Many of the dukes strongly opposed the influence of

Queen Brunhilda Brunhilda (c. 543–613) was queen consort of Austrasia, part of Francia, by marriage to the Merovingian king Sigebert I of Austrasia, and regent for her son, grandson and great-grandson. In her long and complicated career she ruled the eastern ...

held over her son King Childebert. Three of them—Rauching, Ursio, and Berthefrid—conspired to assassinate Childebert; Egidius was suspected of involvement, but escaped prosecution much to the anger of Childebert's uncle

Guntram Saint Gontrand (c. 532 in Soissons – 28 March 592 in Chalon-sur-Saône), also called Gontran, Gontram, Guntram, Gunthram, Gunthchramn, and Guntramnus, was the king of the Kingdom of Orléans from AD 561 to AD 592. He was the third eldest and ...

, who had provided shelter to Brunhilda and adopted Childebert as his own son and heir. According to

Gregory of Tours Gregory of Tours (30 November 538 – 17 November 594 AD) was a Gallo-Roman historian and Bishop of Tours, which made him a leading prelate of the area that had been previously referred to as Gaul by the Romans. He was born Georgius Florent ...

, in 590,

Fredegund Fredegund or Fredegunda (Latin: ''Fredegundis''; French: ''Frédégonde''; died 8 December 597) was the Queen consort of Chilperic I, the Merovingian Frankish king of Soissons. Fredegund served as regent during the minority of her son Chl ...

, Queen of Soissons, encompassed the assassination of Childebert. Egidius, a known friend of Fredegund's husband King Chilperic, was asked to explain how he had come to receive a number of villas from Chilperic. The documents supposedly showing King Childeric's authorization proved to be forged. There was also a charge of bribery. Gregory describes the trial of Egidius in 590 for treason. Faced with additional documents and witnesses, Egidius was found guilty, but his life was spared. He was defrocked and exiled to

Argentoratum Argentoratum or Argentorate was the ancient name of the city of Strasbourg. The name was first mentioned in 12 BC, when it was a Roman military outpost established by Nero Claudius Drusus. From 90 AD the Legio VIII Augusta was permanently station ...

(Strasbourg).''Gregory of Tours: The Merovingians'', Chapter 8, (Alexander Callander Murray, ed.), University of Toronto Press, 2005

References

Sources

* Faber, Gustav. ''Merowingowie i Karolingowie'', PWN, Warszawa 1994, p. 83. 6th-century Frankish bishops Bishops of Reims {{bishop-stub