General Notes

[JamesLinage.FTW]

[1725539.ged]

ema p 128, 307 "the first great king of the Franks, was 15 when he succeeded his father in 481."
ohme p 5 "With time the passive antagonism of the Roman population undermined the power of the Visigothic kings, despite their frantic attempts to court support by issuing Roman law codes, and facilitated their defeat at the hands of the newly converted king of the Franks, CLOVIS, at Vouille near Tours in 507.  Thereafter the Visigothic kingdom was confined to Spain . . .", 68, 88
p 65 "Childeric was succeeded by his son CLOVIS, usually seen as the real founder of Frankish power in Gaul.  The details of his reign, recorded for us by Bishop Gregory of Tours some seventy years after Clovis's death, are in some dispute, but his achievements are plain.  He united the Romans of north Gaul under his rule, by force of arms and by the expedient of converting to their own religion, Catholic Christianity.  He united the Franks under his own rule, partly at least by having all rival kings assassinated.  And both Romans and Franks must have been impressed by the success with which he led his armies against other Germans:  he conquered the Thuringians to the east, and the Alamans, who were moving from their homes in south-west Germany into what is now Alsace and northern Switzerland; and in 507 Clovis led his followers south across the Loire to destroy the Visigothic kingdom of Alaric II.  When he died in 511 the kingdom was ruled jointly by his four sons, and it was they who destroyed the Burgundian kingdom and who, by offering military aid to the Ostrogoths in exchange, annexed Provence to their kingdom.  By the middle of the sixth century the Frankish kings descended from Childeric and Clovis, known as the Merovingians, had become by far the most powerful of the barbarian heirs to the Roman Empire.  Almost all Gaul was under their direct rule; they had a foothold in Italy and overlordship over the Thuringians, Alamans, and Bavarians in Germany; and the suzerainty they claimed over south-east England may have been more of a reality than most English historians have thought."
FIMassachusetts "the royal name Louis, that is, Clovis."
pp 13-5 "There was a gradual acceptance of the idea of a gradual shift of political focus westwards from the East--a notion whose origins are to be found in the cosmology of the crucifixion discussed in the previous chapter.  In contemporary eyes, this explained the successive transfer of power from the Greeks to the Romans and then to the Franks.  The idea was strengthened by memories of the alliance made between the leader of the Franks and the Pope in the eighth century, which led to the formal restoration of the Empire with the coronation of Charlemagne in 800. There was also the more distant memory of CLOVIS's pact with the Catholic Church, as a result of which he and his people saw themselves as especially chosen by God.  In their eyes the pact had been an important factor in his victories over pagan and heretic barbarians.  There was a firmly rooted conviction that the Franks had established the Church in Gaul.  The prologue of the Lex Salica (Salic Law), which had been retranscribed in the eighth century, priased them because they had taken care of 'the bodies of the holy martyrs burnt by the Romans, tortured by them, or thrown to wild animals', digging up their remains and preserving them in fine gold and jewelled reliquaries.  Most of the scholarly historical writers at this date came from the lands of the Franks and they were convinced that this chosen people had freed the inhabitants of Gaul from the yoke of Roman oppression.  This assertion was based upon the books which they found in cathedral and monastic libraries, especially the History of the Franks written by Gregory of Tours in the late sixth century.  His account of the baptism of Clovis is particularly relevant, and an eighty-century continuation provided the Franks with Trojan ancestors.  The Empire remained essentially Roman, but it was viewed as a necessary framework within which the Franks could maintain justice and peace, in accordance with divine will.  The Franks were seen to have fulfilled this destiny, for now the Empire was ruled by their kings.  In the words of Abbot Abbo of Fleury to Hugh Capet and his son and associate in office, the future Robert II, their power was 'royal, that is to say imperial'.  . . . in contemporary minds 'Francia' was the land held by Robert, or Western Francia.  This was where the long wanderings of the Franks had come to an end; this was the base for their future conquests.  This had been Clovis's kingdom; he had converted to Christianity at Rheims, and received the consular insignia from the Emperor at Tours in 508.  St. Martin had been the object of Clovis's especial devotion, and he had declared him patron saint of the Franks. He lived in Paris after his great victories and was buried there; he had summoned all the bishops of Gaul to Orleans in 511."
Also pp 118, 121, 124, 133, 223 and p. 125,  "the splendour of the first Christian king of France was inevitably reflected on the next prince to bear his name".
WHWC "Clovis terminated forever the domination of Rome in Belgium and Gaul (486).  Clovis with 3,000 of his subjects is baptized on Christmas Day (496)."  Savoy, Alemania, (496) Aquitaine and Toulouse (502) join dynasty, "He founds the Frank Monarchy.  Marries Clotilda, a Catholic, 491, a princess of Burgundy."
GIWC 26-7
ewh descendants in chart p 172[JamesLinage.GED]

