Clovis I

Historical Sources

Clovis I, king of the francs. Artist Francois-Louis Dejuin ( 1786 - 1844 ). The painting was created in 1835 , is stored in Versailles , in the national museum of the palace and the Trianons

The main biographer of Clovis is Gregory of Tours , bishop of the city of Tour . Fredegar , who recorded his Chronicle in the 7th century , and the anonymous author of The Book of the History of the Franks , who lived in the 8th century , mostly repeat Gregory of Tours without making significant derogations from his text. In addition, some fragments of the correspondence of that time and later recordings made on the basis of sources that have not been preserved today have survived. ^[3]

Gregory of Tours was born less than three decades after the death of Clovis and could personally meet people who still remembered the late king. And certainly he was familiar with people who knew the wife of Clovis Queen Clotilde , who survived the king for 33 years and after the death of her husband retired to Tours, where she spent the rest of her life in St. Martin's Basilica . After becoming the bishop of Tours and deciding to write his work on the Frankish kings, later called the History of the Franks , Gregory probably met people who remembered the stories of the late queen. Apparently, these stories formed the basis of his story about Clovis.

In the story of Clovis, told by Gregory of Tours, fairytale motifs dating back to oral folk tradition and information of church origin are intertwined. His “History” is rich in instructions, since this text was originally intended to teach, and then turned into a laudatory biography. Therefore, this source poorly meets the requirement of an accurate statement of historical facts. The chronology of the reign of Clovis is often unclear. Gregory considers the events listed below to be five years: for example, the war with Siagrius , according to his information, occurred five years after the accession of Clovis, the war against the Alemans - fifteen years after the start of the reign, the war with the Visigoths - five years before his death. This presentation of information may be some simplification on the part of the author. But it is also quite possible that these dates are close to the truth. The only more or less accurate date that scientists have today is the date of the death of Clovis in 511 . Based on the fact that Gregory notes that Clovis reigned 30 years old and died at 45 ^[4] , we can conclude that he was born about 466 years old , and ascended the throne in about 481 or 482 years .

The name "Clovis" ( Frank. Hlodowig ) consists of two parts - the roots of "hlod" (that is, "glorified", "outstanding", "eminent") and "wig" (which translates as "battle"). Thus, "Clovis" means "glorified in battle" ^[5] .

Accession to the throne. The situation in Gaul

Clovis, son of King Childeric I and Queen Bazina of Thuringia , ascended the throne at the age of 15, after the death of his father. At that time, the Franks were not a single people, they were divided into Salic and Ripuar francs . But even these two large branches, in turn, were divided into smaller “kingdoms” ( lat. Regna ), ruled by their “kings” ( lat. Rex ), which in essence were only military leaders. Thus, Clovis inherited power only over an insignificant part of Salic francs centered in Tournai .

The rest of Gaul , as noted by Gregory of Tours, was divided as follows: “In the same region, in its southern part, up to the Loire River, the Gallo-Romans lived. On the other side of the Loire, the Goths dominated. The Burgundians , followers of the heresy of Arians , lived on the side of the Rhone on which the city of Lyon is located . ” ^[6]

Part of the Roman territory with centers in Soissons and Paris due to the expansion of the Visigoths and Burgundians was initially cut off from its metropolis - the Western Roman Empire , and after this empire ceased to exist in 476 , it generally remained the last piece of Roman land. This territory was ruled by Siagria , and according to it it was named the State of Siagria . Gregory, speaking of Siagria, calls him "king of the Romans" ( lat. Rex Romanorum ) ^[7] , not knowing his real title. Perhaps he was called patrician , as Fredegar calls him in his Chronicle. ^[eight]

The War on Siagrius

Clovis quickly realized the doom of the State of Siagria and in the 5th year of his reign (in 486 ) went to war with him, together with his relative, the king of Salic francs with the center in Cambrai Ragnahar . ^[7] Even earlier, apparently in 485, Clovis, trying to enlist the support of the Ripuar francs , probably entered into an alliance with their king Sigibert and probably even married his daughter, who bore him the son of Theodoric . Christian chroniclers considered this marriage invalid and therefore called her a concubine, and her son was recognized illegitimate.

