The alliance between the Persians and the Western Turks has, inevitably, become a source of possible friction, and the Western Turks have sometimes acted as an ally of Constantinople in the war that had begun in 572.

The Turks, angered by the Romans’ treaty with the Avars, not only break off their alliance with Constantinople in 576 but also seize a Roman stronghold in the Crimea.

The Roman-Persian war that had begun five years earlier ends in 576 with Persia’s defeat at Melitene.

Chilperic I’s War Against Guntram and His Gains in Austrasia (575–584 CE)

Following the assassination of Sigebert I in 575 CE, Chilperic I of Neustria takes advantage of the ensuing instability in Austrasia, where Sigebert’s young son, Childebert II, is now king under the protection of Guntram, King of Burgundy. Chilperic sees an opportunity to expand Neustrian power at the expense of Austrasia and Burgundy.

1. War with Guntram and the Seizure of Austrasian Territory

• Guntram, King of Burgundy, positions himself as protector of his nephew, Childebert II, seeking to prevent Neustrian expansion.
• Chilperic, however, launches an aggressive campaign, forcing Guntram to defend Childebert’s eastern Frankish kingdom.
• Chilperic successfully takes Tours and ...

...

• Poitiers from Austrasia, extending Neustrian influence into central Gaul.
• He also captures several locations in Aquitaine, consolidating his position in the region.

2. Fostering Discord in Austrasia

• Chilperic does not merely rely on military conquest—he also engages in political manipulation to destabilize Austrasia.
• He fosters discord among the Austrasian nobility, seeking to weaken Childebert’s rule during his minority.
• This tactic allows him to maintain pressure on his eastern rivals, further undermining the unity of the Frankish realms.

3. The Growing Power Struggle in the Frankish Kingdoms

• With Guntram defending Childebert II and Chilperic expanding Neustrian influence, the Frankish kingdoms remain locked in a prolonged struggle for dominance.
• Meanwhile, Brunhilda, the widow of Sigebert, works to protect her son’s claim while dealing with internal opposition in Austrasia.
• Chilperic’s growing power threatens the balance of power in Frankish Gaul, but his reign is cut short by his assassination in 584 CE, allegedly orchestrated by his own political enemies.

Conclusion: A Temporary Neustrian Expansion

Chilperic’s recovery of Tours, Poitiers, and parts of Aquitaine in the late 570s and early 580s marks a significant Neustrian territorial gain. However, his sudden assassination in 584 CE will leave his wife, Fredegund, and their young son, Chlothar II, vulnerable to retaliation from their rivals in Austrasia and Burgundy.

Despite his temporary success, Chilperic’s wars further fragment the Merovingian realm, ensuring that dynastic feuds and territorial struggles will persist for decades to come.

Brunhild’s Imprisonment, Marriage to Merovech, and Return to Austrasia (576 CE)

Following the assassination of her husband, Sigebert I, in 575 CE, Brunhild is imprisoned in Rouen by Chilperic I and his wife, Fredegund, in an effort to eliminate her political influence in Austrasia. However, in a dramatic turn of events, she forms an alliance with Merovech, one of Chilperic’s own sons.

1. Brunhild’s Imprisonment at Rouen

• After Sigebert’s murder, Chilperic seizes Brunhild and imprisons her in Rouen, the Neustrian capital.
• This move is intended to weaken Austrasia, where her young son, Childebert II, has been declared king.
• Chilperic, influenced by Fredegund, seeks to neutralize Brunhild as a political force.

2. The Marriage of Brunhild and Merovech (576 CE)

• While in Rouen, Brunhild encounters Merovech, one of Chilperic’s sons.
• Merovech marries Brunhild in a formal ceremony, likely as an attempt to establish himself as a legitimate rival to his father’s rule.
• This union shocks the Frankish court, as it threatens Fredegund’s influence and gives Brunhild a potential claim to Neustrian power.

3. The Annulment and Merovech’s Downfall

• Chilperic is furious upon learning of the marriage and swiftly acts to dissolve it.
• Merovech is forced to renounce Brunhild, and the union is annulled.
• He is then exiled and later killed in mysterious circumstances, likely orchestrated by Fredegund.

4. Brunhild’s Return to Metz and Childebert II

• Despite the attempts to sideline her, Brunhild is allowed to return to Austrasia, where she is reunited with her son, Childebert II, in Metz.
• Once back in Austrasia, she resumes her role as regent, solidifying her political influence at Childebert’s court.

Conclusion: A Temporary Setback for Brunhild

Brunhild’s brief imprisonment and forced marriage to Merovech are dramatic episodes in her long and turbulent career. Despite this setback, she emerges politically stronger, reclaiming her authority in Austrasia, where she will continue her feud with Fredegund and Chilperic for decades to come.

Northern Qi, the strongest of the three main Chinese states (along with Northern Zhou and the Chen Dynasty) when it was established in 550, has been since plagued by emperors either violent or incompetent or both (Emperor Wenxuan, Emperor Wucheng, and Gao Wei), corrupt officials, and deteriorating armies.

Having gradually declined, Northern Qi is destroyed by Northern Zhou in 577.

(Emperor Wenxuan's son Gao Shaoyi the Prince of Fanyang, under protection by Tujue, will later declare himself the emperor of Northern Qi in exile, but in 579 will be turned over by Tujue to Northern Zhou and exiled to modern Sichuan.

It is a matter of controversy whether Gao Shaoyi should properly be considered a Northern Qi emperor, but in any case, historians generally use the 577 date as the ending date for Northern Qi.)

The Anglo-Saxons invade British-held Dumnonia in 577, slaughtering great numbers of Britons at the Battle of Deorham (Dyrham, near Bath), but fail to occupy Dumnonia.

Cuthwine and Ceawlin fight the Britons in 577: the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle records the slaying of three kings—Coinmail, Condidan, and Farinmail—in a place called Deorham and the capture of three strongholds: Gloucester, Cirencester and Bathcester.

Deorham has been identified as Dyrham, a village some eight miles north of Bath, and five miles west of the Fosse Way, the Roman road between Bath and Cirencester.

The Historia Britonum records one Glast as coming from Lichfield south to found Glastonbury about the time the Mercians conquer part of their kingdom to create Shropshire.

More important is the fact that the Anglo-Saxon invaders can now sweep into the Severn valley (as Ceawlin is said to have done several years later) and plunder the inhabitants, while the Celts to the west can no longer as easily penetrate the Cotswolds scarp between Gloucester and Cirencester to return the visit.

The Korean kingdom of Baekje under its king, Wideok, who has reigned since the disastrous battle of Gwan Mountain Fortress in 554, in which his father and nearly thirty thousand men died fighting the Silla army, is inimical to both Silla and Goguryeo, launching various battles and border incursions against the rival kingdoms.

To avoid isolation, and to strengthen the royal position against the power of the aristocracy, Wideok maintains friendly relations with the Chinese dynasties of Chen and Northern Qi.

Although ties had been largely broken following the cataclysmic events of the 550s, he had in 567 sent Baekje's first mission to Northern Qi; this may have been facilitated by an improved relationship with Goguryeo.

In 570, the Northern Qi had granted him titles including "Duke of Daifang prefecture", and he had sent another tribute mission in 572.

After Northern Qi had been conquered by Northern Zhou in 577, Baekje had also sent a congratulatory mission including musicians to the Zhou court.

The following year a second and final embassy is sent to Northern Zhou.