Newsletter no. 2

Antrustions
Bi-Monthly News
No. 02- 2020

A Sacred Bloodline
The Merovingian Dynasty

By the Order of Antrustions on December 21

Thierry was the son of Sigisbert IV, Thierry was married to Aude, she was the sister of Pepin III, usually called Pepin le Bref, so Thierry and Pepin were brothers-in-law. Aude was born around 725 and she died in 751. Pepin le Bref was the Mayor of the Palace who became the King of the Franks in 751 and ruled until 768.

The Franks were eager to establish a link with the Counts of Razès, as they were the descendants of Dagobert II, who was the legitimate Sacred Merovingian King of Austrasie.

“The Merovingian period dating from the beginning of the Middle Ages has largely been eclipsed from conventional historic reference, thus excluding this important period from our general knowledge and is conveniently dismissed as the “Dark Ages”. Contrary to popular belief the opposite is the case, for this was a period of considerable Prosperity, Wisdom and Spiritual Enlightenment, linking people, cultures and civilizations across the then known World”.

THIS Month’s
STORY

Story of the Month
By the Order of Antrustions

Guilhem the Warrior Scholar.

Thierry’s son Guilhem went to work for Charlemagne, for the two of them had been brought up together at the court of Pepin le Bref. Charlemagne took such a shine to his young cousin Guilhem that he gave him a piece of the true cross, that he had found in Jerusalem. Maybe Charlemagne was trying to convert him; it is unlikely Guilhem was a Christian at that time.

In 775 Guilhem married Cunégonde, who was Visigothic, and their son Bera inherited from his mother the title “Prince of the Goths” and the title of Count of Razès from his father. Later he married Romelle and they founded the Abbey of Alet-les-Bains in 803.

Guilhem began his military career in 780, and in 789 resolved a serious crisis in Gascony. Charlemagne noticed his many qualities and sent him to take part in campaigns in Italy and Spain, then showered titles on him and made him a commander in the army, and a duke.

Then Guilhem, as Charlemagne’s right-hand man and defender of the Corbières, founded various castles, fortresses or garrisons. One of these was the great Montségur, which was rebuilt by Raymond de Perella in the late 12th century especially as a refuge for the Cathars. Raymond was influenced by the now-famous Cathar, Esclarmonde de Foix.

Guilhem also fortified Peyrepertuse. “We can be justified in thinking that this important notification has Visigothic origins” says author Robert Baraybar. The castle – the name means “pierced stone” was known in 707. Quéribus, where later the Cathars held out until 1255, when Olivier de Termes negotiated their release, was also founded by Guilhem and, says history, Charlemagne gave him other fortresses in the Razès, in Donezan (where is Usson) and in Roussillon. Although these castles were apparently gifts, their maintenance and use for defence would have put a heavy responsibility onto Guilhem, financial as well as moral.

The official guide to the church at Rennes-le-Château tells us “The capital of the County of Razès in the 8th century, Rhedae was a fortified stronghold. Charlemagne chose one of his loyal supporters Guilhem of Gellone to govern it.” Hardly surprising this, as Guilhem owned it anyway!

Around 789 Guilhem was widowed and married again, to Witburge of the Carolingian court. He was thus fully accepted by the French nobility, a brilliant and admired leader. He was a tutor to Charlemagne’s son, Louis, then aged 11, and presumably his own later sons were brought up at court. He became the representative of Charlemagne in Aquitaine and was sometimes known as the Duke of Aquitaine. The title “King of Aquitaine” had been Louis’s since he was 3 years old. His father Charlemagne did this to protect Louis’s inheritance in the event of his father’s death on the battlefield and eventually the boy became the King of Francia as Louis the First or Louis the Debonair, meaning pious.
Charlemagne used Guilhem a lot in his continual fight against the Saracens, even though Guilhem was said to be fluent in Arabic and Hebrew, to have the Lion of Judah as a device on his shield, and even on his campaigns he made a strict observance of Jewish sabbaths and holy days. Was he not heir to the Jewish Kingdom in Narbonne?
When Guilhem’s father Thierry died around 790, Guilhem inherited all his titles; including King of the Jews of the Princedom of Narbonne. He ruled Narbonne like a Jew, observing the Jewish sabbaths and holy days. Now he could make decisions about Narbonne and Rhedae, of which he was the count; he combined the two territories. The two regions become rich together, levying taxes on both land-based and maritime businesses.

Guilhem now had the freedom to follow his heart.

He was highly educated and a scholar, fluent in both Arabic and Hebrew, as well as various native languages and Latin, which later became Occitan. In a tiny place in a valley high up the river Hérault, he founded in 792, an academy of Judaic studies, which had a fine library, containing all the books of wisdom he had accumulated on his travels, and many scholars used to visit. Guilhem had a great interest in the history and disciplines of other religions. His study centre was called Gellone, after the minor tributary by which it was built, feeding into the River Hérault.
Gellone was a long way from Narbonne and the Razès, a three or four days journey on horseback. Except for beside the rivers, the area was rocky, with just a fine scrub covering the bare hills, and wild. Dolmens and menhirs dotted the countryside, all carrying pagan legends; a church council at Tours in 567 advised priests to tell their parishioners that these legends had nothing to do with the church. Guilhem had the large area of the Narbonnais at his disposal to build a home or a study centre; there must have been an unusual and specific reason that he chose Gellone. There are many theories but it could be simply that he wanted to be near his friend Benoît, and there was also a château at Gellone where he could live while he built his abbey.

