Sigebert IV

Sigebert IV (671 - 679?) was a Prince of Austrasia, son of Dagobert II and grandson of Sigebert III of the Merovingian dynasty.^{[citation needed]} Mainstream historians believe he was murdered along with his father and other members of the royal family, on the orders of Ebroin, the Frankish mayor of the palace of Neustria.^{[citation needed]}

Hoax

According to the pseudohistorical Dossiers Secrets d'Henri Lobineau alone, Sigebert IV, on the death of his father, was rescued by his sister and smuggled to the domain of his mother the Visigoth princess, Giselle of Raze. He is said to have arrived in the Languedoc in 681 and, at some point, adopted or inherited his uncle's titles, duke of Raze and count of Rhedae. He is also said to have adopted the surname, or nickname, of “Plant-Ard” (subsequently Plantard) from the appellation ‘rejeton ardent’ ‘ardently flowering shoot’ of the Merovingian vine. Under this name, and under the titles acquired from his uncle, he is said to have perpetuated his lineage.

As part of the Priory of Sion hoax, Pierre Plantard created a fictitious biography of Sigebert IV to support his claim that he was a descendant of the extinct Merovingian dynasty through this figure.

Hoax

See also