The Tale Of Gundovald’s Pursuit Of Magical Relics

In 585, an adventurer named Gundovald (or Gundoald) spent a brief time in the city of Bordeaux. He was roaming the lands of the Franks, telling the people that he was a long-lost son of the late King Chlotar I (d. 561). Despite this claim having been rejected by King Chlotar, himself, as well as by Chlotar’s sons, Gundovald continued popping up here and there in the Frankish lands, trying to recruit nobles and clergymen to his cause. As his legitimacy was dubious at best, Gundovald was designated as a pretender (illegal/unrecognized claimant) to the throne, and he consequently could not stay in one place for too long. Yet, in the city of Bordeaux, Gundovald heard a tale that piqued his interest and convinced him to stay in the city for a time.

A peculiar rumor was spreading around the Frankish lands in those days. Bishop Gregory of Tours, who wrote history in his spare time, commented on these enticing tales.  He stated:

 “Somebody told him [Gundovald] that a certain king in Eastern parts had obtained possession of the thumb of Saint Sergius the martyr, and that he had attached this to his own right arm. Whenever he needed help to drive back his enemies, he would put his trust in this support; for when he raised his right arm the enemy troops would immediately turn in flight, as if they had been vanquished by the martyr’s miraculous power” (History of the Franks, VII.31).

Gundovald, hearing of this mysterious item, obviously wanted to get his hands on it. One of Gundovald’s followers, a bishop named Bertram, claimed to have discovered a lead on a possible location where one such object of power could be found. According to Bishop Bertram, there was a Syrian merchant in Bordeaux who had a large collection of holy relics, including some belonging to the aforementioned Saint Sergius. To spice up the news, the bishop told Gundovald that the relics in the merchant’s house had been catalysts for many miracles, including one incident where the merchant’s home had miraculously survived a fire, while neighboring houses burned down.

Convinced by the tales, Gundovald sent his henchmen to the merchant’s house, and they reportedly broke into the dwelling. The relic collector was home at the time, so the robbers pulled out their swords and demanded that the merchant bring them to the relics of Saint Sergius. As the story goes, the relics were hidden in a casket or container hidden in a high spot on a wall or rafter. After obtaining a ladder, one of the robbers climbed up the rungs to reach the box of relics. Either due to the effects of holy power (or hefty weight) the man’s hand trembled as he hauled the relics from their high perch. Perusing through the holy remains in the container, the robbers reportedly picked out a fingerbone of Saint Sergius. In an interesting move, the henchmen allegedly took a knife and chopped the relic into three pieces, and brought one section back to Gundovald. According to Bishop Gregory of Tours (the one who reported this story), the spirit of Saint Sergius did not appreciate the desecration of the relic—despite his possession of a section of the fingerbone, Gundovald would be overpowered and killed by his enemies within the year.

Written by C. Keith Hansley

Picture Attribution: (Destruction of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, illustration from the 1890 Holman Bible, [Public Domain] via Creative Commons).

Sources:

• The History of the Franks by Gregory of Tours, translated by Lewis Thorpe. New York: Penguin Classics, 1971.
• https://www.britannica.com/biography/Guntram-king-of-Burgundy 
• https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780198662778.001.0001/acref-9780198662778-e-2140

The Holy Or Mischievous Trap At Saint Vincent's

In 585, the forces of King Guntram of the Franks (r. 561-593) chased down and defeated a pretender (illegal/unrecognized claimant) to the throne named Gundovald. During the pursuit, Guntram’s forces passed by a town called Agen, where a church dedicated to Saint Vincent was located. The doors of this church were locked and barred, as were the other entrances to the holy sanctuary. Despite the barricades, Guntram’s warriors could see all sorts of treasures inside the church, presumably locked inside by locals who hoped the church would disincentivize looting by the roaming armies in the region. Not paying any respect to Saint Vincent’s church, the warriors decided to break into the place at all cost. To do this, they reportedly set fire to the doors, weakening the integrity of the boards and barricades. After letting the fire burn for a time, the looters were able to break into the church, where the treasures were there for the taking.

