Chilperic II of Burgundy

Who was Chilperic II of Burgundy?

Chilperic II was the King of Burgundy from 473 until his death, though initially co-ruler with his father Gondioc from 463. He began his reign in 473 after the partition of Burgundy with his brothers Godegisel, Gundobad and Godomar; he ruled from Valence and his brothers ruled respectively from Geneva, Vienne, and Lyon. They were all sons of Gundioch.

Sometime in the early 470s Chilperic was forced to submit to the authority of the Roman Empire by the magister militum Ecdicius Avitus. In 475 he probably sheltered an exiled Ecdicius after the Visigoths had obtained possession of the Auvergne.

After his brother Gundobad had removed his other brother Godomar in 486, he turned on Chilperic. In 493 Gundobad assassinated Chilperic and drowned his wife, then exiled their two daughters, Chroma, who became a nun, and Clotilda, who fled to her uncle, Godegisel. When the Frankish king, Clovis I, requested the latter's hand in marriage, Gundobad was unable to decline. Clovis and Godegisel allied against Gundobad in a long, drawn out civil war.