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Theudebert I (c. 500 – 547 or 548) was the Merovingian king of Austrasia
Austrasia

Austrasia formed the north-eastern portion of the Kingdom of the Merovingian Franks, comprising parts of the territory of present-day eastern France, western Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands....
 from 533 to his death in 548. He was the son of Theuderic I
Theuderic I

Theuderic I was the Merovingian king of Metz, Rheims, or Austrasia ? as it is variously called ? from 511 to 533 or 534.He was the son of Clovis I and one of his earlier wives or concubines....
 and the father of Theudebald
Theudebald

Theudebald or Theodebald , son of Theudebert I and Deuteria, was the king of Metz, Rheims, or Austrasia—as it's variously called—from 547 or 548 to 555....
.

Most of what we know about Theudebert comes from the Histories or History of the Franks written by Gregory of Tours
Gregory of Tours

Saint Gregory of Tours was a Gallo-Roman History and Bishops of Tours, which made him a leading prelate of Gaul. He was born Georgius Florentius, later adding the name Gregorius in honour of his maternal great-grandfather....
 in the second half of the sixth century. In addition, we have diplomatic correspondence composed at the Austrasian court (known as the Austrasian Letters
Austrasian Letters

The Austrasian Letters is a collection of diplomatic and other correspondence from the late fifth to the early seventh centuries, compiled at the court of the Frankish kings of Austrasia in the seventh century....
), the poems of Venantius Fortunatus
Venantius Fortunatus

Saint Venantius Fortunatus or Venantius Honorius Clementianus Fortunatus was a Latin poetry and hymnodist, and a Bishop of the Roman Catholic Church....
, an account from Procopius' work from the Vortigern Studies website and a small number of other sources.

During his father's reign, the young Theudebert had shown himself to be an able warrior.






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Theudebert I (c. 500 – 547 or 548) was the Merovingian king of Austrasia
Austrasia

Austrasia formed the north-eastern portion of the Kingdom of the Merovingian Franks, comprising parts of the territory of present-day eastern France, western Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands....
 from 533 to his death in 548. He was the son of Theuderic I
Theuderic I

Theuderic I was the Merovingian king of Metz, Rheims, or Austrasia ? as it is variously called ? from 511 to 533 or 534.He was the son of Clovis I and one of his earlier wives or concubines....
 and the father of Theudebald
Theudebald

Theudebald or Theodebald , son of Theudebert I and Deuteria, was the king of Metz, Rheims, or Austrasia—as it's variously called—from 547 or 548 to 555....
.

Most of what we know about Theudebert comes from the Histories or History of the Franks written by Gregory of Tours
Gregory of Tours

Saint Gregory of Tours was a Gallo-Roman History and Bishops of Tours, which made him a leading prelate of Gaul. He was born Georgius Florentius, later adding the name Gregorius in honour of his maternal great-grandfather....
 in the second half of the sixth century. In addition, we have diplomatic correspondence composed at the Austrasian court (known as the Austrasian Letters
Austrasian Letters

The Austrasian Letters is a collection of diplomatic and other correspondence from the late fifth to the early seventh centuries, compiled at the court of the Frankish kings of Austrasia in the seventh century....
), the poems of Venantius Fortunatus
Venantius Fortunatus

Saint Venantius Fortunatus or Venantius Honorius Clementianus Fortunatus was a Latin poetry and hymnodist, and a Bishop of the Roman Catholic Church....
, an account from Procopius' work from the Vortigern Studies website and a small number of other sources.

During his father's reign, the young Theudebert had shown himself to be an able warrior. In about 516 he defeated a Danish army under King Chlochilaich
Hygelac

Hygelac, Proto-Norse *Hugilaikaz, Old Norse Hugleikr was a king of the Geats according to the poem Beowulf. He was the son of Hrethel and had brothers Herebeald and Haethcyn....
 (Hygelac of Beowulf
Beowulf

Beowulf is an Old English language heroic Epic poetry of unknown authorship, dating as recorded in the Nowell Codex manuscript from between the 8th to the early 11th century, and relates events described as having occurred in what is now Denmark and Sweden....
) after it had raided northern Gaul. His reputation was further enhanced by a series of military campaigns in the south of Gaul
Gaul

Gaul is the name used for the region of Western Europe comprising part of present day northern Italy, France, Belgium, western Switzerland and the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the west bank of the River Rhine....
 against the Visigoths.

