. History of France and Normandy, from the earliest times to the revolution of 1848. m ex-perience of the calamities that had been caused by the formerdismemberment of the kingdom, he too divided the monarchybetween his four sons, and thus bequeathed another half-century of civil war to his unfortunate country. 13. The evils of this calamitous period were greatly ag-gravated by the sanguinary ambition of two women, whorather deserved the epithet of furies than the title of queensThese were Brunehaut and Fredegonde. The former, aprincess of Spain, had married Sigebert, king of Austrasia , 22 HI
. History of France and Normandy, from the earliest times to the revolution of 1848. m ex-perience of the calamities that had been caused by the formerdismemberment of the kingdom, he too divided the monarchybetween his four sons, and thus bequeathed another half-century of civil war to his unfortunate country. 13. The evils of this calamitous period were greatly ag-gravated by the sanguinary ambition of two women, whorather deserved the epithet of furies than the title of queensThese were Brunehaut and Fredegonde. The former, aprincess of Spain, had married Sigebert, king of Austrasia , 22 HISTORY OF FRANCE. the latter, at first mistress of Chilperic, king of Soissons, hadprevailed on him to espouse her after divorcing his mutual hatred and uncontrolled influence over thenhusbands, gave birth to numerous crimes equally fatal to thepeople and the royal family. Sigebert was murdered by Fre-degondes emissaries while he was besieging Chilperic inTournay. She afterwards sacrificed the children of her hus-band by his former marriage to secure for her own son the. Brunehaut. right of succession. Brunehaut, on her part breathing ven-geance, armed the princes, and fanned the flames of civilwar; but at last, falling into the hands of Clotaire, the sonof Fredegonde, she was condemned to the most horrid tor-ments, as guilty of the murders of ten kings or children ofkings. There was an old German custom, according to which, thechief of a troop of warriors was expected to grant them,from time to time, some mark of his favour, generally anornamented battle-axe, or a fine war-horse. When the Frankswere established in Gaul, and the chief had become the king,instead of arms and horses, he preferred to distribute amongthem a part of his domains. Originally, these benefices wereonly temporary, being reunited to the royal domain after thedeath of the chief to whom they had been granted, or even THE FRANKS. 23 during his life, in case of forfeiture or of treason. Thus theking
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