Battle of Vouillé
The Battle of Vouillé, fought in late spring of 507, was a pivotal conflict between Clovis, the king of the Salian Franks, and Alaric II, the king of the Visigoths. Taking place near Poitiers, specifically on a site known as Campus Vocladensis, the battle arose as Clovis sought to expand his territory, launching an attack on the Visigothic realm based in Toulouse. Both armies were likely larger than typical military forces of the time, as Clovis had support from the Ripuarian Franks, while Alaric II's forces were bolstered by troops from Auvergne.
The combat is characterized by Clovis's effective strategy, particularly the use of throwing spears, which contributed to the disorder in the Visigothic lines. This engagement concluded with a decisive victory for the Franks; reports suggest that Clovis personally killed Alaric II during the battle. The aftermath significantly altered the power dynamics in the region, granting Clovis control over much of Gaul south of the Loire River, while the Visigothic kingdom retreated to Spain, leaving behind a surviving heir, Amalaric. The Battle of Vouillé thus marked a critical turning point in the history of early medieval Europe, reshaping territorial control and influencing future political landscapes.
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Battle of Vouillé
Type of action: Ground battle in the unification of Gaul
Date: Late spring, 507
Location: At the tenth milestone outside Poitiers, France
Combatants: Franks vs. Visigoths
Principal commanders:Frankish, Clovis (c. 466-511); Visigothic, Alaric II (d. 507)
Result: Frankish conquest of Gaul south of the Loire Valley
In the late spring of 507, Clovis, king of the Salian Franks, met Alaric II, king of the Visigoths, in a battle that would determine control of Gaul from the Rhine to the Pyrenees. Troop strengths are unknown, but the armies were probably larger than the regular campaign forces of the period because Clovis had a major allied contingent from the Ripuarian Franks at Cologne and the Visigoths were complemented by a large force from Auvergne. Clovis, ever the expansionist, launched an apparently unprovoked attack on Alaric II’s kingdom based at Toulouse. The two armies encountered each other just outside Poitiers on an old Roman estate called Campus Vocladensis, perhaps initiating contact at the stream there while watering their forward units’ horses. Battle accounts are sparse, but it appears Clovis’s Franks made effective use of their throwing spears, or angons, and the untimely breaking of the Visigothic line to win a decisive victory. Clovis reputedly killed Alaric II with his own hand and barely escaped death himself when pinioned by two Visigothic lancers.
Significance
The triumph gave Clovis control of Gaul south of the Loire, which he exercised loosely from the north. The losing side spirited away the surviving boy-king, Amalaric, and as a result of the battle, the Visigothic kingdom was based in Spain alone.
Bibliography
Bachrach, Bernard S. Merovingian Military Organization. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1972.
James, Edward. The Origins of France. London: Macmillan, 1982.
McKitterick, Rosamond. The Frankish Kings and Culture in the Early Middle Ages. Brookfield, Vt.: Variorum, 1995.
Thorpe, Lewis. Gregory of Tours: The History of the Franks. Harmondsworth, England: Penguin, 1974.