At the Battle of Soissons, the Gallo-Romans were defeated. Siagrius fled to Toulouse , to the Visigoth king Alaric II , asking for refuge. But Alaric , fearing to incur the wrath of the Franks , ordered to tie Siagria and give it to the ambassadors of Clovis. ^[7] Some groups of the forces of Siagrius still resisted in some places even after the battle of Soissons, but their resistance was broken. So, for example, according to “The Life of the Rev. Genovefa of Paris ”, Clovis besieged Paris for five years before he could take it. Interestingly, it was Saint Genovef who organized the delivery of a caravan of eleven vessels with food for the starving population of Paris. At first Clovis kept Siagria in custody, and after having seized his possessions, he ordered secretly stabbed. ^[7] So in the hands of the Franks fell a rich region of Roman Gaul to the Loire River, with the main city of Paris. Occupying it, Clovis acted in a businesslike way: while still personally remaining a pagan , he tried to establish good relations with the influential Christian bishops of the Orthodox Nicene religion from the very first steps.

The Case of the Soissons Cup

A textbook example of this is the episode with the Soissonian bowl told in the Chronicle of Gregory of Tours . After the victory, Soissons among the captured prey turned out to be of amazing beauty a bowl from some church, which the bishop of that church asked him to return. (Fredegar claims that this bishop was Remigius , Archbishop of Reims Cathedral ^[9] .) Clovis immediately agreed, but the problem was that the captured was to be shared between all the soldiers. The king tried to exclude the cup from this section, asking the army to give it to him in excess of his share. But among the warriors there was one convinced defender of the norms of military democracy , who cut the bowl with a sword with the words: "You will get from here only what you are supposed to by lot." Clovis could only transfer the fragments of the sacred vessel to the messenger of the prelate. He knew how to control himself and understood the formal daring of the daredevil, but he could not forget such a challenge. When a year later he had a chance to conduct another review of his army, the king found fault with the allegedly poor state of arms of this warrior and personally cut his head, saying loudly: “That's what you did with that bowl in Soissons!” ^[7] This worked, they began to fear the king. The clergy quickly appreciated the good will of the young monarch, and Saint Remigius in writing recognized his authority as administrator of the Roman province. “The great news reached us that you happily got control of military affairs in your hands. But it’s not new that you begin to be who your fathers were. ... honor the bishops and always resort to their advice. If you maintain agreement with them, then everything will go well in your province, ” he wrote to Clovis ^[10] .

The Thuringian War

In 491 , in the 10th year of his reign ^[7], Clovis, fulfilling allied obligations to the king of the Ripuar francs with a residence in Cologne Sigibert , began a war with the Thuringians . Gregory of Tours says that the Ripuar francs did not want this war and strove for peace with the Thuringians, having even given them hostages in support of this world. However, the Thuringians killed the hostages and treacherously attacked the Franks, taking all their property from them. Their raid was accompanied by terrible cruelties. They “hung the boys in the trees for shameful oud and killed more than two hundred girls with a terrible death: they tied their hands to the necks of horses, who rushed in different directions under the blows of sticks with a sharp tip and tore the girls to pieces; the others were put between the ruts of the roads, nailed with stakes to the ground, laden carts were rolled over them and, breaking their bones, they were thrown to dogs and birds for eating ” . ^[eleven]

Sigibert requested help from the Salic Franks , and Clovis responded to this request. He invaded the Thuringian territory and defeated them. Although it is possible that this tribe of the Rhine Thuringians was finally conquered only towards the end of the reign of Clovis.

Marrying Clotilde

In 493 - 494, the political weight of Clovis among the German kings was already so great that the Ostrogothic king Theodoric the Great, after defeating Odoacre, asked for the hands of the sister of Clovis Audofleda , and soon this marriage took place. Clovis himself, although he cohabited with a certain woman and even had a son from her, the future king Theodorich I , in 493 married Clotilde (Hrodehild), the daughter of the Burgundian king Chilperic II and the niece of the Burgundian king Gundobad . Four brothers ruled in Burgundy at that time - Gundobad, Godegizel , Chilperic II and Godomar I. Gundobad killed his brother Hilperik with a sword, ordered his wife to be thrown into the water with a stone on his neck, and then sentenced his two daughters to exile: the eldest Krona (she went to the monastery) and the younger Clotilde. Meanwhile, Clovis often had to send ambassadors to Burgundy , where they met young Clotilde. Noticing her beauty and mind and knowing that she was royal blood, they informed the king about it. Clovis immediately sent an ambassador to Gundobad to ask Clotilde for a wife. He, not daring to refuse, gave her in his arms sent, and Clovis married her. ^[12] Although the royal house of Burgundy was an Arian confession, Clotilde, under the influence of her mother Karetena, had already adopted the Christian faith , based on the Nicene creed .

