The 'History of the Franks' by Gregory of Tours is a ten-book historical work that chronicles the history of the Franks and the Merovingian dynasty. It begins with a brief overview of the biblical Old and New Testaments and the spread of Christianity in Gaul. The narrative continues through the early Merovingian kings, including King Clovis I's conversion to Christianity and his conquests, and details the complex political and ecclesiastical events of sixth-century Gaul. The work includes accounts of miracles, natural events, the lives of saints and martyrs, and the interactions between various tribes such as the Visigoths, Lombards, and Huns[1][3][5].
The Dark Queens tells the remarkable story of Brunhild, a foreign princess, and Fredegund, a lowly palace slave, who rose to power in sixth-century Merovingian France. Despite the patriarchal society, these two women commanded armies, negotiated with kings and popes, and fought a decades-long civil war against each other. The book, written by Shelley Puhak, sets the record straight about these women, painting a richly detailed portrait of an unfamiliar time and challenging myths about female power. Puhak's research and narrative style bring these complex women back to life, highlighting their ingenuity and skill in the game of statecraft and their impact on the foundations of what would later become Charlemagne's empire.
Following the death of the legendary Frankish King Clovis, his son Clothar I divided the mighty realm his father had hacked out from the warring warlords of Europe between his four sons. But peace was not to reign…the most ambitious of his brood - Chilperic - seized Paris, his brother’s domain, following his death. Drawn to his swelling power, a seemingly humble yet beautiful slave girl, Fredegund, rose up from obscurity to become Chilperic’s mistress. Little did he know what a ruthless force of nature he had invited into his bed. Before long, she had persuaded him to cast aside his first wife, Audovera. His second, Galswintha, was not so lucky. Soon after their marriage she was found strangled to death, and Fredegund - her probable murderer - was crowned queen in her place. Meanwhile, Galswintha’s equally merciless sister, the intelligent Queen Brunhilda of Austrasia was plotting the gruesome downfall of her sister’s killer, hungry for revenge. The terrible and enduring feud between these two remarkable women had begun…
Join Tom and Dominic for this most unbelievable of stories in the second instalment of their series on the rise of the Franks, as they unveil the clash of two indomitable warrior queens, drenched in blood, violence, vengeance, scheming, and witchcraft. The outcome of their civil war would reshape the face of the West.
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Producer: Theo Young-Smith
Assistant Producer: Tabby Syrett + Aaliyah Akude
Executive Producers: Jack Davenport + Tony Pastor
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The Rest Is History 
