General Notes

King of the Salic Franks (481-511), King of France. (Came to throne at about age 15.

SOURCES:
Founder of the Empire of the Franks
"Rulers of the World" by R.F.Tapsell

Born: circa 466, son of Childeric I, King des Francs and Basine Andovera de Turinge , Clovis I became King between the Summer of 481 and Autumn of 482. According to Gregoire de Tours, he was only about 15 years of age at the time.  In any case he was quite young as he was called "juvenis". Timelines here are bound to be fraught with error since the custom of counting years from the time of Jesus Christ was not established until the 8th Century. Thus, both the Larousse and the History of France assert a birth date circa 466 whereas Stuart's "Royalty for Commoners" claims Clovis I was alive in the year 420!  That date is necessary to claim that Sigebert I is the son of Childebert, son of Clovis, since Stuart claims Sigebert I was King of the Salic Francs from 481 to 511.

Significant-Other: Evochilde before 486 - Evochilde was a concubine. Note - between 486 and 507: King of the Franks, Clovis I vanquished the Romans at Soissons in 486.  Syagrius, the "Roman King" takes refuge in Toulouse under the protection of the King of the Wisigoths, Alaric [who had just become King in 484].  By the end of the year, Clovis I forced Alaric to give up Syagrius, and Clovis I secretly has Syagrius put to death. From 487 to 490, Clovis I extended his kingdom all the way to the Loire River, however, he respects the border of the Wisigoths to the South and of the Burgundians to the South-West, as well as that of the riparian Francs to the East. From 490 to 495, Clovis is occupied with the liquidation of the Salic Franc dynasty North of Gaule. King Chararic of Tongres is decapitated, and King Ragnacaire of Cambrai is executed.  Upon the request for aid from the Riparian Francs, Clovis I defeats the Alamans (Germans) at the Battle of Tolbiac in 496 thus bringing Champagne under his jurisdiction.  In 500, he wages war against Gondebaud, King of Burgundy defeating him near Dijon.  Gondebaud retreats to Avignon.  In 502, on the Cure and the Cousin, Clovis I and Gondebaud seal an alliance.  From April to June 507, the French Army attack the Wisigoths, whose Kingdom extends from the Mediterranean to the ocean, and cross the Loire, going up the Valley of Calin toward Poitiers and encounter the Visigoth Army in the plain of Vouille, 15 km West of Clain.  Alaric II, King of the Visigoths is killed and the Wisigoths thus are defeated.  By 507, thanks to the efforts of his son, Thierry, the entire Meridional Gaule falls into Clovis I's control.  In 508, the Franc Army lays siege on Arles in order to secure Provence.  Theodoric, King of the Ostrogoths, occupies Provence, and his general, Ibbas, crosses the Alps to deliver Arles from Clovis I's clutch.  Theodoric conquers the Burgundians at Avignon and Orange and makes Amalaric, his grandson and son of Alaric II, King of the Wisigoths.  Clovis I loses the Bas-Languedoc, then called Septimania.

Around 510, Clovis has Cloderic, King of the Riparian tribes who had fought in his support at Vouille, assassinated, and proclaims himself King of the Riparians.  Thus, the Kingdom extends from the Pyrenees, to the ocean to beyond the Rhine.  Upon his death, according to Frankish custom, his kingdom was divided among his four sons: Thierry, Clodomir, Childebert and Clotaire. Married circa 493: Sainte Clotilde de Bourgogne , daughter of Chilperic, King de Bourgogne and N?; Clotilde was a Merovingien.  By the time Clovis I married her, he already had a son through his concubine. Clotilde contributed to the conversion of Clovis to Christianity.  After his death, she retired to the monastery of Saint-Martin in Tours (France).  Her Feast Day is 3 June. Baptized: on 25 December 496; When the Queen, Clotilde, convinced Clovis I to have their son Ingomer baptized, he relented. Shortly afterwards, the son died.