alternatehistory.com

It all starts with family issues. After Gundioch's death in 473 A.D. there was a bit of trouble as to who was in power out of his four sons named Chilperic II, Gundobad, Godegiesel, and Godomar. Chilperic II was officially in power, and had submitted to the authority of the Western Roman Empire since the 470s. Problem was, Gundobad was a bit power hungry, and decided to off Godomar in 486, and assassinate Chilperic in 493, killing his wife and sending off his daughters, one to become a nun, and the other to her uncle Godegiesel.

Unfortunately, Godegiesel was no pushover, and allied with the Frankish King Clovis I, who had married the daughter, Clotilde, who didn't become a nun. In the end, Gundobad was spared by Clovis, despite having his forces crushed, and was forced to pay yearly tribute. Eventually, Gundobad broke his tribute, regained power, and did away with Godegiesel, making him the sole king of Burgundy. The bugger died peacefully in his sleep, succeeded by his two sons, Sigismund and Godomar (name him after the brother you murdered! Brilliant! Wouldn't make the kid paranoid at all...) after converting to Catholicism and making peace with the Franks

My idea is what if Gundobad never managed to off Chilperic, and was instead traced to the attempt and was killed himself? That would leave Chilperic and Godegiesel in power, and, more importantly, the civil war that helps the Franks take power in 534 never happens. Maybe Burgundy ends up taking control of Auvergne from the Visigoths instead of the Franks, and maybe even Aquitane.

Thus, we have the Frankish Kingdom, which is huge, and the Burgundian Kingdom, which would be huge. This would really shake the world, as the Austrasian King Charlemagne, who later became Holy Roman Emperor, was part of the Frankish Empire and if he could never take power like he did, Europe would not look the same at all, because it was never romanized.

Ideas on how we could actually have an outcome similar to this, and what the results would be?
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