Ingonde, Ingund, Ingunda, or (in Latin) Ingundis (born c. 499,

Thuringia Thuringia (; german: Thüringen ), officially the Free State of Thuringia ( ), is a state of central Germany, covering , the sixth smallest of the sixteen German states. It has a population of about 2.1 million. Erfurt is the capital and lar ...

d. 546) was a queen of the

Franks The Franks ( la, Franci or ) were a group of Germanic peoples whose name was first mentioned in 3rd-century Roman sources, and associated with tribes between the Lower Rhine and the Ems River, on the edge of the Roman Empire.H. Schutz: Tools ...

by marriage to

Clotaire I Chlothar I, sometime called "the Old" ( French: le Vieux), (died December 561) also anglicised as Clotaire, was a king of the Franks of the Merovingian dynasty and one of the four sons of Clovis I. Chlothar's father, Clovis I, divided the kingd ...

, son of Clovis. She was the daughter of King

Baderic Baderic, Baderich, Balderich or Boderic (ca. 480 – 529), son of Bisinus and Menia, was a co-king of the Thuringii. He and his brothers Hermanfrid and Berthar succeeded their father Bisinus. After Hermanfrid defeated Berthar in battle, he ...

(c. 480 - c. 529). She became concubine to Clotaire in c.517, before his marriage in c. 524 to

Guntheuc Guntheuc (or Gondioque) (495 – c. 532) was the queen of Orléans and wife of Chlodomer, king of Orléans. She later married his brother Chlothar I, king of Soissons. Biographical information Guntheuc may have been of Burgundian origin and the gr ...

, widow of Clotaire's brother

Chlodomer Chlodomer, also spelled Clodomir or Clodomer (c. 495 - 524) was the second of the four sons of Clovis I, King of the Franks. On the death of his father, in 511, he divided the kingdom of the Franks with his three brothers: Theuderic I, Childeber ...

."...and Clothar immediately married his brother's wife, Guntheuca by name." This brought Clotaire access to Chlodomer's treasury.Grégoire de Tours, Histoire, livre III, 6. On Guntheuc's death in 532, Clotaire married Ingund. During their long relationship, she bore him six children, four of whom would become kings or queen:"The king had ... by Ingunda, Gunthar, Childeric, Charibert, Gunthram, Sigibert, and a daughter Chlotsinda;" * Gonthaire or Gonthier, in Latin Gunthacharius, born around 517, died after 532. He took part around 532 in a military campaign led in

Septimania Septimania (french: Septimanie ; oc, Septimània ) is a historical region in modern-day Southern France. It referred to the western part of the Roman province of Gallia Narbonensis that passed to the control of the Visigoths in 462, when Septim ...

; *

Charibert I Charibert I (french: Caribert; la, Charibertus; 517 – December 567) was the Merovingian List of Frankish kings, King of Paris, the second-eldest son of Chlothar I and his first wife Ingund, wife of Clotaire I, Ingund. His elder brother Guntha ...

(or Caribert; circa 521-567), king of Paris from 561 to 567; *

Guntram Saint Gontrand (c. 532 in Soissons – 28 March 592 in Chalon-sur-Saône), also called Gontran, Gontram, Guntram, Gunthram, Gunthchramn, and Guntramnus, was the king of the Kingdom of Orléans from AD 561 to AD 592. He was the third eldest and ...

(or Gontran; around 533-592), King of Burgundy from 561 to 592, King of Paris from 584 to 592; *

Sigebert I Sigebert I (c. 535 – c. 575) was a Frankish king of Austrasia from the death of his father in 561 to his own death. He was the third surviving son out of four of Clotaire I and Ingund. His reign found him mostly occupied with a successful civ ...

(circa 535-575), king of Austrasia from 561 to 575. * Childeric (possibly Childebert or Childericus ), died before 561; * Clodoswinthe, died before 567. She became Queen of the Lombards by marrying King

Alboin Alboin (530s – 28 June 572) was king of the Lombards from about 560 until 572. During his reign the Lombards ended their migrations by settling in Italy, the northern part of which Alboin conquered between 569 and 572. He had a lasting eff ...

, son of Aldoin . Shortly after their marriage (c. 533–538) Ingund requested of Clotaire that he find a husband worthy of her sister,

Aregund Aregund, Aregunda, Arnegund, Aregonda, or Arnegonda (c. 515/520–580) was a Frankish queen, the wife of Clotaire I, king of the Franks, and the mother of Chilperic I of Neustria. She is one of the rare historical figures whose tomb has been ide ...

Gregory of Tours Gregory of Tours (30 November 538 – 17 November 594 AD) was a Gallo-Roman historian and Bishop of Tours, which made him a leading prelate of the area that had been previously referred to as Gaul by the Romans. He was born Georgius Floren ...

, ''Decem Libri Historiarum'', IV.3; translated by Lewis Thorpe, ''History of the Franks'' (Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1974), p. 197f."I beg that you consent to find a husband for my sister" Finding no one suitable, Chlothar took Aregund as one of his own wives in a polygamous marriage."To this request he gave heed and being of a wanton nature he fell in love with Aregunda and went to the estate on which she was living and married her himself." Ingund did not object to this arrangement;"Let my Lord do what seems good in his eyes" Aregund remained his wife until Ingund's death in 546, after which she fell out of favor with Chlothar.Grégoire de Tours, ''Histoire'', livre IV, 3.

Primary References from Gregory of Tours

References

Thuringian women Frankish queens consort Merovingian dynasty 499 births Year of death unknown 6th-century Frankish nobility 6th-century Frankish women {{Europe-royal-stub