In 584, when King Chilperic I was assassinated, his son Chlothar II was only a four-month-old infant.

In a Frankish world ravaged by nearly half a century of dynastic wars, no one would have bet on the survival of this child.

Yet Chlothar II would become the man who ended the bloody royal feud opposing the descendants of Chlothar I.
After a youth spent in war and uncertainty, he ultimately managed to reunify the entire Frankish kingdom.

His reign marks a turning point: the end of the great Merovingian civil wars and the establishment of a new political balance between the king, the aristocracy, and the Church.

His long reign (584 → 629) can be divided into two periods:

• a long and fragile minority, under the protection of his mother Fredegund and his uncle Guntram
• then a political triumph, making him the sole king of all Frankish Gaul

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⏳ Timeline of triumph

• 584: birth of Chlothar II and assassination of his father. Start of Fredegund’s regency.
• 593: Battle of Droizy. Unexpected victory for Neustria.
• 597: death of Fredegund. Chlothar begins to rule alone.
• 600: Battle of Dormelles. Major defeat against his cousins.
• 613: fall and execution of Brunhilda. Chlothar becomes sole king of all the Franks.
• 614: proclamation of the Edict of Paris, stabilising the kingdom.
• 623: Chlothar installs his son Dagobert I as king of Austrasia.
• 629: death of Chlothar II.

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🛡️ Neustria’s survival (584–613)

After Chilperic I’s death, the situation was critical.

Neustria was surrounded by enemies:

• Austrasia, led by Brunhilda
• Burgundy, allied to his adversaries
• many aristocrats hostile to the Neustrian dynasty

The kingdom of the Franks in 581 — Source: Wikimedia Commons

The kingdom’s survival rested on two essential figures:

• Fredegund, Chlothar’s mother
• Guntram, king of Burgundy

Guntram agreed to protect the child and recognised Chlothar as the legitimate heir, preventing Neustria’s immediate collapse.

Fredegund then led resistance with formidable efficiency: political alliances, court intrigue, and elimination of rivals kept her son on the throne.

🔍 Zoom – Fredegund and Guntram: regency under extreme danger

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🛡️ Guntram’s protection (584–587)

After Chilperic I’s death, young Chlothar II’s position was extremely fragile.

King Guntram of Burgundy intervened to prevent Neustria’s collapse. He acted both as protector of the child and as guarantor of balance among the Frankish kingdoms.

To restore royal authority, Guntram sent his officer Ansoald to retake control of Neustrian cities abandoned after Chilperic’s death.
These towns swore loyalty to Guntram and Chlothar II.

Guntram also tried to restore order in the Church:

• he returned the see to Praetextatus, bishop of Rouen, unjustly deposed
• he removed Melaine, who had been installed in his place

At the same time, some cities fell under Austrasian influence.
Envoys of Brunhilda, notably Duke Gararic and the chamberlain Eberon, rallied:

• Limoges
• Tours
• Poitiers

with the support of influential bishops such as Gregory of Tours and Venantius Fortunatus.

Guntram reacted quickly: his armies retook these cities and reintegrated them under his authority.

Meanwhile, Fredegund was kept away from power.
She was installed in the villa of Vaudreuil, in the diocese of Rouen, under the supervision of Bishop Praetextatus.

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⛪ The contested baptism of Chlothar (585)

In summer 585, Guntram returned to Paris to become the godfather of the young Chlothar II.

To confirm the prince’s legitimacy, he demanded a solemn oath:
Fredegund, three bishops, and nearly three hundred Neustrian aristocrats swore that Chlothar was indeed Chilperic’s son.

Despite this public recognition, the baptism was ultimately cancelled.

A council was initially planned at Troyes, but Austrasian bishops refused to attend if Chlothar was not excluded from succession.

The council was moved to Mâcon, where it met on 23 October 585.

Council of Mâcon in 585 — Source: Wikimedia Commons

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⚔️ Fredegund’s return (587–592)

Despite Guntram’s surveillance, Fredegund managed to regain the initiative.

In Rouen, Bishop Praetextatus was attacked during Mass and mortally wounded.

Before dying, he openly accused Fredegund of ordering his assassination as well as those of several Merovingian kings.

Praetextatus accuses Fredegund — Source: Wikimedia Commons

Freed from surveillance, the queen worked to rally nobles and bishops of Neustria to her son.

She notably reinstated Melaine as bishop of Rouen, despite Guntram’s opposition.

Guntram tried to weaken her influence by attracting part of Neustrian aristocracy.

He managed to retake several important cities:

• Angers
• Saintes
• Nantes

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🤝 The Pact of Andelot (587)

Facing Fredegund’s intrigues, Guntram decided to strengthen alliance with Austrasia.

In 587, he concluded with Childebert II the Treaty of Andelot.

The pact provided:

• a durable alliance between Burgundy and Austrasia
• mutual recognition of territories
• a succession agreement: if one king died without an heir, the other would inherit his kingdom

When Guntram died in 592, this agreement allowed Childebert II to become king of both Austrasia and Burgundy.

