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Brunhilda in Epoisses: good old Burgondes!

Brunhilda | Public domain
Castle Saint Colomban Thierry II Brunhilda of Austrasia Epoisses castle

Thierry’s harem

This pretty Burgundian castle is very old! Yes it is, its story goes back to… the Burgondes! Burgondes, Burgundy… well, the ancestor of Burgundians.

But our story took place in the 6th century: here was queen of Austrasia, Brunhilda, and king of Burgundy Thierry, her grandson.

Epoisses was their fief. Thierry lived there with all his mistresses, wives and illegitimate children, under the eye of his grandmother.

Colomban get hopping mad!

Brunhilda asked saint Colomban (founder of monastery of Luxeuil), to bless the aforesaid bastards! “Hey, no way!”, said the monk… and Colomban cursed them…

Then, very upset and outraged, he accepted even so to go to castle of Epoisses, invited by Brunhilda as a sign of reconciliation.

But the saint refused to eat: the tradition says when the meals were served, the plates and the crockery broke to pieces…

The Burgondes, what rotten luck!

But the granny was a pretty good manipulator. She succeeded in getting Thierry against his brother Théodebert, encouraged them to fight, because she convinced them they weren’t real brothers…

At the end, Théodebert was put in jail in Chalon-sur-Saône... and Thierry died at the age of 25, leaving 4 children.

Brunhilda wanted those children on the throne: finally, they’d be murdered, and Brunhilda died after several days of martyr, her leg tied up to a horse’s tail, dragged on the floor until she died…

About the the author

Vinaigrette
I'm fond of strolls and History, with juicy and spicy details!