Among
the courtiers of King Chilperic of the Franks (r. 561-584) was an interesting
figure named Priscus. This man walked a dangerous line during his life. On the
one hand, he was a leader among the oppressed and maltreated Jewish community in
France, while on the other, he actively joined the inner circles of the
Frankish kings and bishops, the very people who had the power to oppress his
people. Priscus was able to keep up this precarious balance for decades. He
became something of a procurement agent for King Chilperic, skillfully
acquiring and transporting to the king whatever items the monarch might need.
Impressed by such work, King Chilperic began to show affection for Priscus, and
encouraged his continued interaction with the realm’s courtiers and bishops. One
of the men that Chilperic introduced to Priscus was Bishop (and historian)
Gregory of Tours (c. 539-594), who commented in his History of the Franks
that Priscus and King Chilperic were “on familiar terms” and that the king
treated Priscus “kindly” (Book VI, chapter 5). Yet, the whims and opinions of monarchs
can easily change with time.
Around
580, when King Chilperic lost two sons during a dysentery epidemic, the king
became more concerned and interested about theology and the church. His new
wave of religious zeal began benignly with lavish donations of wealth to Christian
religious institutions. Soon, however, he was not only giving money, but
orders—he pressured his bishops to amend church theology and, by 582, he
ordered Priscus and the Jewish community in Frankish lands to convert to
Christianity. Gregory of Tours and his fellow bishops were able to successfully
fend off King Chilperic’s proposed amendments to Christian theology, but
Priscus and the Jewish community found it much more difficult to resist the
king.
Priscus,
for his part, refused the king’s command to convert. With this refusal, the
warmth, familiarity and kindly spirit of the relationship between King
Chilperic and Priscus was shattered. Gregory of Tours, who kept informed on
these events, wrote, “Priscus in particular could not by any persuasion be
induced to accept the truth. The King was furious and ordered him to be locked
up, saying that if he would not believe of his own free will he should be
compelled to listen and to believe despite himself” (History of the Franks,
VI.17). Priscus was eventually released from the prison, still not having
converted, and he tried to resume his life. Unfortunately, his tribulations
were not over.
Once
free, Priscus continued to resist King Chilperic’s demands for conversion and
instead kept up his regular attendance at the local synagogue, doing so
unthreateningly and unarmed. Despite the peaceful nature of his protest,
Priscus’ resolve infuriated many of King Chilperic’s courtiers, if not the
king, himself. Such friction, sadly, led to a tragic outcome. According to
Gregory of Tours, Priscus and his friends were one day walking to their
synagogue when a gang led by an associate of King Chilperic ambushed them in
the street. As Priscus and his companions were unarmed, they were quickly
massacred by the assailants. The killers, however, misjudged the response of
the community to the attack. Such bloodshed in the street shocked the city, and
Priscus, despite his recent tension with the king, was well-liked in the community.
Outraged by what happened, the city folk reportedly formed a mob and attacked
the assassins. Of the gang that attacked Priscus, only its leader was able to
escape with his life, fleeing to a neighboring Frankish kingdom ruled by
Chilperic’s brother, King Guntram (r. 561-593). Even though he fled the city,
the murderer was not ultimately able to escape Priscus’ family, friends and
supporters. Gregory of Tours wrote, “A few days later he was killed in his turn
by some of the relations of Priscus” (History of the Franks, VI.17).
Written
by C. Keith Hansley
Picture
Attribution: ("The Banishment of the Jews", from Portuguese history,
illustrated by Roque Gameiro c. 1917, [Public Domain] via Creative Commons).
Sources:
- The History of the Franks by Gregory of Tours, translated by Lewis Thorpe. New York: Penguin Classics, 1971.
