Virgins and Vipers: Wicked Stereotyping

For women living during Frankish Antiquity, authority in society was derived from the men in their lives. From the perspective of Gregory of Tours, it was what they did with that power that defined their character. Women who used such power to benefit the church and devoted themselves to religion, such as Radagund, were considered pure and chaste. However, the women who utilized what little authority they had for their own “worldly ambition” earned the title of “wicked,” for the simple reason that they sought to play a political role. 

Gregory of Tours specifically labels Amalaberg, the wife of Hermanfred, and the unnamed wife of Sigismund as being wicked. Both women earn criticism for influencing their husbands to kill a member of their family in order to strengthen their existing power or gain moer. These murders would indirectly provide the wives with more power through their husbands. When compared to the action of most men mentioned in Gregory’s writing, what these two women propose is not out of the ordinary. Murdering one’s brother or offspring, or brother’s offspring, was a normal male tactic to solidify power by eliminating a competitor. However, despite the prevalence of murder, Gregory does not label these men as being wicked or evil. He would certainly not condone their actions, but they are not judged as harshly as their wives. This indicates that Gregory’s criticism of the women is not necessarily of what the women are planning, but more of the fact that the women are making the suggestions to their husbands. For example, Deuteria murders her own daughter out of jealousy by launching her off a bridge, but she is not labelled as being wicked, instead she is described as being clever and capable. Obviously, Gregory is not going to condone murdering one’s children, but his disapproval is more focused on the fact that these women are influencing their husbands, which equates to power and power over men is what is truly evil here.

Queen Chlothild appears to be the only women throughout Gregory’s writing that escapes being labelled as wicked for her influence over the men in her life. When she is first introduced she is influencing her sons to murder her enemies, which is similar to the behavior of Amalaberg and Sigismund’s wife. However, the fundamental difference is that she is not inciting her sons to gain power by murdering their close relatives. Instead she makes it appear that it is their responsibility to her and her parents to avenge their deaths, employing the clever line, “let me not regret lovingly nursed you.” Although they are murdering enemies, Chlothild directly benefits from her sons’ actions, because her parents are avenged. Additionally, one of her sons is killed in the process and she is still not seen as wicked even though it is technically her fault. She benefits in a second capacity, because she obtains custody of her son’s children, which gives her direct access to a second generation of young men that she can influence with the potential of kingly power. Although Queen Chlothild escapes the label of being wicked, most likely because she spends the end of her life devoted to God and the church. However, one could argue this is a result of her losing her direct line to power, because of the murders of her grandchildren. Either way Gregory of Tours remembers her as being above such desires saying, “Neither the royal power of her sons, nor worldly ambition, nor wealth carried her off to destruction, but humility carried her forward to grace.” Although she spent the end of her life focused on the church, she had plenty of worldly ambition and used her sons to execute that ambition. Ultimately she escaped the disapproval the other women received, because she knew she had influence but cleverly disguised it.