Bilichild
Encyclopedia
Bilichild was the cousin and wife of the Frankish
king of Neustria
and Burgundy
, Childeric II
. The two were married in 668 despite the opposition of such important men as the Bishop Leodegar
. Nevertheless the marriage produced two children: Dagobert and Daniel, later King Chilperic II
.
Childeric became sole king of the Franks in 673. While on a hunting trip in the Forest of Lognes
, near Livry
, in Picardy
, Bilichild, along with her husband the king and her eldest son, the five-year-old Dagobert, were assassinated by a band of dissatisfied Neustria
ns—Bodilo, Amalbert, and Ingobert. The royal trio was buried in Saint-Germain-des-Prés
at Paris
, where her tomb and that of Dagobert were discovered in 1645 and pilfered.
Her younger son, Daniel, was whisked off to a monastery and from there returned forty years thence to lead the Franks as king under the name Chilperic II
.
Franks
The Franks were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a...
king of Neustria
Neustria
The territory of Neustria or Neustrasia, meaning "new [western] land", originated in 511, made up of the regions from Aquitaine to the English Channel, approximating most of the north of present-day France, with Paris and Soissons as its main cities...
and Burgundy
Kingdom of Burgundy
Burgundy is a historic region in Western Europe that has existed as a political entity in a number of forms with very different boundaries. Two of these entities - the first around the 6th century, the second around the 11th century - have been called the Kingdom of Burgundy; a third was very...
, Childeric II
Childeric II
Childeric II was the king of Austrasia from 662 and of Neustria and Burgundy from 673 until his death, making him sole King of the Franks for the final two years of his life. He was the second eldest son of Clovis II. His elder brother Chlothar III was briefly sole king from 661, but gave...
. The two were married in 668 despite the opposition of such important men as the Bishop Leodegar
Leodegar
Saint Leodegar or Leger, Bishop of Autun , was the great opponent of Ebroin— the mayor of the Palace of Neustria— and the leader of the faction of Austrasian great nobles in the struggles for hegemony over the waning Merovingian dynasty...
. Nevertheless the marriage produced two children: Dagobert and Daniel, later King Chilperic II
Chilperic II
Chilperic II , born Daniel, the youngest son of Childeric II, was king of Neustria from 715 and sole king of the Franks from 718 until his death. He was the last Merovingian dynast to exercise any authority on his own....
.
Childeric became sole king of the Franks in 673. While on a hunting trip in the Forest of Lognes
Lognes
Lognes is a commune in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France from the center of Paris....
, near Livry
Livry
- related :*Livry-Gargan, in the Seine-Saint-Denis département*Livry-Louvercy, in the Marne département*Livry-sur-Seine, in the Seine-et-Marne département...
, in Picardy
Picardy
This article is about the historical French province. For other uses, see Picardy .Picardy is a historical province of France, in the north of France...
, Bilichild, along with her husband the king and her eldest son, the five-year-old Dagobert, were assassinated by a band of dissatisfied Neustria
Neustria
The territory of Neustria or Neustrasia, meaning "new [western] land", originated in 511, made up of the regions from Aquitaine to the English Channel, approximating most of the north of present-day France, with Paris and Soissons as its main cities...
ns—Bodilo, Amalbert, and Ingobert. The royal trio was buried in Saint-Germain-des-Prés
Saint-Germain-des-Prés
Saint-Germain-des-Prés is an area of the 6th arrondissement of Paris, France, located around the church of the former Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés....
at Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, where her tomb and that of Dagobert were discovered in 1645 and pilfered.
Her younger son, Daniel, was whisked off to a monastery and from there returned forty years thence to lead the Franks as king under the name Chilperic II
Chilperic II
Chilperic II , born Daniel, the youngest son of Childeric II, was king of Neustria from 715 and sole king of the Franks from 718 until his death. He was the last Merovingian dynast to exercise any authority on his own....
.