Sterling and Whitney present: Wives and Queens in History of the Franks

The following is a summarized analysis of wives in Gregory of Tours’ History of the Franks. Many of the events in Gregory represent norms as understood through Salic Law. Salic Law: Originating in the time of Clovis, the Salian-Frank Law, sought to establish norms of family law. Overarching themes in patterns of behaviour exist for both wives and Queens, the former being primarily dealt with in this entry. In particular, there is a clear divide in gender roles that is outlined throughout Gregory’s HF.

Inheritance
As per Salic Law, no portion of inheritance was for a woman, all male heirs to property must be exhausted (should there be any) before a daughter can lay claim to an inheritance. Gregory depicts this in his History of the Franks most viciously in the story of Domnola and Bobolen (8.32). These two argued over a vineyard that Domnola believed she had rights to, as it was her fathers. Bobolen then started an affray (public battle) and had her, and most of those who travelled with her, murdered. Bobolen claimed the vineyard was his and stole all moveable property. While not a direct example of a sibling conflict over inherited properties, it does depict the standing of the female sex in gaining family inheritance.

Similar discriminatory measures were used in determining heirs to Kingdoms – often daughters were bypassed for male heirs of relation (cousins, brothers, etc.).

Honour
Sexual promiscuity appears to have been the norm for many male members of society in Gregory’s HF. What is of note is the tendency for males to be considered loose, as with Duke Bepolen’s son (9.13), who was understood to have had intercourse with servant girls as the mood struck him and while of immoral behaviour, do not face ostracization. In Paris, a woman was accused of living with another man after leaving her husband. (5.32) Her father swore that his daughter was innocent but the belief was he had purgered himself and as such she should go to trial. For whatever reason, guilt/shame/both, she committed suicide before the trial. Many instances exist of such acts being perpetrated by males with little discourse; the gendered differences in terms of social and sexual norms further demonstrate the distinct roles each gender was to play in society.

Influence
Book 9, chapter 33 presents a story of interest. Here Berthegund is encouraged by her mother (Ingritrude) to live with her as an Abbey in the nunnery that she has founded. Berthegund (stupidly says Gregory) agrees and has her husband accompany her to the nunnery before sending him home explaining that she has no intent on returning home. Berthegund claimed, “no one who is married will ever see the Kingdom of Heaven.” Gregory, sought out by the husband, visited Berthegund and read aloud, “If any woman abandons her husband and scorns the married state in which she has lived honourably, saying that no one who is married will ever see the Kingdom of God, let her be accursed.” Afraid of excommunication she returned home, only to be convinced by her mother to return. After arriving her mother cannot receive her for she had brought one of her two sons and many possessions so she sent her to her brother. Her brother sent her to St. Martin’s and she remained there quarrelling with her mother over her father’s estate after she realized that she had lost her children, husband, and brother.


Sexual Urges
As mentioned before, sexual promiscuity was a typically male thing. When the woman from Paris was accused of living with another man she committed suicide. In 1.44 a Bishop and his wife lived apart according to the custom of the Church. The woman, Gregory tells us, was “filled with Devil’s own malice which is always hostile to holiness” and turned her into a second Eve. One night she was overwhelmed with temptation and seduced the Bishop. This sexual desire, so strong in the woman, was considered an act of the Devil. Males are typically those who are understood to have a vulnerability to temptation and sexual desires. Gregory also presents this gendered model in 1.47 with an arranged marriage of two families only children. The female is brought to tears at the thought of consummating the marriage. The husband agrees to abstain in the name of God, which surprises the woman, as this is a very difficult charge for a man. This example shows the cultural and societal allowances for each sex – women are to remain pure for God and men are unable to fight the temptation and thus while understood to be morally loose it is accepted as a gendered norm.

Marriage and Control

There are many general patterns of behaviour that are present in Gregory's accounts of the lives of Frankish queens and wives. The first major pattern that is the control that men have over the lives of their wives and queens. They have the ability to take on as many wives as they want, and dismiss them just as easily. This action of 'dismissing' wives makes queens appear to be dispensable in the of the kings, for once they are bored of their wife or she does something to offend him he can replace her very easily. Throughout Gregory's narrative, he mentions many kings who were blatant polygamists, such as King Chilperic who takes on multiple wives and dismisses many as well. This pattern continues until he meets Galswinth, whom he considers his social equal and dismisses all of his other wives to be with her. Unfortunately, she was not happy in the marriage and asked for a divorce, but Chilperic would not allow this to happen. He subsequently sent his servants to punish her for her insubordination, and he
later found her dead in her bed (IV.28).

Household power of queens

Although both queens and non- royal wives were under the power and control of their husbands, queens were given sanction to make decisions for and have control over their households when the kings is absent. For instance, in V. 39, Queen Fredagund has the power to order Clovis to his death over comments that he makes about her. In her fury, she also took the women whom Clovis was infatuated with and murdered her and had her placed on his doorstep. After Clovis was taken away,the Queen had her servants trick Clovis's sister into a nunnery, and subsequently took hold of all of his possessions. This power is usually on reserved for men in the Middle Ages, but, as proved above
by Gregory, queens were the exception to this equation. However, once the men returned home, their power diminished.