67 pages 2 hours read

Gregory of Tours

The History of the Franks

Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 590

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Book 6

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Book 6 Summary

When one of her supporters, Lupus, Duke of Champagne, was threatened and robbed by his rivals Ursio and Berthefried, Queen Brunhild stepped in and argued with them. However, she could not stop them from stealing from Lupus for long, and he was forced to seek refuge at the court of King Guntram. King Chilperic argued about religion with a Jewish noble in his court named Priscus, and Gregory, who was present, entered into the debate as well. After the debate, Priscus “stood there in silence” (332) but he did not convert.

At the town of Nice, a hermit named Hospicius predicted that the Longobards from Italy would strike Gaul. In fact, a Longobard army did march on the region of Provence, where Nice was located. When a Longobard soldier tried to strike Hospicius with his sword, Hospicius was miraculously saved, and the soldier became a monk following Hospicius. Gregory recounts Hospicius’s other miracles, such as healing people and exorcising a woman possessed by demons. When Hospicius died, the worms that tried to consume his body vanished. Gregory also tells the story of another hermit, Eparchius from Angoulême, who, among other miracles, resurrected a thief who was hanged.