After marriage, as Gregory of Tours tells, Clotilde did everything to convince her husband to accept her faith. But Clovis did not dare to take this step for a long time. After the birth of the first son, Ingomer Clotilde asked her husband for permission to christen the child. Clovis, who, as already noted, in principle treated Christianity with understanding, agreed. However, shortly after baptism, the child died, right in the baptismal clothes. The king was angry. Gregory reports that the king exclaimed: "If the boy were sanctified in the name of my gods, he would have survived." After this, the queen gave birth to the second son of Chlodomyr . When he was christened, he also began to hurt, and the king said: “The same thing will happen to him as his brother. Namely: baptized in the name of your Christ, he will die soon. ” Clotilde began to pray earnestly, and in the end, Chlodomyr recovered. ^[13] But, despite this miraculous healing and constant exhortations of his wife, Clovis refused to reject paganism and answered his wife: "Everything is created according to the will of our gods, your God did not show his strength." ^[14]

War with the Alemanni

In 496 , in the 15th year of the reign of Clovis, a war broke out between the Franks and Alemanni . ^[15] It is likely that after the invasion of the Alemans in the region of the Middle Rhine (Ripuar) Francs, an alliance was concluded between the last king Sigibert and Clovis. In the battle of Tolbiac (modern Tsyulpikh ), the Franks won. The king of the Alemanni fell in battle, and Clovis captured most of the lands of the Alemanni, namely the territory on the left bank of the Rhine , the region of the Neckar River (the right tributary of the Rhine) and lands to the lower Main . Sigibert in this battle was wounded in the knee and later received the nickname Lame. ^[sixteen]

The Baptism of Clovis

Events Affecting the King's Adoption of Christianity

The most important event of the reign of Clovis was his baptism. Gregory of Tours notes that the king’s conversion occurred after his victory over the Alemans. According to the sources on which Gregory relied when the Alemans began to win, Clovis exclaimed: “About Jesus Christ, to Thee whom Clotilde confesses as the Son of the living God, to You, who are said to help the afflicted and grant victory to those who trust in You, with with humility I appeal to show the glory of thy power. If You grant me victory over my enemies and I will experience Your strength, which he claims to have been sanctified by Your name, I will believe in You and be baptized in Your name, ”and then the King of the Alemanni was defeated, and his army, remaining without guidance, took flight.

Returning home, he told the queen how he had triumphed by calling on the name of Christ. ^{[15] The} Queen summoned Remigius , Bishop of Reims , who began to persuade the king to be baptized. The king answered him: “I willingly listened to you, Holy Father, one thing confuses me that the people subordinate to me will not tolerate me leaving his gods. However, I will go and speak with him according to your words . ” The people, after the king’s speech, exclaimed: “Gracious king, we renounce mortal gods and are ready to follow the immortal God, whom Remigius preaches . ” ^[17] So it was decided to be baptized.

Estimated Date and Place of Baptism

The date and year of the baptism of Clovis remains the most controversial of the entire chronology of his reign. Neither Gregory of Tours, nor Fredegar repeating it and the anonymous author of The Book of the History of the Francs , cite any dates. The baptism of King Bishop Vienne Avit ^[18] and Bishop of Reims Remigius ^[19] mention the baptism of Clovis in their letters, but they also do not date this event. It is traditionally believed that the baptism took place at Christmas on December 25, 496 ^[20] , although Fredegar says that it was held at Easter ^[21] . Baptism took place in Reims at the hands of Remigius. The example of Clovis was followed by three thousand francs from his army, apparently his squad (Fredegar says there were 6,000 baptized ^[21] ), as well as his sister Albofleda, who, however, soon died. His other sister, Lantehilda, who fell into the Arian heresy, also joined the confessors of orthodox Christianity ^[17] .