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⚔️ From abyss to triumph: major battles

The beginning of Chlothar II’s reign was a fight for survival.

Droizy (593)

Neustrian armies faced Austrasian forces.

According to chronicles, Chlothar’s soldiers advanced hidden behind tree branches, giving the impression of a moving forest.

This trick panicked the enemy ranks and produced an unexpected victory.

Dormelles (600)

A few years later, the situation reversed.

Chlothar was crushed by the armies of his cousins Theudebert II and Theuderic II, sons of Childebert II.

Neustria was reduced to a small territory around:

• Rouen
• Amiens
• Beauvais

For more than thirteen years, Chlothar remained in an extremely weak position.

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⚔️ Wars between Austrasia and Burgundy (610–612)

After Childebert II died in 595, his kingdom was divided between his two sons:

• Theudebert II, king of Austrasia
• Theuderic II, king of Burgundy

Tensions between the brothers led to open war.

In 610, Theudebert initially won several victories.

But the situation soon reversed: Theuderic II won decisive successes at Toul and Tolbiac.

War between Austrasia and Burgundy in 612 — Source: Wikimedia Commons

Theudebert was captured and executed with his children in 612.

Theuderic then united Austrasia and Burgundy under his authority.

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⚔️ 613: the fall of Brunhilda

After defeating his brother in 612, Theuderic II seemed close to reconstituting a vast kingdom uniting Austrasia and Burgundy.

But this dominance did not last.

In 613, as he prepared a campaign against Chlothar II, Theuderic died suddenly at Metz, probably of dysentery. His death triggered immediate crisis.

Queen Brunhilda, still highly influential, tried to keep power by placing her great-grandson Sigebert II, Theuderic’s son, on the throne.

But a large part of Austrasian aristocracy refused to continue under her authority.

Great nobles, notably:

• Pepin of Landen
• Arnulf of Metz

turned to Chlothar II, king of Neustria, and invited him to intervene.

Chlothar marched quickly east.
When the two armies met, Austrasian troops refused to fight for Brunhilda.

The queen and Theuderic’s sons were captured and delivered to Chlothar.

The children were executed (with a few spared), while Brunhilda was tried for numerous political assassinations, including those of several Merovingian kings.

She was sentenced to a spectacular punishment:
after days of torture, she was tied to a wild horse and dragged to death.

Punishment of Brunhilda — Source: Wikimedia Commons

This execution symbolically ended the long royal feud between Merovingian dynasties.

In 613, for the first time since the division of 561, Chlothar II became the sole king of all the Franks.

🔍 Zoom – The end of Brunhilda: the last act of the tragedy

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👑 Reorganising the unified kingdom

As sole king, Chlothar II had to rebuild a kingdom deeply divided.

He confirmed the power of several great aristocratic families, notably:

• the Pippinids
• the Arnulfings

These families would soon play a major role in Frankish history.

The king also relied on the mayors of the palace, who became essential figures of royal administration.

Originally simple household managers, they gradually gained considerable political influence.

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📜 The Edict of Paris (614)

To stabilise the kingdom, Chlothar II issued a major text in 614: the Edict of Paris.

This edict functioned as a pact between the king, the aristocracy, and the Church.

It notably provided:

• that counts be chosen among local elites
• that bishops play a larger role in administration
• that some fiscal injustices be corrected

The edict helped ease tensions after decades of war.

But it also strengthened the political influence of great aristocratic families.

🔍 Zoom – The Edict of Paris: the price of peace

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⛪ Spiritual renewal

Chlothar II’s reign also corresponded to a religious renewal.

Monks from Ireland, led by Saint Columbanus, founded many monasteries in the kingdom.

These establishments became:

• centres of prayer
• cultural hubs
• places of agricultural development

The monastery of Luxeuil became one of the great spiritual centres of Merovingian Gaul.

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👑 Preparing the future: Dagobert

In the last years of his reign, Chlothar faced demands from Austrasian aristocrats.

To calm tensions, he agreed in 623 to place his son Dagobert I at the head of Austrasia.

This decision prepared the transition to a new generation of rulers.

Dagobert would soon become one of the most powerful Merovingian kings.

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☠️ The king’s death

Chlothar II died in 629, after more than forty years of reign.

His main achievement was to have restored the unity of the Frankish kingdom after decades of dynastic wars.

This unity enabled a new moment of stability under Dagobert I.

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🧠 Key takeaways

• Chlothar II, son of Chilperic and Fredegund, survived an extremely dangerous childhood.
• In 613, he ended the royal feud and became the sole king of the Franks.
• The Edict of Paris (614) stabilised the kingdom but strengthened aristocracy.
• His reign prepared the kingdom’s rise under Dagobert I.

Image credits

• Portrait of Chlothar II — Raymond Monvoisin, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
• The kingdom of the Franks in 581 — Romain0, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
• Council of Mâcon in 585 — Romain0, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
• Praetextatus accuses Fredegund — Lawrence Alma-Tadema, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
• Punishment of Brunhilda — Bibliothèque nationale de France, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
• War between Austrasia and Burgundy in 612 — Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons