of all K. of all ? the Franks, the Franks, the Franks, ? 656-660. 670-673. 678-691. ? | | ? +------------+ +----------+--------+ ? | | | CHLOTHAR IV., CHILPERICH II., CHLODOVECH III., CHILDEBERT III., K. of Austrasia, K. of Neustria, K. of all K. of all 717-719. 715-720. the Franks, the Franks, This Prince’s K. of all 671-695. 695-711. descent is the Franks, | uncertain. 719-720. DAGOBERT III., | K. of all CHILDERICH II., the Franks, K. of all 711-715. the Franks, | 742-752. THEUDERICH IV., Deposed by Pippin. K. of all the Franks, 720-737. To protect the young Childebert against the attacks of Chilperich, his mother allied herself with the boy’s uncle, Guntram, king of Burgundy. Guntram, who had no children of his own, designated Childebert heir to all his dominions, and took up his cause with vigour. But he was not a very warlike prince, and it was as much as he could do to protect his own realm against the active and ruthless king of Neustria. Though Burgundy and Austrasia were allied, Chilperich succeeded in conquering their united armies, under the Burgundian general, Mummolus, and seizing Tours, Poictiers, and all the north of Aquitaine. He would probably have carried his arms further if internal troubles had not arisen to check him. The Bretons of Armorica burst into rebellion, and had to be put down, and other risings were excited by his ruthless and excessive taxation. [Sidenote: Atrocities of Fredegundis.] But his worst vexations were those of his own household, caused by the strife of his elder sons with their stepmother, Fredegundis. All through these years the wicked queen had been fearfully active. Theudebert and Merovech, the eldest of her husband’s family, were dead, but their brother, Chlodovech, still stood between Fredegundis’ children and the throne. In 580 the plague swept all over Gaul, and two sons of Fredegundis’ were carried off by it. She accused their step-brother of having caused their death by witchcraft, and got her husband to permit her to execute him. But when her last child died, two years later, the wretched woman’s rage and grief led her into the wildest outbursts of cruelty. She accused numbers