This ruined castle on the crest of a mountain is immediately to the north of the abbey of St. Guilhem-le-Désert. It’s possible his unusual library was housed in this château. This gives us a hint of why and how Guilhem chose Gellone in the first place, especially as Gellone was under the aegis of Aniane, the abbey founded by St. Benoît, and was run according to the Rule of St. Benoît.
To us the castle’s very position would shriek “Visigothic” and indeed, it is believed to be of Visigothic origin, even though it consists now of nothing but a few ruined walls. You can see it from the village but are not allowed to visit as it is considered dangerous.

In the middle ages, troubadours sang of the exploits of Guilhem when he was face to face with a terrible giant; the place of the ruined château is called the Château du Géant. A legend tells us that when Guilhem arrived in the valley, the château was occupied by a cruel giant. Going to the château in disguise as a humble servant, Guilhem surprised the giant in spite of a magpie that croaked; “Beware giant, it’s Guilhem come to kill you!” After a terrible battle, the giant fell from a high rock and perished. The magpies, accomplices of the giant, were banished forever to the valley, and even today, the birds cannot live there for longer than three days.
Of course, this legend implies that Guilhem was already a saint, battling against pagans, which included Visigoths. So who was the Visigothic giant who lived in the château? How did Guilhem really get it off him? Or could it be that Guilhem himself lived there when he first arrived in the little valley of Gellone, and built his library there but built his chapel or church below, on the banks of the river?

Updates from the Antrustions
The Order of Antrustions preview of our first major publication (book and presentation) regarding the complete history of the Merovingian Bloodline, from the very beginning in ancient Arcadia (Greece) to the end of the Dynasty, is available on our website. Follow the link.
In May 2020 there was a Discovery of an underground tomb in Stenay, connected to the Merovingian period. More information will follow. (Hopefully in 2021)
We aim to promote and develop further field trips in the coming year.
Remember our referral program for our members, for each new member introduced you will receive the sum of $10 for your support.

Other publications

Antrustions: The Bodyguards of Merovingian Kings.

Merovingian Notebook

Merovingian Crypte of Jouarre

Sigisbert III; Son of Dagobert I and Father of Dagobert II

Dagobert II; True origin of the Royal House of Lorraine

History of Dagobert II; Son of Saint Sigisbert III

Sacred Merovingian Kings; Complete history of the Dynasty

All publications are digitally available on our website for our members, or can be ordered:

READ MORE ON OUR WEBSITE

A small piece of text from our new publication:

To understand the complete History of the Sacred Merovingian Bloodline we have to trace the origins of this Bloodline back to the very beginning. This origin starts in Arcadia (Greece). The next stage in their History is the legendary city of Troy. After the destruction of Troy the surviving inhabitants went to find other places to settle, as the area of the western coast of the Black Sea, Butrint, Rome etc. They ruled over the Scithians, but were eventually pushed west by the Huns. Following the Donau river they eventually ended up by following the Rhine river into the Low Countries, (present day Germany and later the Netherlands) where they founded the first settlements, among others a settlement called Rotta (Rotterdam). After being pushed out of this region by the Romans they were allowed to settle in Tournai, Belgium where they served as local chiefs (Dukes) under the Romans. When the influence of Rome in the North of Francia gradually diminished, the Merovingian Kings (especially Clovis) were able to fully control and expand their Empire to the whole of Francia, (present day France) and large parts of Germany, Belgium, Switzerland and the Netherland, with Paris as there Capital, (named in honor of there ancestor the Trojan Prince, Paris).

The Merovingians ruled much of present-day France and Germany between the fifth and seventh centuries. The beginning of this time coincides with not only the Grail stories, but with the era of King Arthur, who was so central to many of these tales. There was never any question that the Merovingians were the rightful rulers of the Franks. They were not “created” as kings. The sons who were entitled became kings automatically on their twelfth birthdays. Their role was not to govern – that was left to the “Mayors of the Palace.” They were simply expected to exist as representatives of the role, holding similar power and status to a twenty-first century constitutional monarch.

The Merovingians had a reputation for the occult and the supernatural. They were looked upon as priest-kings, much as the Egyptian pharaohs were regarded.

One of the abiding symbols of the Merovingians was the bee. Hundreds of pure gold bees were found in King Childeric’s tomb. The custom endured through the centuries. When Napoleon was crowned emperor in 1804, he made sure that golden bees were attached to his coronation robes. He was fascinated by the Merovingians and commissioned their genealogies to be compiled in order to find out whether the dynasty had survived after it had been deposed.

____________________________________________________

Antrustions website

We regularly update and extend our Antrustions website, we now have a total of 144 pages available for our members to browse through and learn about history, the Merovingians and our current Financial System. We will be updating and expanding our website regularly. The aim is to become the most trusted place on the internet for comprehensive information regarding the Merovingians and their history. What can we learn from history to create a better future?

READ MORE ON OUR WEBSITE
New Antrustions website pages:
https://www.antrustions.com/theodosian-code/
https://www.antrustions.com/merovingian-kings/

Find new t-shirt and hoodie designs in our online shop: