This week we’re looking at the relationship of three people in particular: King Theudebert II, King Theuderic II, and their grandmother, Brunhilda. As we'll see from the opening story, things went south between Theudebert and Brunhilda pretty quickly, and she ended up spending the majority of the rest of her life in Burgundy with her other grandson, Theuderic. So, how did this all go down?

Beyond looking at this initial split, we'll explore how Theudebert and Theuderic drew together to fight Chlothar, before ultimately splitting up to fight themselves. Of course, Brunhilda is said to be the mastermind of this rift, and that leads us to another important historical question: Was Brunhilda as bad as she was made out to be in the histories? Gregory of Tours would have us believe she was on the road to sainthood, but he died in 594; his historical successor, Fredegar, picks up by making her out to be the second coming of the Devil. So which story is true?

Finally, we'll end today's episode with a look at the death of Theudebert. His ending is sad, tragic, and ultimately a Pyrrhic victory for his brother. More on that in the next episode! Welcome to the 7th century!

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