The story of Aregunda is a tale of sisters, power, and unexpected twists at the Frankish court in the 6th century. A single request made to the king changed the young woman’s life in a way no one could have predicted—instead of a husband, she received a crown.
The Sister Who Asked for Too Much
Ingunda, wife of the powerful Frankish king Chlothar I, worried about her younger sister’s future. Aregunda was about seventeen years old and still unmarried—a concerning situation in Frankish society, where girls typically wed around the age of fifteen.
Ingunda decided to act and asked her husband to find a suitable match for Aregunda. Chlothar indeed took action, but the outcome was surprising for all involved. After meeting his young sister-in-law, the king told his wife that he had found the perfect candidate for her sister—himself.
Thus, Aregunda became Chlothar I’s fourth wife, joining the ranks of the royal consorts. Their marriage likely took place before 536. While Ingunda bore the king five sons and a daughter, Aregunda gave him only one son—Chilperic, the future ruler of Neustria.
The Lame Queen or a Victim of Circumstance?
Examination of the skeleton identified as Aregunda’s remains has revealed intriguing details about her life. The woman bore a child around age eighteen, consistent with the chronology of her marriage to Chlothar. However, the most surprising finding was evidence of childhood polio, which likely resulted in permanent lameness.
This information sheds new light on her marriage’s circumstances. Perhaps Aregunda remained unmarried for so long due to her physical disability, which made her a less desirable wife in the eyes of potential suitors. Chlothar may have married his sister-in-law out of pity, offering her a position she could not otherwise attain.
There is, however, an alternative theory. Maternal mortality was very high in those times. It is possible that Aregunda married the king after her sister’s death to care for Ingunda’s orphaned children, keeping the royal children within the close family circle.
An End Shadowed by Suspicion
According to some accounts, Aregunda’s fate was not kind until the end. There are suspicions that the queen was poisoned on the orders of her own husband when she ceased to interest him. Frankish rulers were known for their ruthlessness, and disposing of an inconvenient wife was not unusual for that era.
Despite the gloomy circumstances of her alleged death, Chlothar had Aregunda buried with all the honors due to a Frankish queen. Her body was laid to rest in a prestigious location—the church of Saint-Denis, which would become a royal necropolis. It was there her tomb was rediscovered nearly fourteen centuries later.
Aregunda died around 573, or according to other sources, 580, at nearly sixty years of age. Her son Chilperic outlived her and became an important figure in Frankish history, and her great-grandson Dagobert I was the last Merovingian to exercise real power.
Treasures from the Queen’s Tomb
The discovery of Aregunda’s tomb in 1964 was an archaeological sensation. The queen’s remains were well enough preserved for detailed study, but the true treasure was her clothing and jewelry, which survived the centuries in surprisingly good condition.
The queen was buried in a fine wool tunic, over which was laid a purple silk gown fastened with a leather belt. In ancient times and the early Middle Ages, purple was reserved for the highest ranks, underlining the royal status of the deceased. Her legs were clad in stockings and shoes secured with straps and gilded buckles.
Aregunda’s head was covered with a satin veil reaching to her hips. Her ensemble was complemented by elegant earrings and rings. This rich grave set is today one of the most valuable sources on Frankish fashion and artistic craftsmanship of the 6th century. However, some scholars question the identity of the woman buried there, which keeps Aregunda’s story partially shrouded in mystery.
Rory Thornfield
Rory's grandfather left behind a wartime diary filled with accounts of a minor Burma skirmish that history books never mentioned. Reading it, Rory realized: behind every famous battle are dozens of forgotten struggles, each with its own human drama.
His preferred topics: The overlooked corners of military history – secondary campaigns, shadow battalions, local conflicts that never made headlines. From medieval sieges to twentieth-century expeditions, he focuses on the soldiers, not the generals. The people who faced impossible choices and carried those experiences forever.
Rory strips away the romanticism without losing respect for those who served. He combines tactical analysis with personal stories, examining human endurance and moral complexity rather than celebrating warfare. His writing is balanced, thoughtful, and deeply researched.
Outside work, Rory visits forgotten battlefields (now quiet farmland), photographs war memorials nobody tends anymore, and interviews veterans' families.