Franks
The Franks were a confederation of small Germanic tribes originally located north and east of the lower Rhine, in areas that now comprise the Netherlands and parts of northwestern Germany. They included subgroups such as the Chamavi, Bructeri, and Salyii, although tribal affiliations were fluid. The term "Frank," meaning "fierce" or "free," first appeared in Roman texts in the mid-third century CE, highlighting their incursions into Roman territories. By the late fourth century, the Franks served in the Roman military, with notable leaders emerging among them.
As the Roman influence waned in Gaul during the fifth century, the Franks rose to prominence under King Childeric I and his son, Clovis I. Clovis expanded Frankish territory through a series of conquests, including the decisive victory over the Visigoths at Vouillé in 507 CE, which solidified Frankish dominance in the region. Following Clovis's death, the kingdom underwent divisions but was eventually reunited under Chlotar I. By the year 700 CE, the Franks had established themselves as a significant power in what was known as Francia, which later fragmented into several regions, yet their legacy as a formidable force in early medieval Europe endured.
On this Page
Subject Terms
Franks
Date: c. 400-700 c.e.
Locale: Northern Europe, modern France, Belgium, and the Rhineland
Franks
Originally a collection of small, Germanic tribes living just north and east of the lower Rhine in what later became the Netherlands and the northwestern part of Germany, the Franks were composed of several subgroups, traditionally the Chamavi, Bructeri, Chattuari, Salyii, Amsivarii, and Tubantes, although the fluid nature of early Germanic tribal affiliations makes such subdivision problematical. The term “Frank,” which apparently meant “fierce” and later “free,” first begins to appear in Roman sources in the mid-third century c.e., in reference to the peoples menacing the Roman Empire’s borders. By 306 c.e., Constantine the Great had subdued them, and Frankish personages show up routinely in Roman military service throughout the fourth century c.e., often in quite high positions. In the late 350’s c.e., the emperor Julian settled the Salian Franks just south and west of the mouths of the Rhine in Toxandria, modern Belgium, as allies of the empire.
With the slow dissolution of Roman power in Gaul during the fifth century c.e., the Franks moved to fill the vacuum with their first powerful king, Childeric I (r. 456-481 c.e.), who may have cooperated with the remnants of Roman rule in the north as represented by Count Aegidius of Soissons (d. 463 c.e.). It was Childeric’s son, Clovis (r. 481-511 c.e.), who projected Frankish presence throughout Gaul.
Beginning a career of conquest and consolidation, Clovis took Soissons in 486 c.e. and eliminated the last vestige of Roman rule by executing Aegidius’s son, Syagrius. He then defeated the Thuringians circa 491 c.e., thereby securing his northern border, and intervened in Burgundian affairs by forcing King Gundobad (r. 474-516 c.e.) to pay tribute. The highwater mark of Frankish power under Clovis came in 507 c.e., when he defeated the Visigoths at Vouillé outside Poitiers, killed their king himself, and took over southern Gaul. In the subsequent two years, he disposed of rival Frankish kings, particularly at the important northern centers of Cambrai and Cologne.
The Franks became the preeminent people in the West, a fact attested by the Byzantine emperor’s granting of the title of consul to Clovis in the aftermath of Vouillé, and the pope’s bestowing of the pallium, the sacred vestment exclusive to the pontiff until this time, on Caesarius of Arles (470-543 c.e.), a new Frankish ally in southern Gaul.
Although the Frankish kingdom was partitioned upon Clovis’s death, his sons finalized the conquest of Burgundy in 534 c.e., and the kingdom was reunited under the surviving son, Chlotar I (r. 511-561 c.e.), in 558 c.e. Although this realm of “Francia” would coalesce and fragment repeatedly during succeeding years and would eventually devolve into four component parts—Austrasia (east of the Rhine), Neustria (north and central Gaul), Burgundy (southeastern Gaul), and Aquitaine (southwestern Gaul)—by 700 c.e., the Franks were recognized as an enduring force in the barbarian West.
Bibliography
Bachrach, Bernard S., trans. Liber Historiae Francorum. Lawrence, Kans.: Coronado, 1973.
James, Edward. The Franks. Oxford, England: Basil Blackwell, 1991.
Thorpe, Lewis, trans. Gregory of Tours: The History of the Franks. Harmondsworth, England: Penguin, 1982.