Consequences of Baptism

Baptism strengthened the power of Clovis, providing him with the support of the Orthodox clergy and the benevolent attitude of the Gallo-Roman population. It was important that Clovis did not accept Christianity in its Arian , but in its orthodox form . Previously baptized Germanic peoples ( Visigoths , Ostrogoths , Burgundians and others) preferred Arianism. The Nicene-Tsaregradsky religion was perceived by them as the official religion of imperial Rome , and since their states arose in strongly romanized territories, the kings instinctively feared that their people would "dissolve" in an alien and powerful civilization. Clovis felt that these fears were unfounded, and the configuration of his possessions was such that it provided the possibility of a constant surge of new forces from the German world. His decision created the prerequisite for Romano-Germanic cultural unity and synthesis, and this is the merit of the Frankish monarch to European culture. Gallo-Roman bishops considered the adoption of Orthodox Christianity as their victory by Clovis. So, Bishop Avit of Vienne wrote in a congratulatory letter to Clovis: "Your religion is our victory."

Baptismal Legends

The baptism of Clovis is surrounded by all sorts of unusual legends. According to one of them, an angel in the form of a dove appeared to Saint Remigius and brought a vessel with the world ( FR. Sainte ampoule or "The Holy Glass Banner ") for the baptism of Clovis. Later, almost all the kings of France were anointed to reign precisely by the world from this bottle. According to legend, the Holy Glass Baker was defeated during the French Revolution . Gregory of Tours does not mention this miracle in the History of the Francs. Apparently, the beginning of the legend was laid by Archbishop Reims Ginkmar .

There is a legend about the appearance of the heraldic lily of French kings: Clovis allegedly chose this flower as a symbol of purification after baptism ^[22] . According to another version, an angel with a lily appeared to Chlodwig during the battle of Tolbiac and said that he would henceforth make this flower his symbol and bequeat to his descendants.

With the baptism of Clovis, the winged expression “bow to that which burned, burn that which worshiped” is associated. According to legend, it was with these words that Saint Remigius addressed him, urging the king to abandon paganism and convert to Christianity ^[23] .

The Baptism of Clovis in Art

The baptismal scene of Clovis more than once inspired artists and sculptors both in the Middle Ages and later.

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  XIV century miniature from the Great Chronicles of France .

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  Stained glass window of a medieval cathedral.

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  Stained glass window from the church of St. Vincent in France.

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  Painting by an anonymous artist known as the Master of St. Aegis (circa 1500 ).

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  Bas-relief of the end of the 9th century . Ivory. Picardy Museum, Amiens , France.

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  Statue in front of the basilica of St. Remigius . 1896 year .

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  The manuscript of Jacob van Maerlant “Mirror of History”. West Flanders , circa 1335 - 1355

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  Joseph Blanc . The Baptism of Clovis. Pantheon painting, Paris , France. C. 1880 - 1899

Clashes with Bretons and Visigoths

In the west, the advance of Clovis was long delayed by the fierce resistance of the Armoricans , with whom, apparently, they had to conclude an agreement for about 500 years . Apparently, still some kind of power, even nominal, over Brittany, Clovis received. In his story about Clovis, Gregory of Tours does not say a word about the king’s war with the Bretons, but later in the text, talking about the sons of Clovis, he uses the following sentence: “After the death of King Clovis, the Bretons were always ruled by the Franks, and they had counts and not kings . ” ^[24] However, many historians ^[25] note that this assertion about Brittany's dependence on the Frankish state was unfounded and that from the middle of the VI century the Bretons were strong enough not to be afraid of the power of the Franks.

By the mid-490s, the Franks gradually began to advance south of the Loire , into the territory of the Visigoths . Already a shameful act with the issuance by the Visigoth king Alaric of Siagria , who had found refuge with him, to the ambassadors of Clovis, says that the Visigoths were afraid of the Franks. Clovis was able to undertake a series of victorious raids, which first brought him to Saint in 494 , but in 496 Saint was again returned by the Visigoths. Then in 498, Clovis penetrated into Bordeaux , where the Franks captured the Visigoth Duke of Suatria . ^[26] Subsequently, apparently, the Visigoth-Burgundian alliance against the Franks was formed, since the King of the Burgundians Gundobad sent Frankish prisoners to Toulouse . ^[27] Around 502, these clashes ended. Since Alaric II and Clovis met on an island in the middle of the Loire near the village of Amboise in the region of the city of Tours ^[28] , the border between the Visigoths and the Franks probably passed along this river. What the negotiations were about is unknown, but quite possibly, it was a matter of mutual recognition of possessions.