Upon his father's death, Theudebert had to fight both his uncles Childebert
Childebert

Childebert was the name of several Frankish kings:*Childebert I, king of Paris *Childebert II, king of Austrasia *Childebert the Adopted, king of Austrasia...
 and Clotaire
Clotaire

Chlothar is a Germanic language given name, which evolved into the later form Lothair . It is a combination of the words hlut = loud and heri = army, warrior....
 to inherit his father's kingdom. In the end, his military prowess persuaded Childebert to abandon the dispute and adopt Theudebert as his heir. Together they campaigned against Clotaire but sued for peace after their armies were hit by storm.

After relations between the Frankish kings had settled down, Theudebert found himself embroiled in the Gothic Wars started when the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I
Justinian I

Flavius Petrus Sabbatius Iustinianus , AD 482 or 483 ? 13 or 14 November 565, was the second member of the Justinian Dynasty and List of Roman Emperors from 527 until his death....
 attempted to subdue the Ostrogoths in Italy. Justinian saw Theudebert as an ideal ally: Austrasian lands flanked the Ostrogoths in northern Italy. The emperor paid Theudebert handsomely for his assistance, but Theudebert proved an untrustworthy ally. The Frankish armies saw the Italian conflict as an opportunity for plunder and a chance to exert their own claims to northern Italy. In the event the Byzantines were forced to fight the Franks as much as the Ostrogoths.

Theudebert seems to have revelled in his power growing on the European stage. His letters show him laying claim to a vast array of lands around Austrasia, including Byzantine lands. Since the fall of the Roman Empire, the Frankish kings had always shown a certain deference to the Byzantine Emperor, but Theudebert rejected his status as an inferior leader: for example, he broke imperial custom by minting gold coins containing his own image. Hitherto former Frankish kings had respected imperial convention and circulated gold coins with the image of the emperor. Not surprisingly, perhaps, the Byzantine chronicler Agathias
Agathias

Agathias or Agathias Scholasticus , of Myrina , an Aeolian city in western Asia Minor, was a Greece poet and the historian who is a principal source for that part of the reign of Justinian I covered in his history....
 recorded the rumour in Constantinople
Constantinople

Constantinople was the empire capital of the Roman Empire , the Byzantine Empire , the Latin Empire , and the Ottoman Empire . Strategically located between the Golden Horn and the Sea of Marmara at the point where Europe meets Asia, Byzantine Constantinople had been the capital of a Christendom empire, successor to ancient ancient Greece...
 that the Byzantines suspected Theudebert of planning an invasion of Thrace.

In common with other Frankish rulers at the time, Theudebert took several wives as and when he wanted. As heir to his father's kingdom, he was betrothed to Wisigard, daughter of Wacho
Wacho

Wacho or Waccho was king of the Lombards before they entered Italy from an unknown date until his death in 539. His father was Unichis....
, king of the Lombards
Lombards

The Lombards were a Germanic peoples originally from Northern Europe who settled in the valley of the Danube and from there invaded Byzantine Italian peninsula in 568 under the leadership of Alboin....
. This sort of political match was rare for the Merovingian kings. Theudebert abandoned her for Deuteria, a Gallo-Roman he had met while on campaign in southern Gaul. However, his supporters were not best pleased by his treatment of Wisigard, perhaps because of the political dimension, and persuaded Theudebert to take her back. Wisigard, though, soon died, and Theudebert married again.

As well as being renowned for his military prowess, Theudebert was lauded by contemporaries for his patronage of the Gallic Church. Gregory of Tours reserves special praise for him in this regard, but his piety is also mentioned by Fortunatus.

Theudebert died in the 14th year of his reign (at the end of 547 or the beginning of 548) and Theudebald, his son by Deuteria, succeeded him. In contrast to that experienced by many Merovingian kings, Theudebald's accession was peaceful.