Austregilde

Not to be confused with Saint Aye, who is also referred to as St. Austregildis.

Austregilde
Queen of Orléans
Tenure565 – 580[1]
Born548[1]
Died580[1]
Chalon-sur-Saône
SpouseGuntram
IssueClotaire, Clodomir, Clotilde, and Clodeberge
DynastyMerovingian

Austregilde (548[2] – 580[3][4]), also called Austerchild[5], Austregildis[5], Bobilla[6], Bobile[7], and Austrechild[5] in most contemporary works and scholarship, was a Frankish queen consort of the Burgundy region in the 6th century. As a woman of the Merovingian elite, Austregilde held a fairly large amount of power, yet this power was limited by Salic law and societal values. As a result, Austregilde and other women needed to exercise their power indirectly through others or through intrigue tactics to become active political players. Understanding Austregilde, the power of elite women and the nature of Merovingian rule requires an analysis of the limited sources available from the contemporary period, like that of the Histories of Gregory of Tours, as well as an understanding of the context surrounding Merovingian rule.

  1. ^ a b c Chevalier, Ulysse (1905). Répertoire des sources historiques du Moyen-Age (in French). Vol. 1. Paris: A. Picard et fils. p. 390.
  2. ^ Chevalier, Ulysse (1905). Répertoire des sources historiques du Moyen-Age (in French). Vol. 1. Paris: A. Picard et fils. p. 390.
  3. ^ Bouyer, Christian; Dictionnaire des Reines de France. Librairie Académique Perrin, 1992. p. 72. (ISBN 2-262-00789-6) (in French)
  4. ^ Handley, Mark A. (2020). "Chapter 26: Merovingian Epigraphy, Frankish Epigraphy, and the Epigraphy of the Merovingian World". In Effros, Bonnie; Moreira, Isabel (eds.). The Oxford Handbook of the Merovingian World. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 557–8. ISBN 9780197510803.
  5. ^ a b c Handley, Mark A. (2020). "Chapter 26: Merovingian Epigraphy, Frankish Epigraphy, and the Epigraphy of the Merovingian World". In Effros, Bonnie; Moreira, Isabel (eds.). The Oxford Handbook of the Merovingian World. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 573. ISBN 9780197510803.
  6. ^ Davies, Norman (2011). "3. Burgundia". Vanished Kingdoms: The Rise and Fall of States and Nations. New York: Viking. ISBN 9781101545348.
  7. ^ Répertoire universel, historique, biographique des femmes célèbres, Volume 1, Ab - By (in French). Vol. 1. Paris: Désauges. 1826. pp. 272–3.