For I will receive her, and will make her great among the peoples, so that she shall enjoy more honour with me than with my brother who is now dead.’ At these words she rejoiced, and gathering together all her goods, set forth to join him. But when the king saw that, he said: ‘It is better that these treasures should be held in my control, than that they should follow this woman, who was unworthy of my brother’s bed.’ Thereupon he took a great part, and leaving her but little, sent her to a monastery in Arles. There she ill brooked the rule of fasts and vigils, and by secret messages summoned to her aid a certain Goth, to whom she promised that if he would take her into Spain and wed her there, she would leave the monastery with her treasures and follow him with a glad mind. The man without hesitation promised to do as she desired. Thereat she gathered her effects together, and fastened the bundles; all was ready for her escape from the convent. But her design was prevented by the vigilance of the abbess, who, discovering her deceit, ordered her to be severely beaten and kept in durance. In this state she lived to her dying day, worn by sufferings above the common measure.

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