Burgundy Intervention

Meanwhile, the two kings of the Burgundians , the brothers Gundobad and Godegizel, began a struggle with each other. Godegizel appealed for help against his brother to Clovis, promising to pay a tribute: “If you help me in persecuting my brother so that I can kill him in battle or expel him from the country, I will annually pay you the tribute you set in any size . ” In the year 500 ^[29], Clovis and Godegisel defeated Gundobad in a battle on the banks of the Ush River, near the fortress of Dijon . Gundobad fled to Avignon . Godegisel promised Clovis part of the kingdom and retired to Vienne , while Clovis pursued Gundobad to Avignon ^[30] , but then suddenly returned to his state, probably because the Visigoth king Alaric II moved to its borders, and Gundobad agreed to pay him annual tribute. Golegizel Clovis left to help five thousand of his soldiers. ^[31] .

In 501, Gundobad, with the support of the Visigoths, again invaded Burgundy , besieged Godegisel and the auxiliary Franks in Vienne. Fearing a shortage of food, Godegizel ordered the expulsion of commoners from the city. One of them, the master, who was entrusted with the duty of monitoring the city's water supply, showed Gundobad the passage through which water flowed into the city. So with the help of treason, having taken possession of the city, the besiegers cut down the garrison. Godegisel escaped to the Arian church, but was killed there along with the heretical bishop . Gundobad ordered the captured Franks to be sent to the Visigoth king Alaric in Toulouse . Having conquered the whole country, Gundobad became the only king of Burgundy. ^[27] In 503, Clovis and Gundobad met near Oxer and entered into an alliance treaty.

New War with the Alemanni

In the year 506, the Alemans revolted, and Clovis had to again force them to recognize his power. However, part of the Alemanni fled and found protection among the Ostrogoths , settling south of Lake Constance and in Norik . Theodoric the Great gave them, along with the Bavars, the status of " federated allies ", according to the Roman model, and entrusted the protection of alpine mountain passages.

War of the Visigoths

Reasons for War

An outstanding political event in the reign of Clovis was the capture in 507 - 508 of most of the Visigothic state in Gaul by the Allied Franks and Burgundians . In this war of Clovis, the Ripuar francs of Sigibert the Lame also supported. Theodorich the Great King of the Ostrogoths tried in letters and through ambassadors, which he sent to the kings of the Visigoths, Burgundians, Western Geruls , Varns and Thuringian Thuringians , as well as to Clovis himself, to maintain peace and balance of the German kingdoms in Western Europe, but Clovis did not go to any negotiations . He was probably encouraged by a quick attack on the Visigoths and Byzantine diplomacy, because the success of Clovis meant at the same time weakening the political position of Theodoric the Great.

Clovis counted on the fact that the Gallo-Roman population and the orthodox hierarchs of the Visigoth state unanimously go over to the side of their co-religionists Franks. However, this hope was not fully realized. The inhabitants of Auvergne , including the remnants of the Gallo-Roman Senate aristocracy, led by Apollinaris, son of Sidonius Apollinaris , supported the Visigoth King Alaric II . ^[32] Clovis himself justified his war with the Visigoths by striving to free the Orthodox hierarchs in the Visigoth state from oppression of Arian heretics. He used this as an excellent occasion to start a war of conquest that took on the character of a “crusade”. Gregory of Tours puts such words into his mouth: “It pains me to see that part of Gaul is in the hands of these Arians; let us go to war with them, overcome them with God's help, and take possession of their country . ” ^[sixteen]

Hiking Franks

In the spring of 507, Clovis, together with her son Theodorich and the son of Sigibert the Lame Chloderich, set off on a campaign in the direction of the Tour . ^[16] Then he joined with a detachment of the Burgundian troops led by Sigismund , the son of Gundobad . The campaign was accompanied by wonderful signs; according to contemporaries, God favored the convert to the king. Trying to achieve the location of the Gallo-Roman population, Clovis strictly forbade his army from robbing local residents. According to Gregory of Tours, even a soldier who took an armful of hay without demand was put to death. ^[sixteen]

