Clovis - King of the Franks: biography, years of government. Merovingian dynasty

Clovis, the king of the Franks, had a rich, colorful ancestral history. He was the brightest historical character of the Meroving dynasty - the first royal dynasty that ruled the state, now encompassing France and Belgium. The name of Clovis, meaning "loud battle", and later modified - Louis, fell in love with his descendants and became the most popular name in German and Romance Europe.

Historical roots of the Merovingian dynasty

The Merovingian dynasty has Frankish roots: until the 5th century their ancestors were on Germanic lands, but by the end of the century they headed straight for Gaul, and there, they founded the new state. Some historians argue that this state was called "Australia", with a center in the area of modern Lorraine.

Timeframe of the Merovingians: 5-13 century. The golden age of the dynasty's reign falls on the period of King Arthur's history , and therefore the true history of the Merovingians is closely intertwined with German-Scandinavian mythology, which makes historical analysis extremely difficult.

The direct founder of the dynasty is Merovei, grandfather of Clovis, who brought Roman norms of government to the lands of Gaul, fashion for secular education and literacy. All his descendants were not crowned kings. Nevertheless, they were revered by the people, which was built into a kind of ritual cult. At Merovee, the post of "mayordom" was established - a position similar to that of the Chancellor. Since then, all the Merovingian monarchs have performed their regal role, and administrative affairs have been shifted to the shoulders of the mayordome.

Sacral regalia and symbols of power

The distinctive imperious symbol of the Merovingians is long hair, the cutting of which was comparable to the renunciation of power. For example, Clotilda, the wife of Clovis, finding herself in a choice situation: parting with the hair or the death of the captive grandchildren, agreed to the second option without compromising her authority. Long hair was also associated with the paranormal abilities of the Merovingians, including a healing gift. Like the biblical tale of Samson and the treacherous Delilah, cutting her hair meant losing her strength.

The sacral emblem of the dynasty is golden bees, encrusted with grenades. Bees are a sacred pagan symbol of immortality, eternal life. Napoleon, who believed that it would point to the fact of the historical continuity of his power, subsequently borrowed this emblem.

Mythological legend about the founder of the Meroving dynasty

The meaning of the name of Meroveya is "a glorious battle." Gregory of Tours described the legend, according to which, Merovei was born as a result of the coition of his mother with a sea monster. The myth says that when the son was born, the mother saw the stubble of a boar from Meroveya on her back. Historians associate this myth with the cult of the boar, the patron of military affairs and the god of fertility of the ancient francs.

According to the legend, this boar once a year goes ashore from the lake of Retra and gives its admirers fertility and success in the military field. Subsequently, in the German-Scandinavian mythology, one could observe the strengthening of the cult of the boar-warrior.

What is interesting for the chroniclers is Clovis, the King of the Franks. Meroving's biography and the historical significance of his rule

Clovis I is the name of the three Frankish kings of the Merovingian dynasty. What do historians know about him?

Clovis, King of the Franks, The grandson of Meroveya, son of Hilderich I and Basina, according to chronicles, was born approximately in 466 AD. At the age of 15, Clovis became king for a small part of the salic (ie sea) francs, and he began to expand the borders of his territory.

Having conquered the territories of Siarpia, Clovis I and Kings-allies entered the war with the Goths. Not shy of intrigues, meanness, or murder, Clovis cleared from the ready all the south-western lands. Already in 507 he sat on the throne of the ruler of all French lands. Historians believe that such a success was ensured by his decision to be baptized, dated December 25, 498. His wife Clotilda encouraged the king's baptism.

During the reign of Clovis, King of the Franks, made Paris the capital of the conquered lands. And having initiated the creation of a set of Frankish laws, he also opened a new chapter of the entire Northern European history.

Clovis died in Paris in 511, leaving all his lands as an inheritance to his sons.

Campaign against Siarpia. The legend of the Saissonian bowl

Entering the office of king, Clovis began to act according to the plan for the gradual seizure of all Gallic lands. The strategy was as follows: in order to get to the Gothic and Burgundian lands, which constituted a tasty morsel, it was required to subordinate the lands of Siarpie, adjoining the coveted territory.

Clovis has made little effort to seize the land of Siarpia, and soon he is gradually moving from city to city to the land of Burgundians. The troops of Clovis did not disdain any means of quick profit. In military campaigns often plundered churches and temples.

The following tradition is universally known. As a result of another raid on the church, the Franks and their King Clovis stumbled upon an extremely valuable mug. This subject was so important that the bishop literally begged the king to return her to the temple. Clovis was adamant and demanded that the mug be determined in his share of the trophies. All the king's associates were not against such a division, but one of the francs opposed and, striking the mug with a sword, angrily told the king that he should not use his position and receive trophies in excess of the established measure.

The king pretended to forgive him for this trick, and even returned the mug to the bishop, but a year later, at the inspection of the troops, accused the warrior of the fact that his weapons were in poor condition, tore the ax from the hands and threw them to the ground, and when the warrior bent over Her, cut his skull in half.

The Baptism of Clovis: Preconditions and Consequences

Prerequisites for the adoption of Christianity by Clovis was his marriage to the ardent Catholic Clotilde, the Princess of Burgundy. Entering the royal throne, Clotilde desperately tried to force her husband to accept her faith.

