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History of the Franks

St Gregory of Tours, tr. Dalton, 1927

Book 8, 45. Of the Death of Duke Desiderius

The Spanish envoys repeated their visits to King Guntram, but were unable to obtain any concession as to peace; far from that, enmity grew more than ever. King Guntram restored the city of Albi to his nephew Childebert.¹ Duke Desiderius had bestowed the greater part of his wealth in the territory of this city; and as soon as he heard of the change, he feared that Childebert might take revenge on him to satisfy an ancient grudge, because in this city he had once dealt no light blow to the army of King Sigibert of glorious memory. He therefore crossed into the territory of Toulouse with his wife Tetradia, whom he had taken from Eulalius, the former count of Auvergne,² and all his possessions. There he levied an army, and prepared to march against the Goths, first, they say, dividing his property between his sons and his wife. He took with him Count Austrovald,³ and advanced on Carcassonne. The citizens of that place had made themselves ready for resistance, on hearing the news, for they had already received warning. But when hostilities began the Goths turned to flee, and Desiderius and Austrovald struck at their rearguard. Their flight continuing, Desiderius approached the city with only a few men, for his men’s horses were exhausted. As he came up to the gate, he was surrounded by citizens sallying from within, and was slain with almost all his companions; hardly a man managed to escape to tell what had befallen. When the death of Desiderius was known, Austrovald turned back, and proceeded to the king, who shortly afterwards appointed him duke in the dead man’s place.

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