The Life of Gregory of Tours

Gregory of Tours was born circa 538 to Florentius and Armentaria, both of whom were descended from Gallo-Roman noble families, as Gregory attests throughout his works. Among his kin were senators, priests, bishops, and even one martyr – Vettius Epagatus – one of the forty-eight martyrs of Lyons, who were killed in 177. Florentius died when Gregory was a young boy. Consequently, his mother and several other relatives took on the responsibility of raising young Gregory and educating him. Among these relatives were the bishops Nicetius of Lyons (d. 573) and Gallus of Clermont (d. 553). The ecclesiastical education Gregory received, as well as his relations with the secular and religious elites of Merovingian Gaul, paved the way for him to gain positions in the Gallic ecclesiastical administration. Indeed, in 573, after serving as a deacon in Lyons for several years, Gregory was appointed to the episcopal see of Tours. Upon his appointment, the welcome from the people and the clergy of Tours was cool, to say the least, and for his entire tenure there, Gregory faced opposition and felt the need to justify his episcopal election.

Gregory was appointed to the bishopric of Tours by King Sigibert I, who did not consult the people of Tours beforehand. Sigibert did not care for their opinion and preferences, and his choice of a bishop must be seen in the contemporary context of the delicate geopolitical circumstances of Tours. Since 511, the Merovingian kingdom had been divided into three, and sometimes four, sub-kingdoms: the Burgundian kingdom of Guntram, the kingdom of Reims/Metz (Austrasia) of Sigibert, and the kingdom of Soisson (Neustria), which was ruled by Chilperic. Even though Tours was ruled by King Sigibert, it was actually an enclave within the territories of a different Merovingian kingdom – the Neustrian kingdom of Chilperic. The bishoprics around Tours were loyal to Chilperic, as was the majority of the local religious and secular elite of Tours itself. Naturally, they would have preferred a bishop who shared their political interests and loyalties. Sigibert, however, knowing that Tours was an enclave and that he needed an ally there to fortify his rule, sought to appoint someone whom he could trust and who had fewer obligations to the local elites. Thus, Gregory was chosen.