Page:A Dictionary of Saintly Women Volume 1.djvu/345

331 ST. GALSWINTHA 331 reformation of her own order, in which far too muoh liberty prevailed, the nuns receiving visits from secular persons of either sex. Mother Yaillao, as she was now called, resided some time with the nuns of St. Clara, at Tulle, to learn their rules, but her health having suffered from long fiuts and other austerities, she did not Hve to complete the attempted reform, which was carried on by Mother Mirandol after the death of Gralliota. She died in the odour of sanctity, and appears in collections of founders and reformers. Helyot, Part iii. chap. 15. Jubin, FondatriceSy says that she was called Ste. Anne in th^ Hospital of Beau- lieu. Possibly she was not simply Ste. Anne, but GraHlotte of St. Anne. St. Gallosa, March 3, M. with Mabtia and others. AA.SS. B. Galonia, or Galonica, July 24, NiCETA. B. Galsonda, Galsoinda, or Gal- 80NTA, GaLSWINTHA. St. Galswintha, May 24, Dec. 26 (Galesonda, Galsonta, Galsoinda, Ualsuixta, Gachiloswintha, Gailesu- INTHE, GaUSUENDA, GeLESWINTHA, CeLB- 8WINTHA, Chilswintha). + c. 668. Queen of the Franks. Daughter of Athanagild, king of the Visigoths in Spain, and wife of Chilperic I., king of the Franks, who had married and re- pudiated B. AuDOYERA. His share of his father's kingdom was Neustria, his capital was Soissons. With inslincts not a whit less barbarous than those of his father and brothers, ho had a certain love of Roman civilization, and a smattering of learning which emboldened him to make Latin verses, and to give opinions on theological subjects. He and his two elder brothers had an infinite number of wives, and made no scruple of putting some away at their pleasure, nor of taking others, whether the former ones were put away to make room for them or not. Sigebert, king of Austrasia, the youngest of the four brothers, disgusted with the troops of low-born women with whom his brothers lived, determined to have only one wife, and that one a princess. Athanagild had two daughters. Brunehault, the younger and more beautiful, became the wife of Sigebert in 566. This marriage, said to have been the first solemnized with a religious ceremony in France, proved a happy one ; and the following year Chilperic was induced, by the example and advice of his brother, to send an embassy to Toledo, to ask King Athanagild for his elder daughter Ghdswintha. Athanagild consented on condition that his daughter should be the only wife of Chilperic, which he solemnly promised. He settled on his bride several towns close to the Pyrenees, and in return received with her an immense dowry in gold and jewels. Galswintha's mother, Goi- swintha, loath to part with her child, accompanied her during the first few stages of her journey. At every large town through which the bride passed she left at the gates the lumbering cart in which she travelled, and entered the town in an ornamental chariot overlaid with silver. One of these towns was Poitiers, where, in accordance with the customs of the time, she lodged in the principal abbey of the place, hospitably entertained by St. Badegund, her hus- band's stepmother. She passed through Tours, visiting the famous shrine of St. Martin, and on to Bouen, where the king was waiting for her. Here she was re- ceived by the Frankish warriors who followed the standard of Chilperic. They stood in a half circle and swore fidelity to her as to a king, then all drawing their swords at the same moment and brandishing them over their heads, invoked a heathen curse on whomsoever should break the oath of allegiance. After this the king solemnly swore on holy relics never to divorce her, and never to take any other wife while she lived. It is supposed that she was not beautiful, but she won the favour of the wedding guests and her new subjects by her gentleness and tact. '* Chilperic loved her," says Gregory of Tours, ** with the more tenderness that she had brought him great treasures." He was delighted to have married as good a princess and received as large a dowry as his brother ; and all went well for a short time, but he was incapable of appreciating her best qualities, and Fredegonda, who bad