Desideratus was a member of the aristocratic Gallo-Roman family of Syagrii, the son of Gundobaud of Burgundy, and the father of Saint Syagrius of Autun.
[2] The name of Desideratus' wife is unknown; she is said to have been "a noble woman from Toulouse," possibly a daughter of Vandal King Gesalec.
Gregory of Tours relates that the Merovingian King, Theuderic I, "had done much harm to Desideratus,"[3] and had him tortured, removed from office, and forced to flee.
Desideratus solicited a loan from Theuderic's son and successor Theudebert I, promising repayment when business had been restored.
When Desideratus went to repay the money, Theudebert refused saying "It is enough for me that, when you asked that I should make a loan, those who were poor and in dire distress were returned to prosperity.