Basina Princess of Thuringia

Merovaeous King of the Salian Franks

Notes:

KING 448-58 ALIA /MEROVEE/ I Defeated the Visigoths at the battle of Chalons A.D. 450 and became Kin g o f the Franks. Merovingians (dynasty) The Merovingians were the first dynasty of FRANKS t o rule most of what is today France and parts of western Germany and the Low Countries. The d ynasty took its name from Merovech, a chief of the Salian Franks . He was the father of Child eric I (d. 481), whose son CLOVIS (r. 481-511) established Frankish rule over most of GAUL an d converted to Roman Christianity. When Clovis died, his kingdom was divided, according to Fr ankish custom, among his four sons: Theodoric (d. 534), Chlodomer (d. 524), Childebert I (d . 558), and Chlota r I (d. 561), who made their respective headquarters at Metz, Orleans, Paris, and Soissons. Only Chlotar I survived the bitter conflicts of the next half c entury, and from 558 to 561 the Frankish territories were reunited under him. On Chlotar's de ath, however, the kingdom was divided again. His sons, Charibert I (d. 567), Sigibert I (d. 575), Guntran (d. 592), and Chilperic I (d. 584), receiv ed the territories of AQUITAINE, AUSTRASIA, BURGUNDY, and NEUSTRIA, respectively. Sigibert an d Chilperic began a long and savage war with each other, which was continued after their deat hs by their respective queens Brunhild (d. 613) and Frede gund (d. 597). The war was ultimate ly won by Chilperic's family, and his grandson Dagobert I , king of all the Franks from 629 t o 639, was the last Merovingian king of consequence. After Dagobert's death the kings of the Merovingian dynast y became captives of various magnate families. The most successful of these families, the CAR OLINGIANS, finally overthrew the Merovingians in 751 and established their own dynasty. Bernard S. Bachrach Bibliography: Geary, Patrick J., Before Fr ance and Germany (1988); Lasko, Peter, The Kingdom of the Franks, Northwest Europe before Cha rlemagne (1971); Levine, Robert, France before Charlemagne (1990); Wallace-Hadrill, J. M., The Barbarian West, 400-1000, 3d rev. ed. (1967 ) . Merovee=Merovech, Prince des Francs (3509) (Rosamond, Frankish kingdom under Carolingians . ) (Paul, Nouveau Larousse Universel.) (Stuart, Royalty for Commoners, Page 216, Line 303-53.) (Andre Castelot, Histoire de La France, Pages, 176, 200. ) . Born: before 390, son of Arcadios Claudius Claudianus (3507) and Eudoxie (3508), Merove e i s presumed to have been at least 15 years of age by the time his son Childeric I was born . Married before 405: N? (3510); She was a concubine. Note - betw een 451 and 458: Before 430 , the Salic Francs traverse the Escaut, and settle north of Gand [ Gant] and also into Courtr ai. Their chief, Clodion, takes Cambrai in 430. When Clodion died in 448, Merovee would succe ed him as chief. Merovee was a Frankish Prince who ruled over the Saliennes [thus, this Merov ee is King of the Salic Fra ncs] from 452-458. He was the commander of the Francs in the grea t Battle of the Catalonic Fields, where he defeated Attila the Hun in 451. It is from hi s na me that the kings of the First Race derived their name. The Huns had steadily increased thei r domination from humble beginnings off the Caspian sea from Caucase to the Elbe, from Muldav ia to Hungary in the later part of the Fourth Century. During his reign the Empress of the Ro man Empire, Galla Placidia, in 423 governed in the name of her 4-year old son, Valentinius II I. She put the Gallo-Roman Aetius [who really came from Bulgaria [originally Silistria] in ch arge of maintaining the Roman authority over Gaule. Although he was unsuccessful against th e Wisigoths, h e pushed the Riparian Francs beyond the Rhine. In 440, the Riparians would ret urn and take over Cologne and Treves. In the meantime, the Burgundians settle in what would b ecome Bourgogne and in Savoie. In 443, they are camped around Worms and Mayence under the com mand of their King, Gonthier. Died: in 458. RAFFIN

Clodeswinthe of the Salian Franks Verica" Queen of France

Ira Denio

Elizabeth Denio

Clodio Franks King of the Franks

Ildegonde of Koeln

Pharamond King of West Franks Westphalia

Notes:

Argotta Franconia Queen of France|Queen of France

Genebald Franks Duke of East Franks|Duke of East Franks

Chief of Franks Theodemir

Blesinde of Koeln

Frankish Chief of Koeln Marcomir

Princess of Lombardy Ildegonde

King of Koeln Chlogio

Princess of Suevi Blesinde

Chief of Franks Richimir

Ascyla

Ascyllius

Frankish King of Worms Mellobaude