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History of the Franks

St Gregory of Tours, tr. Dalton, 1927

Book 8, 30. How the Army Marched to Septimania

Now King Guntram ordered his army to march against Spain, and said: ‘Subdue first the province of Septimania¹ to our dominion, as lying so near to Gaul; for it is shameful that the territory of the horrible Goth should extend into Gaul.’ Thereupon the whole armed force of his kingdom was levied and sent thither. The peoples dwelling beyond the Saône, Rhône, and Seine joined the Burgundians and ravaged the banks of the Saône and Rhône, destroying the produce and the herds. In King Guntram’s own territory they were guilty on all sides of murder, arson, and rapine; they even stripped the churches, slaying the clergy, with the bishops, as well as the lay people, even before the altars consecrated to God; in such wise did they advance to Nîmes.² The men of Bourges, Saintes, Périgueux, and Angoulême, with the people of other cities then under Guntram’s dominion, wrought the like wrongs, pushing forward to Carcassonne. Reaching that city, they found the gates opened for them by the inhabitants, and entered without resistance. But a quarrel arising between them and the people, they left the town. Terentiolus, former count of Limoges, was struck by a stone thrown from the walls, and killed; the enemy revenged themselves upon him by cutting off his head, and taking it within the city. Thereupon the whole army was stricken with panic, and intent on returning home; they left everything behind them, not only all that they had seized on the expedition, but all that they had originally brought with them. The Goths despoiled and slew many of them by taking them in ambush. The rest fell into the hands of the people of Toulouse, to whom they had done much injury during their advance; they were now robbed and so roughly handled that they hardly reached their homes. Those who had attacked Nîmes devastated the whole country, setting houses and crops afire, felling olive-groves, and cutting down vines, but were unable to harm the citizens, who shut themselves within their walls; they therefore marched on to other towns. These also were strongly fortified, and well stored with provisions and all other necessaries; so they ravaged the surrounding territory, but failed to make their way into the towns themselves. Duke Nicetius, who had started on this expedition with the people of Auvergne,³ beleaguered the cities with the other leaders. But seeing that he won no advantage, he came to a certain walled town⁴ and gave his word that no harm should be done; the people believed him, opened the gates of their free will, and received him and his men as if they came in peace. But when once they were let in, they disregarded their oath, plundered all the stores, and made the people prisoners. They then took counsel together, and returned home, committing on the way so many crimes, murdering, pillaging, and destroying even in their own king’s country, that it were too long a task to recount them. But the result of their aforesaid burning of the crops throughout Provence was that they themselves now perished of hunger and want, and their dead were left behind along the roads; some of them were drowned in the rivers, many slain in uprisings of the people. It was related that more than five thousand perished in these disasters. But their fate did not restrain those that remained. The churches in Auvergne which were near the roads were stripped of their plate, and there was no end of these ill deeds until the last man of them had reached home. On their return great bitterness of heart possessed King Guntram, and the leaders of the aforesaid army took refuge in the church of the holy martyr Symphorian.⁵

When the king came to be present at the saint’s festival,⁶ they were admitted before him on condition that they should give him an account of their doings at a later time. And four days later he summoned the bishops and chief men of the laity, and began to arraign his commanders. ‘How’, said he, ‘are we to win victory in our day when we no longer keep the observances of our fathers? They built churches, placing all their hope in God; they honoured the martyrs, and venerated the bishops; so they gained victories, and often by God’s aid subdued hostile peoples with sword and shield. But as for us, not only have we no fear of God, but we lay waste His holy places and slay His ministers; the very relics of the saints we break and scatter in contempt. Victory cannot be ours when such deeds are done; therefore are our hands weak, our swords grow cold, nor do our shields, as in old days, defend and protect us. If therefore this evil be ascribed to my sin, on my head may God bring it again. But if it is ye who spurn your king’s commands and delay to fulfil my behests, it is time that the axe were buried in your heads. For it shall be an example to all the host, if one of its leaders be slain: and we ought now to search out what is to be done. Let him who purposeth to follow justice follow; if any spurn it, let the vengeance of the law fall upon his head. For better is it that a few of the disobedient perish than that the wrath of God come upon the whole innocent land.’ To this speech the leaders of the army replied: ‘No easy task were it, most excellent king, to recount thy magnanimity and goodness, how great thy fear of God, thy love of the Church and reverence for her bishops, thy pity for the poor, and thy generous care for the needy. All that thou utterest, glorious lord, we hold to be right and true; but what can we do, when the whole people is fallen into corruption, and all joy to do iniquity? No man feareth the king, none respecteth duke or count; and if haply any one misliketh this wickedness, and to preserve thy length of days striveth to amend it, forthwith ariseth sedition and riot among the people, and all rage so furiously against their officer, that should he be unwilling any longer to hold his peace hardly may he hope to escape with his life.’ To this the king made reply: ‘If any man follow justice, let him live; if he reject the law and our commands, let him straightway perish, that we bring this shame on our heads no longer.’

After he had thus spoken, there arrived a messenger with this report: ‘Recared, son of Leuvigild, is come up out of Spain;⁷ he hath seized the strong place of Cabaret, ravaged the greater part of the territory of Toulouse, and carried off people captive. In the district of Arles he hath fallen upon the fortress of Beaucaire, carrying off the men and gear within, and hath shut himself up within the walls of Nîmes.’ On receiving this news, the king appointed Leudegisel⁸ duke in place of Calumniosus, surnamed Egilan, and distributed posts of more than four thousand men to guard the threatened territory. Nicetius, duke of Auvergne,⁹ likewise advanced with a protecting force and patrolled the border.

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