The Merovingians

Send us Fan Mail This episode is all about marriage, specifically political marriages in the Merovingian era. The Merovingians had a mixed track record with political marriages, and while they were important tools for diplomacy they also came with risks.

Send us Fan Mail This episode we take a detailed look at the flaws in Merovingian politics that so often led to conflict and violence, and the hard work of the clergy to try calm the constant tension. We've seen Gregory work to prevent violence, but in this episode we discuss the unique circumstances that led to the church being the major diplomatic intermediaries of the period. Laugh Love La...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we cover some of the events that have been happening in the realm, continuing many of the themes discussed in recent episodes. Then we move onto the Treaty of Andelot, a fascinating primary source that reveals a lot about Merovingian power politics and diplomacy. 

Send us Fan Mail This episode is all about Fredegund and Brunhild, and the vastly different ways their actions in centralizing power into their own hands are treated by Gregory. Plus there's a lot of grisly murders. Laugh Love Law Real conversations. Real people. Real impact. A podcast about life, law and... Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

Send us Fan Mail This episode we continue our Visigothic theme by discussing Guntram's invasion of Visigothic Septimania. Spoiler alert: it does not go well.

Send us Fan Mail This episode we take a tangent into the Visigothic kingdom as part of our larger exploration of the family of Brunhild and the politics they were involved in. Its the beginning of her rise to political ascendancy, and it has humble but important roots.

Send us Fan Mail This episode we see Guntram, and later the clergy, readjusting to the post-Gundovald political realities. We'll see Guntram continue his charm offensive of moderated tone and a more diplomatic approach, but also see the limits of his new attitude. We'll also see a true masterclass in diplomacy and conflict resolution from the clergy at the Council of Macon. Laugh Love La...

Send us Fan Mail This episode covers three days of King Guntram's life, as he visits his city of Orléans for the Feast of Saint Martin. While there he deals with rebellious clergy, reveals a bit of his bromance with Gregory and displays openly anti-semitic beliefs. Its a look, in depth, at just three days in the stressful and controversial life of a Merovingian king.

Send us Fan Mail This week we talk about the common folk, or at least as common as possible while still attracting Gregory's attention. That means prophetic wise women, murderous Saxons and feuding local nobility. How does justice function? How do local power structures support themselves and enforce some form of stability on their communities? Laugh Love Law Real conversations. Real people....

Send us Fan Mail In this special episode Connor and I sit down and go through some questions about the Merovingians and the period as a whole. We hope you enjoy the departure from our usual format. Laugh Love Law Real conversations. Real people. Real impact. A podcast about life, law and... Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

Send us Fan Mail This episode is all about legal reform and how the most recent Merovingians had been changing the way the monarchy worked. We'll discuss important developments and how they paved the way for the later Merovingian period and beyond.

Send us Fan Mail This episode we discuss whether or not Gundovald's rebellion ever had a chance at success, as well as the fate of the conspirators who had just betrayed him.  We will also briefly address the political settlement in the aftermath of the rebellion and what it reveals about the next era of Merovingian politics.

Send us Fan Mail This week, as the title suggests, we'll be talking about the fall of the usurper king Gundovald. We will also discuss the meeting between the estranged kings Childebert II and Guntram. Laugh Love Law Real conversations. Real people. Real impact. A podcast about life, law and... Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

Send us Fan Mail This episode covers the lead up to the confrontation between Guntram and Gundovald. We'll observe them both tie up some loose ends and ready themselves, and we'll discuss the other players in this game.

Send us Fan Mail This episode is about Queen Fredegund and King Guntram's attempts to her and the political situation in Neustria. Unfortunately for him she would prove hard to dislodge from her position and ruthless in her determination. Laugh Love Law Real conversations. Real people. Real impact. A podcast about life, law and... Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

Send us Fan Mail This episode is all about those trying to sow discord or strife to weaken King Guntram and his stranglehold on Merovingian power. We'll talk about the conflicts and suffering in Central Gaul as different groups try to instill loyalty, and we'll talk about the failure of diplomacy. Laugh Love Law Real conversations. Real people. Real impact. A podcast about life, law and....

Send us Fan Mail This week we take a look at the problems facing Guntram, the new dominant king in the Merovingian kingdoms. Paranoia of assassination, scheming nobles and the return of the pretender Gundovald all make an appearance, alongside a discussion of Merovingian political legitimacy in the period.

Send us Fan Mail This episode is an in depth look at the aftermath of King Chilperic's assassination. We'll see who benefits the most, will it be the young, ambitious Childebert II or the old King Guntram? On top of this we'll examine the actions of Fredegund and her attempt to survive the transition of power. Newborn son in hand will she protect him, herself, and her position in co...

Send us Fan Mail This episode is all about the last days of King Chilperic. One of the most important and best documented Merovingian kings, his life and reign spanned the transition between the early and middle Merovingian periods. Always ambitious, always controversial, highly consequential, this is how he meets his end. Laugh Love Law Real conversations. Real people. Real impact. A podcast abou...

Send us Fan Mail This week we cover a range of topics. We take a look at the interwoven politics of Visigothic Spain and the Frankish kingdoms, we discuss the early campaigns of Childebert II, as well as covering some more of Fredegund's unique brand of politics. Laugh Love Law Real conversations. Real people. Real impact. A podcast about life, law and... Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spot...

Send us Fan Mail This week we clean up the mess the kings left last week. Three kings, no victors, we cover the peace agreements between the kings and the situations they found themselves in. We also take time to cover the unfortunate end of Leudast, former count of Tours.  Laugh Love Law Real conversations. Real people. Real impact. A podcast about life, law and... Listen on: Apple Podcasts &nbsp...

Send us Fan Mail This week is all about the aftermath of the return of Gundovald and the immediate civil war that broke out. Not between the three existing kings and Gundovald, oh no. As the title suggests, one usurper arriving on the shore of Gaul is enough to send the tense but stable political situation in Gaul into full on civil war between the three kings. Laugh Love Law Real conversations. R...

Send us Fan Mail Exactly how is the conflict between Guntram and Chilperic going? This week we catch up with the two senior Merovingians and see how their war has devolved to a smoldering series of minor actions. Are they still in control of this conflict? And what are they hoping to get out of it?

Send us Fan Mail This week is all about Gundovald, the usurper king. We're going to discuss his origins, revealing the power of Merovingian heritage, and yet another way Merovingian princes could serve as political pawns. Then we'll discuss his time in exile and see how the Eastern Roman empire used exiled royals as political bargaining chips to control the other successor states. Laugh...

Send us Fan Mail This week is all about gaining and holding the most important asset, land. With a look at Merovingian inheritance we'll begin to understand some of the complexity of Merovingian society as well as gain some context for some events that we've already discussed.