Victims, actors or spectators? The bishops of the Merovingian Kingdom during the Civil War of 575-613

The so-called "royal bloodfeud" is often described as the most violent period in Merovingian history. But threats to bishops do not differ appreciably from the usual ones if we consider the cases of several individuals such as Aetherius of Lisieux, Egidius of Reims or Desiderius of Vienne. The real dangers are the result of a sum of matching factors. First, different actors must work against the bishop, both at the local level, among the Frankish episcopate and within the Palace. The king or queen never seems to act alone. Secondly, to be truly threatened, the bishop must himself constitute a threat to a leading player in the Civil War Therefore, the bishops of the periphery have little to fear: they are mostly unconcerned spectators or actors of their own local game. Very few are victims. Finally, until the beginning of the 7th century, a strong argument is always needed to obtain the deposition of a bishop in a council and death never seems to be the goal. Unlike the murder of a king or a magnate, the assassination of a bishop is very bad publicity, which civil war actors are unwilling to see used against them.