Sigobert the Lame

Statue of Sigobert the Lame on the tower of the city town hall of Cologne

Sigobert the Lame (also Sigibert or Sigebert) (died ca. 509) was a king of the Franks in the area of Zülpich (Latin: Tolbiac) and Cologne.

He was presumably wounded at the knee at the Battle of Tolbiac against the Alamanni.

According to Gregory of Tours, he was murdered by his son Chlodoric upon the instigation of Clovis I, sometime after his victory on the Visigoths (507). Clovis then accused Chlodoric of murder and had him killed in his turn. In this way Clovis became king of Sigobert's and Chlodoric's people.

Gregory suggests that Chlodoric was murdered in the same campaign that also killed the Frankish King Chararic. Before, Clovis had killed Ragnachar and his brothers. After all these murders Gregory tells us that Clovis lamented that he had left no family anymore, implying that amongst his own casualties were close relatives.

References

• Gregory of Tours. The History of the Franks. 2 vol. trans. O. M. Dalton. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1967.