30. Fredegund, The servant who murdered her way to become Frankish Queen — and inadvertently united the Franks
Sixth-century Frankish King Chilperic I of Soissons had several Queen Consorts. None, however, were quite like his third wife, Fredegund. Fredegund was Chilperic’s servant before she was his lover. But being the King’s mistress was not enough for her. So, the ambitious Fredegund began to plot her way to the throne. Initially, she persuaded Chilperic to abandon his first wife, Audovera. But when Chilperic married Galswinth, a member of another Frankish royal house, Fredegund settled on extreme measures, persuading Chilperic to murder Galswintha. Fredegund and Chilperic then finally married, and the new Queen consolidated her power by killing her stepchildren. In 584AD, three months before Chilperic’s death, Fredegund gave birth to his son, Chlotar II, who was to unite the Frankish Kingdoms eventually.