Ragnachar ( German: Ragnachar ) is the leader of the Franks from the Merovingian family, who ruled at the end of the 5th century. Relative of Clovis I.
Biography
The most important source of information about Ragnakhar is the historical work of Gregory of Tours, The History of the Francs ( Decem Libri Historiarum , 2nd book), on which later reports are based.
Ragnahar ruled in Cambrai , having come to power with the decline of late Roman rule in Gaul . Being one of the many Frankish leaders in this region, he may have enjoyed lesser respect than Clovis I , since his father, the king of the Salic Franks Childeric I , held the post of Roman military commander in Belgium [1] .
In 486, Ragnahar supported Clovis I in a military campaign against the Gallo-Roman Siagrius . Siagrius is the son of the ancient Roman master of the army of Aegidius , who ruled in Soissons , one of the last enclaves of the fallen Western Roman Empire . It is assumed that Ragnahar supported Clovis also because the lands of Siagria were bordered by the possessions of Ragnahar. Together, Ragnahar and Clovis prevailed over the army of Siagria, the loser managed to escape to the Visigoths . However, he was soon extradited to Clovis and executed.
With the defeat of Siagria, the balance of power among the Frankish leaders changed in favor of Clovis I. In the end, Clovis went to war on Ragnahar, although the chronology of events remains unconfirmed. Probably, Clovis started military operations at the end of his reign, defeating the Alemans and Visigoths , but before 490.
Clovis also dealt with the leaders Hararich and Sigibert Lame , although the sequence of these events is not known exactly. According to Gregory of Tours, Ragnakhar led a wild life and thereby earned the contempt of the Franks in his entourage. Clovis I managed to bribe several people from the retinue of Ragnahar, and they called Clovis for help. Having lost his army in the battle with Clovis, Ragnahar was captured by his own people and transferred to Clovis. He kept Ragnahar with his brothers Richard and Rignomer in Le Mans , and then ordered to kill [2] .
Thus, Clovis I destroyed all possible competitors and paved the way for the unification of the Frankish tribes into a single state .
Notes
- ↑ Kettemann, Ragnachar , RGA 24, S. 99. Vgl. allgemein zur Situation in Gallien auch Ian N. Wood, The Merovingian Kingdoms , Harlow 1994, S. 5ff. (Kap. The Barbarians in Gaul )
- ↑ Gregory of Tours . History of the Franks (Book II, Chapter 42).
Literature
- Walter Kettemann: Ragnachar . In: Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde . Bd. 24. Berlin / New York 2003, S. 98-102.