Chlothar II

Clothar II (584- 629), king of Neustria, Paris and finally of the Franks. Son of Chilperico I and Fredegunda. Father of Dagobert I.

Biography

He was proclaimed King of Neustria on the death of Chilperic I at just months of age. At first there were doubts about his legitimacy, silenced by the oath of his mother Fredegunda and 300 nobles and bishops of Neustria.

Fredegunda was mortally at odds with Brunegilda and her son Childebert II of Austrasia, she relied on the Neustrian lords and called her brother-in-law Gontran I, who controlled the Frankish kingdom of Burgundy. He agrees to tutor the prince with the regency of Fredegunda.

Cloister II
King of the Francos (584-629).

Gontrán I signs with his nephew Childebert II of Austrasia and the Queen Regent Brunegilda the treaty of Andelot (587) in which, among other provisions, the reciprocal inheritance of the kingdoms of Austrasia and Burgundy is established.

On the death of Gontrán I in the year 593, Clotario II remained under the tutelage of a council headed by Fredegunda and formed by the nobles known as leudes and the Mayordomo of the Palace. War broke out against Austrasia, which while the implacable Fredegunda lived proved favorable. But Fredegunde died of dysentery in 597, leaving Clotario II in charge of the government of Neustria at the age of 13 and with enormous difficulties, since his rivals control the other two Frankish kingdoms.

In effect, Gontran I, in accordance with the stipulations of the Andelot treaty, had left his possessions to his other nephew, Childebert II of Austrasia and on his death in 596, Burgundy had remained for Theoderic II and Austrasia for Theodebert II, both Brunegilda's grandsons.

Defeated at Dormelles (600) and Étampes (604) by the kings of Austrasia and Burgundy united against him -in reality, the mayor of the palace Landry was the one who commanded the troops of Chlotario II in these two battles-, the hatred of the Austrasia nobility against Brunegilda saved him from being totally lost.

Two fortuitous events grant him the favor of fortune. The first of these is the war between his rivals Theoderic II and Theodebert II, which ends with the victory of Theoderic II and the death of Theodebert II in the year 612. The second is the premature death of Theoderic II, who shortly after triumphing over his brother and unite in his person the kingdoms of Burgundy and Austrasia, he died of dysentery just as he was preparing a decisive attack against Chlotaire II.

It is then when Clotario II achieves through diplomacy what he had not been able to achieve through arms. He agrees with the aristocracy of Austrasia in the person of Pepin de Landen and San Arnulfo, and with that of Burgundy in the person of the butler of the palace Warnacario, so that they betray Brunegilda and the sons of Teoderic II. He promises the conspirators, in exchange, all kinds of prerogatives that favor the independence of the nobility and the clergy to the detriment of the monarchy.

The conspiracy is successful and Chlotario II is recognized as king of the three Frankish kingdoms, and his new allies put Brunegilda at his mercy.

His first act as King of all the Franks is revenge. He has two of the four little sons of Theoderic II killed; he pardons the one who was his baptismal goddaughter, Meroveo, whom he tonsures and interns in a monastery; and only one, Childeberto, manages to escape and is never heard from again. Finally, he cruelly tortures and perishes Brunegilda, in a posthumous offering to his mother, Fredegunda.

He keeps the promises made to his allies: Warnacario is named mayordomo of the Burgundian Palace for life and the Arnulfings and Pipinids claim the Mayordomoia of the Austrasia Palace. In 614 he dictated the Council of Paris, by which the Merovingian monarchy seriously self-limited its powers for the benefit of the nobility and the clergy. With this he sows the future destruction of his dynasty, since the consequences of these acts must be suffered by his successors.

Until his death in the year 629, Clotario II governed a unified Frankish country, pacified, but with deaf struggles for influence between the central power and its leuds, which he had not been able to tame, needing numerous administrators for such a large kingdom. At this time the power of the palace butlers began, and in fact in 623 the Austrasians imposed the name of his son Dagobert I as King of Austrasia under the tutelage of Pepin of Landen as Palace Butler.

On his death, he is succeeded by his son Dagobert I, the last great Merovingian king, who with his actions will delay the decline of the dynasty for a few more years.