The Battle of Vouillet

In the late summer of 507 ^[33] , a decisive battle took place between the Franks and the Visigoths on the Vouillet Plain, about 15 km northwest of Poitiers . ^[16] After a fierce battle, the Franks won, and Clovis himself defeated Alaric II in martial arts. Many of the Overnians and noble senators who came with Apollinaria died in this battle. ^[16] This defeat completely demoralized the Visigoths. The Zaragoza chronicle quite correctly conveys the consequences of the battle when it says that "the Kingdom of Toulouse was destroyed by the Franks . " ^[34] In the fact that one military defeat led to the collapse of the Visigoth state, the death of Alaric and the absence of a declared adult heir played an important role; in the first weeks after the defeat, apparently, there was no one who could combine the forces of the Visigoths. In addition, the military superiority of the Franks affected. Apparently, melee-oriented francs could be extremely dangerous for those familiar only to equestrian combat at a distance of the Visigoths. Whatever the case, the further conquest of the Visigoths by the Franks in Aquitaine took place without any particular complications.

French Capture of Aquitaine

Clovis received freedom to take possession of Aquitaine at the very moment when the Byzantine fleet , which landed troops in Tarentum , tied the forces of Theodoric the Great and the Ostrogoths could not come to the aid of the Visigoths. Clovis with a part of the army moved to Bordeaux , where he spent the winter, and his son Theodorich, with another part of the army, subjugated the Franks of the Visigoths in South and Southeast Gaul , capturing the cities of Albi , Rodez and Clermont and lands to the border of the Burgundians . ^[sixteen]

The capture of Toulouse

In the spring of 508, the Frankish troops under the command of Clovis, together with the Burgundian auxiliary detachments, took the capital of the Visigoths of Toulouse . A part of the royal treasury fell into the hands of the Franks. It is a mistake to say that the entire royal treasury was discovered by the Franks in Toulouse. From the message of Procopius of Caesarea, it turns out that at least a significant part of the treasury was transported for safety to Carcassonne . ^{35 35} Clovis occupied the city of Angouleme , expelling the Goths from there. Gregory of Tours reports that the Lord endowed Clovis with such power that the walls of the city collapsed at his only glance; in reality, apparently, there was a digging that collapsed the wall. Having reached the maximum feasible, Clovis with victory returned to Tours , bringing many gifts to the holy basilica of blessed Martin . ^[16] Considering that the intercession of Martin helped him defeat the Visigoths and subjugate Aquitaine, Clovis forever abolished the levy of taxes on residents of the Diocese of Tours ^[36] .

Theodoric continued to fight with the Frankish units, trying to occupy Auvergne , and the Burgundian king Gundobad captured Narbonne and besieged Arles , dreaming of gaining access to the Mediterranean Sea .

Intervention in the Ostrogoths War

Around the summer of 508, Theodoric the Great King of the Ostrogoths was able to send troops to Gaul , led by the Dukes Ibba , Mammo and Tuluin , to prevent the complete collapse of the Visigoth state. The Burgundians were forced to lift the siege of Arles ; they lost Narbonne . The Ostrogothic army succeeded in lifting the siege of the Franks from Carcassonne ^[35] , where, apparently, the young son of Alaric II Amalarich , also the grandson of Theodorich the Great, took refuge, and then defeated the Visigothic army near Barcelona. The war continued even before 512 or 514, but we do not know the details of the course of individual battles.

Thanks to the intervention of the Ostrogoths, the Visigoths retained part of southern and southwestern Gaul, Septimania and the south of Newhem , with the cities: Nimes , Magalona , Lodev , Agde , Beziers , Narbonne , Carcassonne . Provence south of the River Durans was annexed to the state of the Ostrogoths . Although, as a result of the war with the Goths, the Franks significantly expanded their territory in Gaul and now owned land from the Garonne to the Rhine and from the borders of Armorica to the Rhone , access to the Mediterranean Sea was still closed to them.