[1725539.ged]

ema p 128, 307 "the first great king of the Franks, was 15 when he succeeded his father in 481."
ohme p 5 "With time the passive antagonism of the Roman population undermined the power of the Visigothic kings, despite their frantic attempts to court support by issuing Roman law codes, and facilitated their defeat at the hands of the newly converted king of the Franks, CLOVIS, at Vouille near Tours in 507.  Thereafter the Visigothic kingdom was confined to Spain . . .", 68, 88
p 65 "Childeric was succeeded by his son CLOVIS, usually seen as the real founder of Frankish power in Gaul.  The details of his reign, recorded for us by Bishop Gregory of Tours some seventy years after Clovis's death, are in some dispute, but his achievements are plain.  He united the Romans of north Gaul under his rule, by force of arms and by the expedient of converting to their own religion, Catholic Christianity.  He united the Franks under his own rule, partly at least by having all rival kings assassinated.  And both Romans and Franks must have been impressed by the success with which he led his armies against other Germans:  he conquered the Thuringians to the east, and the Alamans, who were moving from their homes in south-west Germany into what is now Alsace and northern Switzerland; and in 507 Clovis led his followers south across the Loire to destroy the Visigothic kingdom of Alaric II.  When he died in 511 the kingdom was ruled jointly by his four sons, and it was they who destroyed the Burgundian kingdom and who, by offering military aid to the Ostrogoths in exchange, annexed Provence to their kingdom.  By the middle of the sixth century the Frankish kings descended from Childeric and Clovis, known as the Merovingians, had become by far the most powerful of the barbarian heirs to the Roman Empire.  Almost all Gaul was under their direct rule; they had a foothold in Italy and overlordship over the Thuringians, Alamans, and Bavarians in Germany; and the suzerainty they claimed over south-east England may have been more of a reality than most English historians have thought."
FIMassachusetts "the royal name Louis, that is, Clovis."
pp 13-5 "There was a gradual acceptance of the idea of a gradual shift of political focus westwards from the East--a notion whose origins are to be found in the cosmology of the crucifixion discussed in the previous chapter.  In contemporary eyes, this explained the successive transfer of power from the Greeks to the Romans and then to the Franks.  The idea was strengthened by memories of the alliance made between the leader of the Franks and the Pope in the eighth century, which led to the formal restoration of the Empire with the coronation of Charlemagne in 800. There was also the more distant memory of CLOVIS's pact with the Catholic Church, as a result of which he and his people saw themselves as especially chosen by God.  In their eyes the pact had been an important factor in his victories over pagan and heretic barbarians.  There was a firmly rooted conviction that the Franks had established the Church in Gaul.  The prologue of the Lex Salica (Salic Law), which had been retranscribed in the eighth century, priased them because they had taken care of 'the bodies of the holy martyrs burnt by the Romans, tortured by them, or thrown to wild animals', digging up their remains and preserving them in fine gold and jewelled reliquaries.  Most of the scholarly historical writers at this date came from the lands of the Franks and they were convinced that this chosen people had freed the inhabitants of Gaul from the yoke of Roman oppression.  This assertion was based upon the books which they found in cathedral and monastic libraries, especially the History of the Franks written by Gregory of Tours in the late sixth century.  His account of the baptism of Clovis is particularly relevant, and an eighty-century continuation provided the Franks with Trojan ancestors.  The Empire remained essentially Roman, but it was viewed as a necessary framework within which the Franks could maintain justice and peace, in accordance with divine will.  The Franks were seen to have fulfilled this destiny, for now the Empire was ruled by their kings.  In the words of Abbot Abbo of Fleury to Hugh Capet and his son and associate in office, the future Robert II, their power was 'royal, that is to say imperial'.  . . . in contemporary minds 'Francia' was the land held by Robert, or Western Francia.  This was where the long wanderings of the Franks had come to an end; this was the base for their future conquests.  This had been Clovis's kingdom; he had converted to Christianity at Rheims, and received the consular insignia from the Emperor at Tours in 508.  St. Martin had been the object of Clovis's especial devotion, and he had declared him patron saint of the Franks. He lived in Paris after his great victories and was buried there; he had summoned all the bishops of Gaul to Orleans in 511."
Also pp 118, 121, 124, 133, 223 and p. 125,  "the splendour of the first Christian king of France was inevitably reflected on the next prince to bear his name".
WHWC "Clovis terminated forever the domination of Rome in Belgium and Gaul (486).  Clovis with 3,000 of his subjects is baptized on Christmas Day (496)."  Savoy, Alemania, (496) Aquitaine and Toulouse (502) join dynasty, "He founds the Frank Monarchy.  Marries Clotilda, a Catholic, 491, a princess of Burgundy."
GIWC 26-7
ewh descendants in chart p 172[Direct Linage1.FTW]

