Charibert I. Frankenkönig zu Paris-Tournai [7178] ^1703,1705

   FamilySearch ID: LVQY-2Z6.

  General Notes:

Foundation for Medieval Genealogy

CHARIBERT ([520]-Paris end 567, bur [Paris, Saint-Germain des Prés]). Gregory of Tours names (in order) Gunthar, Childerich, Charibert, Guntram, Sigibert and a daughter Clothsind as the children of King Clotaire and his wife Ingonde[171]. It is assumed that the first three children at least were born illegitimate.

He succeeded his father in 561 as CHARIBERT King of the Franks, his territories covering those previously held by his uncle King Childebert, with Paris as his capital[172]. The Marii Episcopi Aventicensis Chronica records that "filii ipsius Charibertus, Guntegramnus, Hilpericus et Sigibertus" divided the kingdom between them on the death of their father in 561[173].

Herimannus names "Hariberti rex libidini deditus" when recording his marriages[174]. After his death, his kingdom was divided among his brothers. m firstly (repudiated) INGOLBERGA [Ingelberge], daughter of --- ([520]-Tours 589). Gregory of Tours names Ingoberg as the wife of King Charibert, but records that he dismissed her and took Merofled in her place[175]. Herimannus records the repudiation by "Hariberti" of his wife "Ingoberga"[176]. She retired to Tours after her repudiation. Gregory of Tours records the death of Queen Ingoberg, widow of Charibert, in the fourteenth year of King Childebert's reign, saying he thought that she was in her 70th year[177], although this age seems exaggerated considering the likely birth date of her daughter.

[m] firstly (repudiated) INGOBERGA
King Charibert & his first wife had one child:
a) BERTA ([before 560]-[601/before 616],

[m] secondly (after 561) MEROFLEDIS, daughter of ---, a wool-worker. Gregory of Tours records that King Charibert fell in love with the two daughters of a wool-worker, Marcovefa and Merofled, and that after Queen Ingoberg humiliated their father by making him prepare wool for the royal household he dismissed the Queen and replaced her by Merofled[178].
King Charibert & his [second] [wife] had one child:
b) BERTHEFLEDIS (after 561-after 589).

[m] thirdly (after 561) THEODECHILDIS, daughter of ---. Gregory of Tours names Theudechild, daughter of the shepherd who looked after King Charibert's flocks, as another of the king's women and that after Charibert died she offered her hand in marriage to King Gontran, who seized most of her goods and packed her off to a nunnery at Arles from which she unsuccessfully tried to escape[179]. By Theodogilda (or Theudechild), a cowherd's daughter; Charibert had a son who died in infancy.
King Charibert & his third wife had one child:
c) son (b and d after 561).

[m] fourthly his sister-in-law, MARCOVEFA, sister of MEROFLEDIS, daughter of --- (-before end 567). Gregory of Tours records the marriage of King Charibert and Marcovefa, sister of Merofled, for which they were excommunicated by "Saint Germanus the Bishop", as well as Marcovefa's death soon after, before her husband[180].

King Charibert & his --- wife had [one child]:
d) [CHROTIELDIS [Clotilde] ([after 561]-after 590). Gregory of Tours records that Clotilde, who "used to pretend that she was Charibert's daughter" (which suggests doubt about the correctness of her assertion), led a revolt in the convent of Sainte-Croix in Poitiers, together with Basina daughter of King Chilperich, against abbess Leubovera[189]. She was excommunicated for involvement in political intrigue, but accepted back at her convent. If Chrotieldis was the daughter of King Charibert, no indication has been found concerning the identity of her mother.]
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From Wikipedia -

Charibert I (c. 517 - December 567) was the Merovingian King of Paris, the second-eldest son of Chlothar I and Ingund. His younger brother was Gunthar, who died sometime before their father's death.

In 556, Chlothar sent Charibert and his next youngest brother Saint Gunthar against their stepmother Chunna and their younger stepbrother Chram who was in revolt. Chramn was hiding out on Black Mountain in the Limousin. Negotiations failed and the two armies prepared for battle. A thunderstorm prevented any engagement and Chramn sent forged letters to his brothers, falsely reporting their father's death. Charibert and Gunthar immediately returned to Burgundy to secure their positions.

Charibert I (French: Caribert; Latin: Charibertus; c. 517 \endash December 567) was the Merovingian King of Paris, the eldest son of Chlothar I and his first wife Ingund. His elder brother Gunthar died sometime before their father's death. He shared in the partition of the Frankish kingdom that followed his father's death in 561, receiving the old kingdom of Childebert I, with its capital at Paris.

Personal life
Charibert married Ingoberga and had one child:
Bertha, who married Æthelberht of Kent

Charibert also had several concubines.
By Merofleda, a wool carder's daughter, and her sister Marcovefa, he had daughters:

Berteflede (a nun in Tours);
and Clothilde (a nun in St. Croix, Poitiers).