Emperor Byzantine Evaluation of the Merit of Clovis

In 508, a Byzantine embassy arrived at Clovis in Tur , informing him that Emperor Anastasius I elevated him to the dignity of honorary consul . Anastasius also sent him, in a sign of formal recognition, royal insignia - mantle , purple tunic and diadem . ^[37] By this act, Byzantium expressed its approval of the anti-Gothic policy of Clovis and his acceptance of the Christian faith. For the Christian population of Gaul, this meant an additional confirmation of the legitimacy of the Frankish power. However, it should be noted that Clovis was not assigned the title of consul at all, he was only given the consular insignia, often given out by the imperial court under Byzantium. This consulate has always fit into the so-called Consular Fasts and served as the designation of the year. The name Clovis in Fasti is not mentioned.

After the war with the Visigoths, Clovis arrived in Paris , which he made his residence ( 508 ). ^{[32] [37] [38]}

The reprisal of Clovis with his relatives

Why Clovis was not canonized

The merits of Clovis, the baptist of his country, in front of the church were great. His wife, Queen Clotilde, received a halo of holiness. But Clovis was not canonized , and the character of the king, pragmatic to cynicism, was to blame. Baptism was not for him a moral upheaval. Clovis saw in the adoption of Christianity , first of all, practical benefits and, having already become a Christian, without any remorse he realized his plans for reprisal against all kings-relatives.

Joining the lands of Ripuar francs

He ruled his son Chloderich against the king of the Ripuar francs Sigiber Lame in Cologne , and when he, according to his instructions, got rid of his father, the envoys of Clovis killed him himself; Clovis added to his possessions the land of Sigibert, declaring his complete non-involvement in everything that happened ^[39] ( 509 ).

Capture of the lands of Hararich

In other cases, he resorted to military force. So, Clovis opposed one of the leaders of the Salic Franks, who owns part of the territory on the lower Rhine , a certain Hararich. Before, Clovis asked for help during the war against Siagrius , but Hararik preferred to take a wait and see position, watching who of the opponents won. Clovis captured Hararich with his son and forcibly cut his hair, declaring his father a priest , and his son a deacon . Thus, Hararich and his son were deprived of the right of royal inheritance. Further, Gregory narrates that when Hararich complained that he was humiliated and cried, his son said: “These branches are cut on a green tree, but the branches have not dried up at all and can quickly grow back. If the one who did it just as quickly died! ” These words reached the ears of Clovis, and he ordered them beheaded. ^[40]

The assassination of Ragnahar and his brothers Richard and Rignomer

Then Clovis decided to seize the lands of his ally and relative Ragnahar of Cambrai . He bribed the warriors of Ragnahar, sending them golden wrists and bandages; however, as noted by Gregory of Tours, all these things were just like gold, but in fact they were skillfully gilded. After which Clovis opposed Ragnahar; immediately after the start of the battle, the warriors of Ragnahar cheated on him, captured Ragnahar and his brother Richard, and gave them to those bound to Clovis. Clovis told him: “Why did you humiliate our clan by allowing yourself to be bound? You had better die. ” And raising the ax, he cut his head, then, turning to his brother, he said: “If you had helped your brother, you would not have been tied up” - and killed him in the same way, hitting the ax. After the death of both, the traitors learned that the gold they received from King Clovis was fake. They say that when they told the king about this, he replied to them: “According to merit, such gold is received by one who voluntarily puts his master to death. "You must be satisfied that you survived, and did not die under torture, thus paying for the betrayal of your masters . " Ragnahar’s brother Rignomer, on the orders of Clovis, was also killed in Le Mans . Thus, the lands of Salic francs centered in Cambrai were annexed to the possessions of Clovis. ^[41]

Some historians attribute the conquest of the territory of Salic Franks by Clovis not to the end of the reign of Clovis, as Grigory of Tours tells of this, but to the first period of his conquests, namely, the time of the victory of Clovis over Siagria.

Reprisal against other relatives

Combining power with treachery, Clovis destroyed and other kings related to him, and just relatives, from whom he could be afraid of attempts on his power and life. Colorful is the news reported by Gregory of Tours : “Having once gathered his own, he is said to regretfully remembered the relatives whom he himself destroyed:“ Woe to me, I remained, as a wanderer in the middle of a foreign land, and I have no relatives who could help me in in case of misfortune! “. But this did not mean that he was saddened by their death, but said so by cunning, hoping to find out if anyone else was still alive to kill everyone to the last. " ^[41]

The last years of the reign and the death of the king

In the last years of his reign, Clovis captured the regions or small kingdoms of the Rhine Thuringians , Varns and the Western Heruls . Thus, on the left bank of the Rhine there were no independent territories left, besides the state of Clovis. Under Clovis, “ Salitskaya Pravda ”, the first collection of French laws, was recorded, and the first church council was convened in Orleans in July 511 , in which 32 bishops participated (half of them were from the “Kingdom of the Franks”). Clovis was proclaimed by all present bishops of " Rex Gloriosissimus, Son of the Holy Church ."

