In the spring of 581, two Frankish armies were preparing for a clash on the Champagne Plain. Six years ago, chance would have it that a child would inherit the throne of the most powerful of the Frankish kingdoms, Austrasia. Since then, magnates have fought for the post of regent. But when the decisive battle was about to begin, a woman in armor appeared between the ranks of the opponents. She had not come to take part in the battle, or even to encourage the men to fight bravely. On the contrary, using all the power that wearing the military belt gave her, she demanded that the Franks put an end to the feud. Unexpectedly for everyone, she achieved her goal. With this warlike gesture of peace, a barbarian queen named Brünnhilde entered history. Soon the Franks recognized her as the supreme power, and for almost thirty years she reigned over the territory from the Atlantic to Bavaria and from Northern Italy to the banks of the Elbe, standing at the helm of the most powerful kingdom of Medieval Europe - the Frankish state of the Merovingians. But the work of Bruno Dumezil is not just a vivid biography Brunnhilde. The French historian gave the reader a real epic saga about the “Merovingian era” - its main characters, barbarian kings and nobles, bishops and monks, intrigues at the royal court and province, the struggle for power and influence. A saga about the medieval world, which could have become different without Brünnhilde.