Early Frankish History in Europe

Dark-Age Europe, The Frankish Tribes, the Merovingian Kingdom

Dec 8, 2008

One of many groups of Germanic tribes who existed in the power vacuum of Dark-Age Europe, the Franks soon rose above the rest once united by Clovis.1,2,3

One of many groups of Germanic tribes who existed in the power vacuum of Dark-Age Europe, the Franks soon rose above the rest once united by Clovis, first king of the Merovingian dynasty.1,2,3

Dark-Age Europe

The Frankish rise to prominence began in a Europe which was a shadow of its former self. Roman rule had recently evaporated, taking with it the only orderly government known by western Europe since many centuries before. Recently-immigrated Germanic tribes, Franks among them, inherited the western empire. These people spent the next 900 years rebuilding civilization.1

During the period examined by this article, power lay with tribal warlords. Most of these men and their factions focused on squabbling with one another, and destroyed as much as they built.1,2 Military equipment stayed plentiful2, but discipline and organization either declined or collapsed, depending which historians one believes1,2. Regardless, the armies of such men did little to provide safety for travelers and traders along the old Roman roads, which bandits prowled freely. Education was at best confined to monasteries and the ranks of the Catholic clergy.1

The Frankish Tribes

The Franks, who spoke a Germanic language, initially settled in the Rhine and Meuse river valleys, in Belgium and Germany. Though grouped under one name, these relative newcomers to Europe were in no way politically-united They were a group of many tribes united much as the ancient Greeks were, by a common language and culture. Part of this shared heritage dictated their political system, another unifying trait.1A

Frankish tribes were ruled by warlords and kings of warlords. Alliances shifted, and political power flowed from the business end of a sword or spear; a group’s influence depended upon skill at arms and the guidance of shrewd, ruthless commanders.1 Succession among rulers was hereditary, with a quirk: one’s realm was divided evenly between all living sons.1,3 Though not always practiced1,3, this custom sowed seeds of fragmentation which would end the Frankish empire to come1.

Really, the pre-Merovingian Franks did little more to rebuild civilization in their part of Europe than did their contemporaries elsewhere.

The Merovingian Kingdom

In 486, Clovis ascended one of the Frankish thrones1,3. Though there is little if any proof he set out to improve Europe1,3, he created a power-block which eventually produced the Carolingian kingdom and its associated improvements as a byproduct1,2,3. Exactly when, how, and why Clovis did the things he did remains unclear3. Gregory of Tours gives some details about Clovis in his histories, but these passages read more like Catholic propaganda than any kind of objective record, and are viewed more as ‘literary fiction’.3

The list of his achievements, however, is known with some certainty.1,2,3 Soon after his ascension, he quickly proceeded to unify the Franks by all means required.1,2,3 By 4863, he was expanding his peoples’ territory, eventually conquering the Alemanni, the Burgundians, and the Visigoths to create a kingdom which included near all of modern-day France and parts of Germany.1,2,3 Though he made his capital in Paris, records show he did little in the way of settlement and cultural exchange to solidify his gains.1 Of perhaps more lasting benefit to the Franks was his convenient conversion to Christianity late in life, which allowed him to ally his people with the Catholic church.2 He died in 511.3

His sons’ dynasty, the Merovingian, began decline when his sons stopped conquering around 540, and afterward bought loyalty with their own lands and revenues. Their power faded, conquests slipped away, and by 600 they were impotent figureheads1. It was this power vacuum which allowed the rise of the Carolingians1.

Sources*

2.Battles of the Medieval World: From Hastings to Constantinople, introduction. DeVries, Kelly. Amber Books Ltd, 2006. New York: Metro Books, 2006. New York NY 10014.

*Some credit also goes to Morris Bishop, from one of whose books the author’s initial knowledge of this topic derives.

The copyright of the article Early Frankish History in Europe in Early Middle Ages is owned by Miles Burk. Permission to republish Early Frankish History in Europe in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.