Clovis died on the 46th year of his life on November 27, 511 in Paris. He was buried in the church of the Apostles Peter and Paul , which he himself built. In the XVIII century on the site of this church, later re-consecrated in honor of the buried next to St. Hlodwig Genevieve , the Pantheon was erected. Reigned Clovis 30 years. ^[four]

Family

• The name of the first wife (apparently from 485 ) is unknown. Although Gregory of Tours ^[12] and other chroniclers ^[42] call her a concubine, it is more likely that she was the daughter of one of the Frankish kings, most likely the king of Ripuar francs with a residence in Cologne Sigibert Lame . In the eyes of Christian priests and monks who wrote their chronicles in those days, a marriage that was not sanctified by the Church was invalid, and therefore they call her a concubine, and her son Theodorich is recognized as illegitimate. However, judging by the fact that Theodorich, as the eldest son, received a share in his father's inheritance almost greater than his other half-brothers, in the eyes of the Franks he was a completely legitimate son. Judging by the fact that it was Theodorich who got the lands of the Ripuar francs, his mother should belong to the ruling house of the kings of these Rhine francs .
  • Theodoric I (circa 485-533 / 534 ), King of Reims
• From 492 years - Clotilde of Burgundy (Hrodehilda) (about 475 - about 545 )
  • Ingomer ( "Shining like Ingvaz" , 493 ), died in infancy
  • Chlodomyr ( 495-524 ), King of Orleans
  • Hildebert I ( 497 - 558 ), King of Paris
  • Hlotar I (about 500 - 561 ), King of Soissons
  • Клотильда (Хлодехильда) (около 502 — 531 ), впоследствии жена короля вестготов Амалариха
  • Тихильда

После смерти Хлодвига королевство было поделено между его четырьмя оставшимися в живых сыновьями: Теодорихом I, Хлодомиром, Хильдебертом I и Хлотарём I. По смерти своего мужа королева Клотильда Бургундская удалилась в Тур и там, укрывшись в базилике святого Мартина, провела остаток дней в добродетели и милосердии, редко посещая Париж. Умерла она в 544 году в Type. Тело доставили в Париж, там она была погребена своими сыновьями, королями Хильдебертом и Хлотарём, в церкви святых Петра и Павла, рядом с королём Хлодвигом ^[43] .

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• Салическая правда = Lex Salica. — Образц. type of. им. Жданова, 1950.
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• CLOVIS I 481/82—511, THEODERICH I 511—533, CHLODOMER 511—524, CHILDEBERT I 511—558, THEODEBERT I 533—547, THEODEBALD I 547—555 (англ.) . Foundation for Medieval Genealogy. Дата обращения 8 февраля 2012.
• Chlodwig I von Frankenkoenig (нем.) . Genealogie Mittelalter: Mittelalterliche Genealogie im Deutschen Reich bis zum Ende der Staufer. Дата обращения 8 февраля 2012. Архивировано 8 февраля 2012 года.
• Хлодвиг I в энциклопедии «Кругосвет»
• Хлодвиг I в «Открытой православной энциклопедии»
• Сайт, полностью посвящённый Хлодвигу I (фр.)
• Генеалогическое древо Меровингов на «Хроносе»
• Хлодвиг — основатель королевства франков (передача « Всё так » на Эхо Москвы ).

Исторические карты

• Карта «Образование королевства франков в V веке» на сайте «Хронос»
• Карта «Европа во второй половине V века»
• Карта «Держава Меровингов»
• Map of the Frankish Kingdom
• Map "Europe in the year 500"
• Barbarians Map
• Map “Frankish State in the VI century”
• Map "Frankish state at the end of V - first half of IX century." (One of the best)
• Map “Frankish State in the V - First Half of the VI Century” (section 511)