Ingund

For the wife of the Visigothic prince, see Ingund (wife of Hermenegild).

Ingonde, Ingund, Ingunda, or (in Latin) Ingundis (c. 499 in Thuringia – 546) was a queen of the Franks by marriage to Chlothar I, son of Clovis.^[1][2][3]

Ingund
Queen of the Franks
Born	c. 499 Thuringia
Died	546
Spouse	Chlothar I
Issue	Gonthaire Charibert I Guntram Sigebert I Childeric Clodoswinthe, Queen of the Lombards
House	Merovingian dynasty
Father	King Baderic of Thuringia

She was the daughter of King Baderic of Thuringia (c. 480 – c. 529). She became concubine to Chlothar in c.517,^[4] before his marriage in c. 524 to Guntheuc, widow of Chlothar's brother Chlodomer.^{[Tours 1]} This brought Chlothar access to Chlodomer's treasury.^[5] On Guntheuc's death in 532, Chlothar married Ingund. During their long relationship they had six children, four of whom would become kings or queen:^{[Tours 2]}

• Gonthaire or Gonthier, in Latin Gunthacharius, born around 517, died after 532. He took part around 532 in a military campaign led in Septimania;
• Charibert I (or Caribert; circa 521-567), king of Paris from 561 to 567;
• Guntram (or Gontran; around 533-592), King of Burgundy from 561 to 592, King of Paris from 584 to 592;
• Sigebert I (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, son of Aldoin .

Shortly after their marriage (c. 533–538) Ingund requested of Chlothar that he find a husband worthy of her sister, Aregund.^{[6][Tours 3]} Finding no one suitable, Chlothar took Aregund as one of his own wives in a polygamous marriage.^{[Tours 4]} Ingund did not object to this arrangement;^{[Tours 5]} Aregund remained his wife until Ingund's death in 546, after which she fell out of favor with Chlothar.^[7]

Primary references from Gregory of Tours

1. "...and Clothar immediately married his brother's wife, Guntheuca by name."
2. "The king had ... by Ingunda, Gunthar, Childeric, Charibert, Gunthram, Sigibert, and a daughter Chlotsinda;"
3. "I beg that you consent to find a husband for my sister"
4. "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."
5. "Let my Lord do what seems good in his eyes"

References

1. Settipani, Christian (1993). La préhistoire des Capétiens, 481-987. Patrick van Kerrebrouck. Villeneuve d'Ascq: P. Van Kerrebrouck. ISBN 2-9501509-3-4. OCLC 29856008.
2. Lejeune, Paule (1989). Les reines de France. [Paris]: Vernal/P. Lebaud. pp. 29–30. ISBN 2-86594-042-X. OCLC 21003022.
3. Christian Bouyer, Les reines de France, dictionnaire chronologique, Éditions Perrin, Paris, 1992.
4. Gregory of Tours IV.3, pp. 197-8.
5. Grégoire de Tours, Histoire, livre III, 6.
6. Gregory of Tours, Decem Libri Historiarum, IV.3; translated by Lewis Thorpe, History of the Franks (Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1974), p. 197f.
7. Grégoire de Tours, Histoire, livre IV, 3.