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| Childebert I | |
|---|---|
 Coin of Childebert I with his profile | |
| King of Paris | |
| Reign | 511–558 |
| Predecessor | Clovis I |
| Successor | Chlothar I |
| King ofOrléans | |
| Reign | 524–558 |
| Predecessor | Chlodomer |
| Successor | Chlothar I |
| Born | c. 496 Reims |
| Died | 13 December 558 (aged 61–62) |
| Spouse | Ultragotha |
| Issue | Chrodoberge Chrodesinde |
| Dynasty | Merovingian |
| Father | Clovis I |
| Mother | Clotilde |
| Religion | Chalcedonian Christianity |
Childebert I (c. 496 – 13 December 558) was aFrankish King of theMerovingian dynasty, as third of the four sons ofClovis I who shared the kingdom of the Franks upon their father's death in 511. He was one of the sons ofSaint Clotilda, born atReims. He reigned asKing of Paris from 511 to 558 andOrléans from 524 to 558.
In the partition of the realm, Childebert received as his share the town ofParis, the country to the north as far as the riverSomme, to the west as far as theEnglish Channel, and theArmorican peninsula (modernBrittany).[1] His brothers ruled in different lands:Theuderic I inMetz,Chlodomer inOrléans, andChlothar I inSoissons.
In 523, Childebert participated with his brothers in a war againstGodomar of Burgundy. Chlodomer died in theBattle of Vézeronce (524). Thereafter, concerned that the three sons of Chlodomer would inherit the kingdom of Orléans, Chlothar conspired with Childebert to oust them. They sent a representative to their mother,Clotilde. The representative presented a pair of scissors and a sword, offering her the choice to shear the three young boys, thereby depriving them of the long hair considered a symbol of royal power, or to have them killed. She famously replied, "It is better for me to see them dead rather than shorn, if they are not raised to the kingship".[2] After the murder of Chlodomer's two elder children—the third,Clodoald, escaping to a monastic life—Childebert annexed the cities ofChartres andOrléans.
He took part in later various expeditions against the kingdom ofBurgundy. Hebesieged Autun in 532 and, in 534, having conquered the kingdom along with his brother Chlothar and Theuderic's sonTheudebert I, received as his share of the spoils of that kingdom the towns ofMâcon,Geneva andLyons. WhenWitiges, the king of theOstrogoths, cededProvence to the Franks in 535, the possession ofArles andMarseille was guaranteed to Childebert by his brothers.[1] The annexation of that province was completed, with Clotaire's help, in the winter of 536–537.
In 531, he received pleas from his sisterChrotilda, wife of KingAmalaric of theVisigoths. TheArian king ofHispania, Chrotilda claimed, was grossly mistreating her, aCatholic. Childebert went down with an army and defeated the Gothic king. Amalaric retreated to Barcelona, where he was assassinated. Chrotilda died on her return journey to Paris of unknown causes.
Childebert made other expeditions against the Visigoths. In 542, he took possession ofPamplona with the help of his brother Clotaire and besiegedZaragoza, but was forced to retreat. From this expedition he brought back to Paris a precious relic, the tunic ofSaint Vincent, in honour of which he built at the gates of Paris the famous monastery of Sainte-Croix-et-Saint-Vincent, known later asSt-Germain-des-Prés.[1]
He died on 13 December 558, and was buried in the abbey he had founded, where his tomb has been discovered.[3] St-Germain-des-Prés became the royalnecropolis for theNeustrian kings until 675.[4] He left two daughters, Chrodoberge and Chrodesinde, by his wife Ultragotha. Childebert was an acquisitive monarch. He expanded his domains in more foreign wars than any of his brothers, fighting in Burgundy (more than once), Spain (more than once), Provence and elsewhere in Gaul.Gregory of Tours, a contemporary Neustrian, cites Childebert as saying: "Velim unquam Arvernam Lemanem quae tantae jocunditatis gratia refulgere dicitur, oculis cernere" ("Would that I could set eyes on the Auvergne Limagne, which is spoken of so highly"). Childbert was also one of the more religious of the sons of Clovis, cooperating with his brothers, rescuing his sister, and constructing the famous monastery of Saint Vincent to house hisrelics.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Pfister, Christian (1911). "Childebert". InChisholm, Hugh (ed.).Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 6 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 137.Childebert I Born: 496 Died: 558 | ||
| Preceded by | King of Paris 511–558 | Succeeded by |
Merovingian dynasty (400–751 AD) | |||
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