Frédégonde l'étranglait contre la planche inférieure

This illustration shows the Merovingian queen Fredegund trying to kill her daughter Rigunth, in a scene of familial violence that became famous in the narratives of chroniclers. It reflects the dark image attached to Fredegund in 19th-century historiography and historical literature, where dynastic passions, cruelty, and court rivalries play a central role.