By : Gregory of Tours (538 - 594), translated by Ernest Brehaut (1873 - 1953)
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Book I- Begins with the a pronouncement of the author, Bishop Gregorys of Tours faith; that he is a Catholic who follows the Nicence Creed and abhors heresy like those of “wicked” Arian. The Narrative history begins with a brief epitome of the Biblical Old Testament. This leads into the outline of the Life amd times of Jesus, and the subsequent spread of the Christian Religion. Next Gregory covers the history of Christianity in Gaul and some of the major events in the Roman Empire. Book one ends with the death of Saint Martin of Tours in AD 397.
Book 2- AD 397-511 Covers the beginnings of the Merovingian dynasty. Book two ends with the death of King Clovis in 511, after he has conquered most of Gaul and concerted to Christianity.
Book 3- AD 511-548 Follows the four children of King Clovis who eventually quarrel and fight for supremacy in the kingdom. Despite their disputes, the four brothers can occasionally work together against a outside, such as successful cooperation against the Burgundians in 523. Eventually Clothar becomes the most powerful King in the Frankish realm.Book three ends with the death of king Theudebert I in 548. He is a grandson of Clovis and son to king Theodoric I, who died in 534 bequesting his kingdom to Theudebert. The kingdom after 548 falls to Theudobald I until 555.
Book 4- AD 548-575 The two remaining Sons of Clovis die; King Childebert in 558 and King Clothar in 561. Clothar seizes the entire realm of the Franks by the time of his demise.like Clovis before him, the Kingdom is divided between four sons who subsequently quarrel for control of the entire Kingdom. A truce between the Kingly brothers is maintained until after the death of King Charibert I (son of Clothar) in 567. Clothars remaining sons Kings Sigibert, Guntram, and Chilperic; fight for the supremacy of the kingdom, with King Sigibert showing the strongest military force.Book four ends with the killing of King Sigbert in AD 575. Gregory of Tours blames Fredegund, the wife of King Chilperic for this assassination. The death leaves King Chilperic as the dominant king. Fredegund has long held a grudge against King Sigibert and his wife Brunhilda.
Book 5- AD 575-581 This book begins the part of the narrative where the author (Bishop Gregory of Tours), has much personal knowledge about the events in the Frankish Kingdom. This book and the ones hereafter, are considerably longer and more detailed than previous, whilst covering a smaller amount of time. This book also contains Gregories impressions of ecclesiastical issues he saw in person and had some bearing on. This book describes a possible debate that Gregory had with a rival Arian church leader. Book 5 also introduces Childebert II, the son of recently slain King Sigibert, and of the still living Brunhilda. Childebert is taken along with Brunhilda under the protection of King Gunthram, brother and sometime rival of King Chilperic.
Book 6-AD 581-584 The young Childebert betrays his alliance with his adoptive uncle Gunthram, with King Chilperic. King Chilperic is murdered under mysterious circumstances in 584. His wife Fredegund is possibly guilty of the crime according to Gregory of Tours.
Book 7- AD 584 Fredegund assumes regency for her young son and future King Clothar II, under the protection of King Gunthram, another surving son of King Clothar I. She remains in power until her death in 597.
Book 8- AD 585
Book 9- AD 586
Book 10- AD 587-591 Around 589, Basina the daughter of King Chilperic I and Clotilda, daughter of King Charibert lead a brief revolt from a nunnery. The 18 Bishops of Tours are named and described. Book ten ends with a summary of Gregorys previous written works.
The Historia Francorum is made up of ten books. Books I to IV initially recount the world's history from the Creation (as was traditional); but move quickly on to the Christianization of Gaul, the life and times of Saint Martin of Tours, the conversion of the Franks and the conquest of Gaul under Clovis, and the more detailed history of the Frankish kings down to the death of Sigebert I in 575. At this date Gregory had been bishop of Tours for two years.
With his fifth book, Gregory embarks (with some relief) on contemporary history, opening “Here, I am glad to say, begins Book V”. This, the second part of his history, books V and VI, closes with Chilperic I's death in 584. During the years that Chilperic held Tours, relations between him and Gregory were tense. After hearing rumours that the Bishop of Tours had slandered his wife, Fredegund, Chilperic had Gregory arrested and tried for treason—a charge which threatened both Gregory's bishopric and his life. The most eloquent passage in the Historia is the closing chapter of book VI, in which Chilperic's character is summed up unsympathetically through the use of an invective: Herod and Nero are among the comparisons employed.
The third part, comprising books VII to X, takes his increasingly personal account to the year 591, and concludes with a plea for further chroniclers to preserve his work in entirety (as indeed would be done). An epilogue was written in 594, the year of Gregory's death.
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