Sigebert III
Sigebert III (c.
630-
656/
660) was the king of
Austrasia from
634 to his death on probably
1 February in
656, or maybe as late as
660. He was the eldest son of
Dagobert I.
To satisfy the Austrasian aristocracy, who exercised a certain autonomy, Sigebert's father gave him the kingdom of Austrasia although it remained part of the larger Frankish realm. On the death of Dagobert, Sigebert ruled Austrasia independently, and free from any subjection to
Neustria.
He tried in vain to add
Thuringia to his kingdom, but was defeated by Duke Radulph in
640. Though only ten years of age, he was the leader of his army. The
Chronicle of Fredegar records that the route left him weeping in his saddle. From this, we can surmise that, at least in part, the downfall of the
Merovingian dynasty was a result of child rule, for both Sigebert and his younger brother
Clovis II, who ruled in
Neustria, were prepubescent children who could not fight on the field and whose regents had their own interests at heart.
It was under his reign that the
mayor of the palace began to play the most important role in the political life of Austrasia. That mayor,
Grimoald, the son of
Pepin I, managed to convince the king to adopt his son Childebert. When Sigebert finally had a son of his own, the future
Dagobert II, the mayor of the palace felt threatened, and on the death of Sigebert he exiled the young Dagobert to
Ireland. Sigebert's remains, defiled during the
French Revolution, are preserved in the cathedral at
Nancy.
It is notable that he is often described as the first
roi fainéant—do-nothing king—of the
Merovingian dynasty.
*
Franks (main history of Frankish kingdoms)
*
List of Frankish Kings *
Merovingians
