Chlotar I

Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: Chlotar I

(born c. 500? — died late 561, Compiègne, Fr.) Merovingian king of Soissons from 511 and of the whole Frankish kingdom from 558. (See Merovingian dynasty.) The youngest son of Clovis I, he shared in the partition of his father's kingdom in 511 and extended his lands by murder and intrigue. He launched campaigns against the Burgundians (523, 532 – 34), the Visigoths (532, 542), and the Thuringians (c. 531). A ruthless and brutal ruler, Chlotar put to death his rebellious son Chram with his family (560).

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