Brunhilda was a Visigothic princess who married a Frankish king (the Visigoths and the Franks were both Germanic tribes, although distinctly different). Her father had been a Visigothic king of Hispania after the Visigoth’s conquered and occupied the Iberian Peninsula following the destruction of the Roman Empire. Brunhilda’s Frankish husband, Sigebert I (grandson of Clovis I), ruled over the kingdoms of Austrasia and Burgundy (representing much of the middle section of continental Europe). According to legend, Sigebert I wanted a morally upright and highly educated wife, unlike the apparent low-born whores his other brothers wed. Enter Princess Brunhilda with her high-brow Visigothic education and her royal birth. One of Sigebert’s envious brothers, King Chilperic of Neustria (present day France), promptly sent for Brunhilda’s sister in Spain, Princess Galswintha, to be his wife. Soon though, Chilperic tired of the morally righteous Galswintha (who denied him his prostitutes and concubines), and a plan was hatched to have his innocent wife killed by his mistress Fredegund (shortly thereafter Chilperic and Fredegund were married). Brunhilda was outraged by the murder of her sister and made it her life’s mission to antagonize her brother-in-law and his murderous wife, pushing her husband into battle with Chilperic (resulting in Sigebert’s eventually death). In the name of her son, her grand-sons and her great-grand son, Brunhilda was constantly jockeying for power and always at war with Chilperic and Fredegund. At first, she demonstrated deft political and administrative acumen over “her†kingdom, but eventually the realities of the circumstances turned her into a violent, ruthless woman, hell-bent on revenge every which way but up. It was said she was responsible for the death of 10 Frankish kings through her various provocations. As she was nearing 70 years of age, the kingdoms of Austrasia and Neustria were united by Clotaire II (Chilperic’s son by Fredegund) who ordered the brutal execution of his aunt (she was dragged from horses and torn apart limb from limb). This was the Dark Ages, after all. Brunhilda may have been a shit-stirrer and a bitch-on-wheels, but trust us when we say – that was the only way a Queen among enemies could survive.