Also known as:  Clovis \ Chlodovech Magnus \ Chlodwig I
[1725539.ged]

ema p 128, 307 "the first great king of the Franks, was 15 when he succeeded his father in 481."
ohme p 5 "With time the passive antagonism of the Roman population undermined the power of the Visigothic kings, despite their frantic attempts to court support by issuing Roman law codes, and facilitated their defeat at the hands of the newly converted king of the Franks, CLOVIS, at Vouille near Tours in 507.  Thereafter the Visigothic kingdom was confined to Spain . . .", 68, 88
p 65 "Childeric was succeeded by his son CLOVIS, usually seen as the real founder of Frankish power in Gaul.  The details of his reign, recorded for us by Bishop Gregory of Tours some seventy years after Clovis's death, are in some dispute, but his achievements are plain.  He united the Romans of north Gaul under his rule, by force of arms and by the expedient of converting to their own religion, Catholic Christianity.  He united the Franks under his own rule, partly at least by having all rival kings assassinated.  And both Romans and Franks must have been impressed by the success with which he led his armies against other Germans:  he conquered the Thuringians to the east, and the Alamans, who were moving from their homes in south-west Germany into what is now Alsace and northern Switzerland; and in 507 Clovis led his followers south across the Loire to destroy the Visigothic kingdom of Alaric II.  When he died in 511 the kingdom was ruled jointly by his four sons, and it was they who destroyed the Burgundian kingdom and who, by offering military aid to the Ostrogoths in exchange, annexed Provence to their kingdom.  By the middle of the sixth century the Frankish kings descended from Childeric and Clovis, known as the Merovingians, had become by far the most powerful of the barbarian heirs to the Roman Empire.  Almost all Gaul was under their direct rule; they had a foothold in Italy and overlordship over the Thuringians, Alamans, and Bavarians in Germany; and the suzerainty they claimed over south-east England may have been more of a reality than most English historians have thought."
FIMassachusetts "the royal name Louis, that is, Clovis."
pp 13-5 "There was a gradual acceptance of the idea of a gradual shift of political focus westwards from the East--a notion whose origins are to be found in the cosmology of the crucifixion discussed in the previous chapter.  In contemporary eyes, this explained the successive transfer of power from the Greeks to the Romans and then to the Franks.  The idea was strengthened by memories of the alliance made between the leader of the Franks and the Pope in the eighth century, which led to the formal restoration of the Empire with the coronation of Charlemagne in 800. There was also the more distant memory of CLOVIS's pact with the Catholic Church, as a result of which he and his people saw themselves as especially chosen by God.  In their eyes the pact had been an important factor in his victories over pagan and heretic barbarians.  There was a firmly rooted conviction that the Franks had established the Church in Gaul.  The prologue of the Lex Salica (Salic Law), which had been retranscribed in the eighth century, priased them because they had taken care of 'the bodies of the holy martyrs burnt by the Romans, tortured by them, or thrown to wild animals', digging up their remains and preserving them in fine gold and jewelled reliquaries.  Most of the scholarly historical writers at this date came from the lands of the Franks and they were convinced that this chosen people had freed the inhabitants of Gaul from the yoke of Roman oppression.  This assertion was based upon the books which they found in cathedral and monastic libraries, especially the History of the Franks written by Gregory of Tours in the late sixth century.  His account of the baptism of Clovis is particularly relevant, and an eighty-century continuation provided the Franks with Trojan ancestors.  The Empire remained essentially Roman, but it was viewed as a necessary framework within which the Franks could maintain justice and peace, in accordance with divine will.  The Franks were seen to have fulfilled this destiny, for now the Empire was ruled by their kings.  In the words of Abbot Abbo of Fleury to Hugh Capet and his son and associate in office, the future Robert II, their power was 'royal, that is to say imperial'.  . . . in contemporary minds 'Francia' was the land held by Robert, or Western Francia.  This was where the long wanderings of the Franks had come to an end; this was the base for their future conquests.  This had been Clovis's kingdom; he had converted to Christianity at Rheims, and received the consular insignia from the Emperor at Tours in 508.  St. Martin had been the object of Clovis's especial devotion, and he had declared him patron saint of the Franks. He lived in Paris after his great victories and was buried there; he had summoned all the bishops of Gaul to Orleans in 511."
Also pp 118, 121, 124, 133, 223 and p. 125,  "the splendour of the first Christian king of France was inevitably reflected on the next prince to bear his name".
WHWC "Clovis terminated forever the domination of Rome in Belgium and Gaul (486).  Clovis with 3,000 of his subjects is baptized on Christmas Day (496)."  Savoy, Alemania, (496) Aquitaine and Toulouse (502) join dynasty, "He founds the Frank Monarchy.  Marries Clotilda, a Catholic, 491, a princess of Burgundy."
GIWC 26-7
ewh descendants in chart p 172