These attempts for a long time were unsuccessful. No matter how much Clothild Cloddig argued for the insolvency of his gods, pointing to their similarity with ordinary, petty, vicious people, he stood on his own and answered her that he believed in his gods, and the god of Christianity was implausible, because he did not show himself and could not create himself Miracles.

Strongly alienated Chlodwig from the Christian faith and the fact that the first child of Clotilde died directly during baptism, in a font. Clovis was at that time convinced that if the child were given up under the protection of pagan gods, he would be alive.

Nevertheless, the water grinds the stone, and Clotilde has achieved her. Approximately in 498, the Gallic king was baptized. As the tradition of the church says, it happened at the battle with the Almanians. When Clovis began to lose the battle, he vainly appealed to his gods for help, and when there was almost no hope of salvation, the king remembered the words of prayer to Jesus the Savior, pronounced them, and the Franks, having made a successful maneuver, defeated the Almanders.

The king was baptized in the city of Reims in 496 AD. The conversion of Clovis and his closest subjects into the Christian faith opened him wide opportunities for friendship with the Gallo-Romans, which allowed him to significantly expand his possessions.

The religious policy of the Merovingian dynasty

It is interesting that the newly formed state of Australia did not become a Christian in the literal sense of the word even after the baptism of Clovis and his closest suite. Despite all the efforts of the sincere Christian Clotilde, her husband did not come to the true faith. As before, the people were devoted to pagan customs, rituals and the Scandinavian pantheon.

Clovis from the Merovingian dynasty was not particularly worried about the fate of Christianity on its lands. After baptism, nothing changed in his state policy, so the task of spreading the Christian faith fell on the shoulders of missionaries arriving from other parts of Europe. In the vicinity of Paris and Orleans, as well as other wide Merovingian possessions, the process of active "catholization" of the local population began. Interestingly, the Pope, the head of the Catholic Church, had no authority on the Australian lands, and a little later he helped to overthrow the Meroving dynasty from the throne.

This proves once again the fact that the adoption of Christianity for Clovis, as for the Russian prince Vladimir, was a purely political, cunning multi-step. The characterization of Clovis, the king of the Franks, is in general very similar to that of Vladimir, the prince of Kievan Rus: both were baptized and baptized their entourage, proceeding from political motives, namely, for the sake of friendship with Byzantium. Also noteworthy is the similarity of the scenario after the baptism: how Gallia, after the baptism of Clovis, remained predominantly pagan, and Kievan Rus, after Vladimir's conversion to baptism, did not at first accept the Christian faith, but remained with her pagan pantheon.

The Gothic War

When Clovis, the King of the Franks, was converted to Christianity, an era of success began in relations with the Gallo-Romans. Close to the Gothic lands, Clovis, already supported by the higher clergy, began the war against Gundoald, the uncle of his wife Clotilde, who killed her parents and brothers for the throne in the year 500. In 506, the victory was won, and the conqueror finally entered the Visigothic kingdom. Clovis, according to Gregory of Tours, was extremely worried by the fact that the Goths are oppressing some part of Gaul, so that the war he undertook was called sacred, which was extremely gratifying to the higher clergy.

Finally, Clovis struck ready near Poitiers, at Vuglo. After killing Alaric, the king is ready, the conqueror finally became convinced of his power and became so proud that soon the Byzantine emperor Anastassy was agitated and sent him a letter to the consulate in order to point out to Khlodvig his subordinate place and to establish the empire's dominion over all lands that he freed from the ready.

The brutal strategy of killing all potential enemies

How can you describe the management of Clovis? After a successful Gallic war, he began to systematically destroy all his opponents, the Gallic leaders. Capturing their lands and destroying everyone, the king soon possessed almost the entire of Gaul.

The closest relatives, the brothers Rignomera and Rihara, personally killed Clovis. The King of the Franks, whose biography is full of a lot of "casual" violent deaths of competitors, however, was not quick-tempered: no murder occurred affectively, opponents were destroyed gradually, cunningly and imperceptibly.

In the end, Clovis killed all those who during his reign did not please him: Hararich, the king who refused to help in the battle against Siagria, and his son, in order to stop encroaching on the throne of his father. Clovis also acted with the leaders of the Rhine francs: Zygibert, his ally, he killed with the hands of his own son, promising the latter for parricide his support and royal mantle. When Chloderic killed his father Zigibert, and Clovis entered the kingdom, he declared Chloderica a traitor, killed him and himself took the throne.

There is a case when Clovis called all his people and showered them, complaining that he had no more relatives who could support him. The whole dodgy plan was to find out if the king still had random relatives, whom he would also have killed with great joy.

The Kingdom of Clovis as a new stage in French history

After the end of the Gothic war, Clovis made Paris the capital of all his lands and settled there. Immediately the king ordered the construction of the Cathedral of the Apostles Peter and Paul (now the Church of Saint Genevieve). After the death of Clovis in 511, he was buried there.

In 511, just before his own death, Clovis initiated the first Frankish Church Council in Orléans to transform the Gallic church. He also contributed to the establishment of "Salic Truth" - the code of laws of the Franks.

After the death of the king, his possessions were divided by his four sons. Clotilde, ranked as a saint, moved to Tours and spent the rest of her days in the basilica of St. Martin.

So, the story of Clovis is heroic. Even despite some negative, impartial moments of his biography. Successful reign of Clovis launched the process of the formation of a kind of renewed Roman Empire - a state whose symbol was a mutually beneficial union between the state and the church, between the secular authorities of the Merovingians and the spiritual authority of the Christian diocese.