The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1914-02-19
INTERESTING EUROPEAN HIS
TORY FROM THE DARK AGES
How Jealousy Between Two Women Involved
Two Countries in Warfare is Related
in an Interesting Manner.

The Teuton hordes came on. Chill
peric and his Queen were shut up in
Tournia, waiting the end. There
Fredegonda found time to brew fresh
charms.
Two young Frankish warriors were
in the house with them, 1t did not
take her long to see how their eyes
lighted as she came along the halls.
And she smiled and held long talks
with them. The King seemed old
and broken spirited; ah, that he had
the courage of the young. If there
were one man in these castle walls
who cared enough to risk his life, to
slay King Sigebert-why, then his
leaguer1ng army would scatter out
like chaff before the wind. The
young men babbled in their haste to
offer themselves. To each she gave
a long sharp knife, beSmeared with
poison And she kissed them, sInil-
ed and sent them out. Dear God,
how she would pray for their sweet
souls!
They came without trouble into
the presence of Sigebert, stabbed
him to death and died themselves
the next moment. But as Frede-
gonda had said. the army scattered
like sheep without leader, and
Chilperic was saved.
Henceforth Brunhilda fought alone
against her foe. Hatred became the
absorbing passion of her life, to track
this she wolf, Fredegonda down. Up
and down through France these Wo-
men ragged for so years, wading in
blood. We know more of the red
haired Fredegonda; her deviltrles
seemed to have impressed the chron-
iclers, chief of whom was Gregory
of Tours. We read of how she con-
trived the death of all her stepchil-
dren, that her own son might sit the
throne: how finally, Chilperic himself
the adored, was done to death. He
had sent out one morning on the hunt,
and then returned for poniard LETT
behind. The Queen was in her bed
room. stopping down, laving her fair
white face. He patted her familiarly
in passing.
What are thou doing, Landry?"
cried the Queen.
Landry of Tours was the Lord
Chamberlain.
King Chilperic went out black
hearted to the hunt. 1t was dusk
when he returned. Stiff from long
riding, he raised one arm to steady
himself upon a pages shoulder. A
darting shadow, half seen in the
dusk, a gleam, thrust and Chilperlc
was writhing in the dust, spilllng his
life blood.
The Bishop Praetextatus had dared
oppose the Queen by marrying Brun-
hilda to a second husband. Assas-
sins stabbed him while his hands
were raised in benediction. Frede-
gonda herself went to see the dying
man, inquiring suavely if she might
not send her physician to tend him..
The old man rose in bed and cursed
her to her face and died.
She cheated Brunhilda, and poetic
Justice, too, by dying peacefully IN
her bed, after establishing her son
Clothaire upon the throne. That was
in 597. Sixteen years later her arch
enemy, Brunhilda, fell into the hands
of Fredegonda's son. Gray-halred,
but unabated in her scorn and fury,
she was dragged before the son OF
| her enemy She wore a crown on
her disordered locks and tattered
royal cloak was around her shoul-
ders. Clothaire, most Christian King,
caused her to be bound upon cam
els back and led through his camp.
After three days of torturing and in
suit, she was tied to the tail Of a
wild horse and dragged to death.
Brunhilda and the white-handed
Fredegonda have been dust for 1900
years, and flowers have grown over
their battle fields But the feud still