Fredegonda, a Frankish queen, the rival of the famous Brunehaut, born about 545, died in 597. She was maid of honor to Audovera, queen of Chilperic I. of Neustria, and the king being captivated by her beauty made her his concubine. She contrived by a trick the repudiation of the queen, but was disappointed by the marriage of Chilperic with Galsuinda, a Visigoth princess and sister of Brunehaut, or Brunehilde, who had been married to his brother Sigebert, king of Austrasia. Attributing this marriage to the influence of the Aus-trasian queen, Fredegonda vowed deadly hatred to both sisters. She removed Galsuinda by assassination, became her successor, and brought about a war of the two brothers, in which Sigebert was victorious, but soon fell by the hands of her assassins (575). Brunehaut, who became her captive, escaped death and returned to her own country; but Meroveus, the son of Chilperic by his first wife, who had been secretly married to her, fell a victim to the revenge of his stepmother, A series of atrocious crimes followed. Pretextatus was treacherously murdered; Clovis, the brother of Meroveus, was executed on the false accusation of having caused the death of Fredegonda's three children; the mother of the princes was strangled, their sister outraged and confined in a convent.

Finally, she contrived the assassination of her husband, and assumed the government in the name of her son Clotaire. She now successfully resumed the war against Austrasia, and remained in power till her death.