Theudebert I (c. 500-547 or 548) was the Merovingian king of Austrasia

Austrasia

Austrasia formed the northeastern portion of the Kingdom of the Merovingian Franks, comprising parts of the territory of present-day eastern France, western Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. Metz served as its capital, although some Austrasian kings ruled from Rheims, Trier, and...

 from 533 to his death in 548. He was the son of Theuderic I

Theuderic I

Theuderic I was the Merovingian king of Metz, Rheims, or Austrasia—as it is variously called—from 511 to 533 or 534....

 and the father of Theudebald

Theudebald

Theudebald or Theodebald , son of Theudebert I and Deuteria, was the king of Metz, Rheims, or Austrasia—as it's variously called—from 547 or 548 to 555.He was only thirteen years of age when he succeeded and of ill health...

.

Most of what we know about Theudebert comes from the Histories or History of the Franks written by Gregory of Tours

Gregory of Tours

Saint Gregory of Tours was a Gallo-Roman historian and Bishop of Tours, which made him a leading prelate of Gaul. He was born Georgius Florentius, later adding the name Gregorius in honour of his maternal great-grandfather...

 in the second half of the sixth century. In addition, we have diplomatic correspondence composed at the Austrasian court (known as the Austrasian Letters

Austrasian Letters

The Austrasian Letters is a collection of diplomatic and other correspondence from the late fifth to the early seventh centuries, compiled at the court of the Frankish kings of Austrasia in the seventh century...

), the poems of Venantius Fortunatus

Venantius Fortunatus

Venantius Honorius Clementianus Fortunatus was a Latin poet and hymnodist in the Merovingian Court, and a Bishop of the early Catholic Church. He was never canonised but was venerated as Saint Venantius Fortunatus during the Middle Ages.-Life:Venantius Fortunatus was born between 530 and 540 A.D....

, an account from Procopius' work and a small number of other sources.

During his father's reign, the young Theudebert had shown himself to be an able warrior. In about 516 he defeated a Danish army under King Chlochilaich

Hygelac

Hygelac was a king of the Geats according to the poem Beowulf. He was the son of Hrethel and had brothers Herebeald and Hæthcyn. His sister was married to Ecgtheow and had the son Beowulf. Hygelac was married to Hygd and they had the son Heardred, and an unnamed daughter who married Eofor...

 (Hygelac of Beowulf

Beowulf

Beowulf , but modern scholars agree in naming it after the hero whose life is its subject." of an Old English heroic epic poem consisting of 3182 alliterative long lines, set in Scandinavia, commonly cited as one of the most important works of Anglo-Saxon literature.It survives in a single...

) after it had raided northern Gaul. His reputation was further enhanced by a series of military campaigns in the south of Gaul

Gaul

Gaul was a region of Western Europe during the Iron Age and Roman era, encompassing present day France, Luxembourg and Belgium, most of Switzerland, the western part of Northern Italy, as well as the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the left bank of the Rhine. The Gauls were the speakers of...

 against the Visigoths.

Upon his father's death, Theudebert had to fight both his uncles Childebert

Childebert

Childebert was the name of several Frankish kings:*Childebert I, king of Paris *Childebert II, king of Austrasia *Childebert the Adopted, king of Austrasia, known as Childebert III in France...

 and Clotaire

Clotaire

Chlothar is a Germanic given name, which evolved into the later form Lothair . It is a combination of the words hlut = loud and heri = army, warrior....

 to inherit his father's kingdom. In the end, his military prowess persuaded Childebert to abandon the dispute and adopt Theudebert as his heir. Together they campaigned against Clotaire but sued for peace after their armies were hit by storm.

After relations between the Frankish kings had settled down, Theudebert found himself embroiled in the Gothic War started when the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I

Justinian I

Justinian I ; , ; 483– 13 or 14 November 565), commonly known as Justinian the Great, was Byzantine Emperor from 527 to 565. During his reign, Justinian sought to revive the Empire's greatness and reconquer the lost western half of the classical Roman Empire.One of the most important figures of...

 attempted to subdue the Ostrogoths in Italy. Justinian saw Theudebert as an ideal ally: Austrasian lands flanked the Ostrogoths in northern Italy. The emperor paid Theudebert handsomely for his assistance, but Theudebert proved an untrustworthy ally. The Frankish armies saw the Italian conflict as an opportunity for plunder and a chance to exert their own claims to northern Italy. In the event the Byzantines were forced to fight the Franks as much as the Ostrogoths.

Theudebert seems to have revelled in his power growing on the European stage. His letters show him laying claim to a vast array of lands around Austrasia, including Byzantine lands. Since the fall of the Roman Empire, the Frankish kings had always shown a certain deference to the Byzantine Emperor, but Theudebert rejected his status as an inferior leader: for example, he broke imperial custom by minting gold coins containing his own image. Hitherto former Frankish kings had respected imperial convention and circulated gold coins with the image of the emperor. Not surprisingly, perhaps, the Byzantine chronicler Agathias

Agathias

Agathias or Agathias Scholasticus , of Myrina , an Aeolian city in western Asia Minor , was a Greek poet and the principal historian of part of the reign of the Roman emperor Justinian I between 552 and 558....

 recorded the rumour in Constantinople

Constantinople

Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...

 that the Byzantines suspected Theudebert of planning an invasion of Thrace.

In common with other Frankish rulers at the time, Theudebert took several wives as and when he wanted. As heir to his father's kingdom, he was betrothed to Wisigard, daughter of Wacho

Wacho

Wacho was king of the Lombards before they entered Italy from an unknown date until his death in 539. His father was Unichis. Wacho usurped the throne by assassinating his uncle, King Tato . Tato's son Ildchis fought with him and fled to the Gepids where he died...

, king of the Lombards

Lombards

The Lombards , also referred to as Longobards, were a Germanic tribe of Scandinavian origin, who from 568 to 774 ruled a Kingdom in Italy...

. This sort of political match was rare for the Merovingian kings. Theudebert abandoned her for Deuteria

Deuteria

Deuteria , was a Frankish Queen consort; the first spouse of king Theudebert I.Deuteria belonged to an aristocratic Gallo-Roman family from Auvergne and was a relation to Sidonius Apollinaris, Saint Avitus and Emperor Avitus...

, a Gallo-Roman he had met while on campaign in southern Gaul. However, his supporters were not best pleased by his treatment of Wisigard, perhaps because of the political dimension, and persuaded Theudebert to take her back. Wisigard, though, soon died, and Theudebert married again.

As well as being renowned for his military prowess, Theudebert was lauded by contemporaries for his patronage of the Gallic Church. Gregory of Tours reserves special praise for him in this regard, but his piety is also mentioned by Fortunatus.

Theudebert died in the 14th year of his reign (at the end of 547 or the beginning of 548) and Theudebald, his son by Deuteria, succeeded him. In contrast to that experienced by many Merovingian kings, Theudebald's accession was peaceful.