Unbeknownst to the looters, however, the wealth in the church was protected in some way. Whether by holy power, or by sabotage of the locals or the adventurer Gundovald, the treasure turned out to be a trap. As soon as the warriors touched the would-be loot, chaos broke out in the church of Saint Vincent. Bishop Gregory of Tours (c. 539-594), holy man and historian, described the bizarre scene that reportedly took place in the church:

“Once the doors were burnt down, the soldiers looted all the property and all the equipment which they found there, and stole the church plate as well. The vengeance which God exacted gave them a severe fright. Many of their hands caught fire supernaturally and gave forth a great smoke, like the pall which rises from a conflagration. Some were possessed by a devil and rushed about screaming the martyr’s name. Others fought with each other and wounded themselves with their own javelins. A vast horde of troops continued to advance but with fear in their hearts” (History of the Franks, VII.35).

Despite the supernatural (or otherwise-devised) plight that this band of looters experienced, the rest of King Guntram’s army continued on their way in pursuit of the disruptive adventurer, Gundovald. They besieged the city of Comminges, where the pretender was staying, and looted (with more success this time) the countryside around the town. As the siege progressed, Gundovald was ultimately betrayed by his followers and, in the end, faced execution.

Written by C. Keith Hansley

Picture Attribution: (Lot leaving Sodom, painted by Kerstiaen de Keuninck (circa 1561 –circa 1635), [Public Domain] via Creative Commons).

Sources:

• The History of the Franks by Gregory of Tours, translated by Lewis Thorpe. New York: Penguin Classics, 1971

The Tricky Tale Of How Gundovald Seized Comminges

In 585, politics in the lands of the Franks was disrupted by a man named Gundovald (or Gundoald), who claimed to have been a long-lost son of the Merovingian Dynasty’s King Chlotar (d. 561). The late king, as well as his sons, denied Gundovald’s claims, labeling him as a pretender to the throne. Nevertheless, Gundovald was more than willing to recruit disgruntled or opportunist lords and clergymen. By 585, he had recruited various counts, dukes and bishops to his cause. Yet, before he could rally this rag-tag band of followers into a truly threatening force, the patriarch of the Merovingian Dynasty at that time, King Guntram (r. 561-593), rallied his own forces with the intention of hunting down the pretender.

Fleeing from Guntram’s approaching army, Gundovald dragged his forces from town to town, eventually ending up in a place called Comminges. After giving the locals his usual speech about his dubious ties to royalty, the people of Comminges invited Gundovald’s army into the town with open arms. Gundovald reportedly informed the people of the city that an enemy force would soon be approaching, and he proposed that they gather any friends, family and belongings that happened to be outside of the town walls and bring them into the safety of the city. The gullible and trusting people of Comminges followed their guest’s suggestions, concentrating all of their supplies and belongings in the city. When this was completed, Gundovald launched a mischievous plan. The scene that reportedly followed was recorded by the bishop and historian, Gregory of Tours (c. 539-594):

“Gundovald remained in Comminges. He addressed the inhabitants a second time. ‘The enemy army is approaching,’ he said. ‘You must sally forth and fight.’ They marched out to do battle. Gundovald’s men then seized the gates, slammed them to and so shut out the people of Comminges and their Bishop. They thereupon took possession of everything which they could find in town” (The History of the Franks, VII.34).

Thus, Gundovald allegedly took possession of the belongings of an entire community. He did not, however, have long to enjoy the plunder. King Guntram’s army quickly closed in on Comminges and successfully besieged Gundovald in the city. Trapped by the king’s military, Gundovald’s coalition of supporters began questioning their loyalty. Before the end of 585, Gundovald was betrayed by his supporters and faced execution.

Written by C, Keith Hansley

Picture Attribution: (Swordsman illustrated by H. Pyle, c. 1888, [Public Domain] via Creative Commons).

Sources:

• The History of the Franks by Gregory of Tours, translated by Lewis Thorpe. New York: Penguin Classics, 1971.