Note: Ruled Frank Kingdom under Merovingians. Franks (Salians - Ripuarians) expanded from the Rhine to the Somme conquering all people in between. Clovis defeated Western Roman rule 486 by victory over Roman Dux Syagrius, gaining all land between the Somme and the Loire. Defeated Alamanni 496. Baptized by Bishop Remigus at Reims, Christmas Day 497/498 (Another source has Baptized 496 on Easter Morning). Defeated Burgundians (500) at Dijon. In 507 conquered the Visigoths as far as the Pyrenees. [lanastl.ged]

1.  Chlodovech acceded 482.

After the death of Clovis (Chlodovech I), therefore, his four sons divided his kingdom, each reigning from a different centre: Thierry (Theuderic I) at Metz, Clodomir (Chlodomer) at Orléans, Childebert at Paris, and Clotaire (Chlotar) at Soissons. They continued the career of conquest inaugurated by their father, and, in spite of the frequent discords that divided them, augmented the estates he had left them. The principal events of their reign were:

The destruction of the Kingdom of Thuringia by Thierry (Theuderic I) in 531, which extended Frankish power into the heart of what is now Germany;

the conquest of the Kingdom of the Burgundians by Childebert and Clotaire (Chlotar I) in 532, after their brother Clodomir (Chlodomer) had perished in a previous attempt to overthrow it in 524;

the cession of Provence to the Franks by the Ostrogoths in 536, on condition that the former would assist them in the war just declared against them by Emperor Justinian. But instead of helping the Ostrogoths, the Franks under Theudebert, son of Thierry (Theuderic I), taking shameful advantage of this oppressed people, cruelly pillaged Italy until the bands under the command of Leuthar and Butilin were exterminated by Narses in 553.