By Theodogilda (or Theudechild), a cowherd's daughter; Charibert had a son who died in infancy.

Charibert married his daughter Bertha to Æthelberht, the pagan King of Kent. She took Bishop Liudhard with her as her private confessor. Her influence in the Kentish court was instrumental in the success of St. Augustine of Canterbury's mission in 597, effecting the conversion to Christianity of the first Anglo-Saxon ruler.

Military campaigns and enthronement
In 556, Chlothar sent his sons Charibert and Gunthar (his youngest) against their stepmother, "Chunna," and younger stepbrother, "Chramn," who were in revolt. During ongoing negotiations, Chramn was hiding out on Black Mountain in the Limousin. When the negotiations failed, the two armies prepared for battle. However, a thunderstorm prevented any engagement, and Chramn (who was hiding out in Black Mountain) sent forged letters to his brothers (Charibert and Gunthar) in which he falsely reported the death of their father (Chlothar). Charibert and Gunthar immediately returned to Burgundy to secure their positions.

Partition of Chlothar's kingdom, 561; Charibert's realm in pink
After the actual death of Chlothar in 561, the Frankish kingdom was divided between his sons in a new configuration (map, left). Each son ruled a distinct realm which was not necessarily geographically coherent but could contain two unconnected regions. Their kingdoms were named after the city from which they ruled. Charibert received Neustria (the region between the Somme and the Loire), Aquitaine, and Novempopulana with Paris as his capital. His other chief cities were Rouen, Tours, Poitiers, Limoges, Bordeaux, Toulouse, Cahors, and Albi. Guntram received Burgundy. Sigebert received Austrasia (including Rheims) with his capital at Metz, and the youngest brother Chilperic received a compact kingdom with Soissons as its capital.[1]

Death and legacy
Though Charibert was eloquent and learned in the law, Gregory of Tours found him one of the most dissolute of the early Merovingians. He maintained four concurrent wives, two of them sisters,[2] and this resulted in his excommunication by Germanus.[3]

This was the first ever excommunication of a Merovingian king.[1] As a result, he was buried in disgrace at Blavia castellum, a stronghold in the Tractatus Armoricani. At his death, his brothers divided his realm between them, agreeing at first to hold Paris in common. His surviving queen (out of four),

Theudechild, proposed a marriage with Guntram, though a council held at Paris in 557 had outlawed such matches as incestuous. Guntram decided to house her more safely, though unwillingly, in a nunnery at Arles.

The main source for Charibert's life is Gregory of Tours' History of the Franks (Book IV, 3,16,22,26 and IX, 26), and from the English perspective Bede's Ecclesiastic History of the English People.

  Burial Notes:

Blavia Castellum alleged location of burial of Charibert
Armorica; is the name given in ancient times to the part of Gaul between the Seine and the Loire that includes the Brittany Peninsula, extending inland to an indeterminate point and down the Atlantic Coast.

Blavia castellum was a military fort built by the Romans in the Aquitanian period of the Tractatus Armoricani,[1] an ancient and literary name for the northwest part of France, especially Brittany. The fort is referenced in the death of Charibert I. History puts the fort in existence during the Merovingian empire in modern day France.

  Noted events in his life were:

1. Clan: House of Merovingians,,. ¹⁷⁰⁴

2. Title Of Nobility: King of the Franks at Paris, between 561 and 567,. ¹⁷⁰⁴

3. Title Of Nobility: King of Paris,,. ¹⁷⁰⁴

4. Biographical Information: Charibert's Legacy,,. Though Charibert was eloquent and learned in the law, Gregory of Tours found him one of the most dissolute of the early Merovingians. He maintained four concurrent wives, two of them sisters, and this resulted in his excommunication by Germanus. This was the first ever excommunication of a Merovingian king. As a result, he was buried in disgrace at Blavia castellum, a stronghold in the Tractatus Armoricani. At his death, his brothers divided his realm between them, agreeing at first to hold Paris in common. His surviving queen (out of four), Theudechild, proposed a marriage with Guntram, though a council held at Paris in 557 had outlawed such matches as incestuous. Guntram decided to house her more safely, though unwillingly, in a nunnery at Arles.

Charibert married Ingoberge ARNEGUNDIS [7179] [MRIN: 5581] about 540 in Paris, Seine, France.¹⁷⁰⁴ (Ingoberge ARNEGUNDIS [7179] was born about 519 in Worms, , Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany,¹⁷⁰³ died on 13 August 589 in Loiret, Loiret, Centre-Val de Loire, France ¹⁷⁰³ and was buried in 589 in Paris, , Île-de-France, France ¹⁷⁰³.)