The Franks Essay, Research Paper
The last phase of the Western Roman Empire, the period of transition
between Romanity and the rise of a new medieval world, is marked by
successive incursions of Barbarians from the north. In particular, there were
the Goths (Visigoths and Ostrogoths), Alans, Suebi, Vandals, Huns, and the
Franks. Dominating present-day northern France, Belgium, and western
Germany, one of these groups, the Franks, established the most powerful
Christian kingdom of early medieval western Europe.
The origins of the Franks are obscure. They seemed to have
developed as a distinct people during the 1st or 3rd century A.D. as a result
of a fusion of many small Germanic tribes living along the east bank of the
lower Rhine River. While the tribes were linked by language and
institutions, they were not united politically(Malcolm 9) Two large groupings
of the Franks, the Salians and the Ripuarians, existed as early as the 3rd
century. Each of these was divided into many petty kingdoms rules by
warrior chiefs whose personal ability and success in war determined the
fortune of each kingdom( McNeill 75)
The turning point in the Franks history came with their movement
west of the Rhine into Roman Gaul.(Latouche 216) In the mid-3rd century
the Franks tried unsuccessfully to expand westward across the Rhine into
Roman-held Gaul. In the mid-4th century the Franks again attempted to
invade Gaul, and in 358 Rome was compelled to abandon the area between
the Meuse and Scheldt rivers(now in Belgium) to the Salian Franks. During
the course of these drawn-out struggles, the Franks were gradually
influenced by Roman civilization. Some Frankish leaders became Roman
allies in the defense of the Roman frontier, and many Franks served as
auxiliary soldiers in the Roman army.(Mcneill 76)
The Vandals launched a massive invasion of Gaul in 406, and in the
ensuing decades, the Franks took advantage of the overstrained Roman
defenses. They solidified their hold on what is now Belgium, took
permanent control of the lands immediately west of the middle Rhine River,
and edged into what is now northeastern France.(Cottingham 29) The firm
establishment of the Franks in northeastern Gaul by the year 480 meant that
both the former Roman province of Germania and part of the two former
Belgic provinces were lost to Roman rule. The small Gallo-Roman
population therefore became submerged among the German immigrants,
and Latin ceased to be the language of everyday speech.(McManus 46)
The extreme limit of Frankish settlement at this time is marked by the
linguistic frontier that still divides the Romance-speaking peoples of France
and southern Belgium from the Germanic-speaking peoples of northern
Belgium, The Netherlands, and Germany.(McNeill 76)
Under the Salian king Clovis I, the power and extent of the Frankish
kingdom grew considerably. In 481-482, Clovis succeeded his father
Childeric, as the ruler of the Salian Franks of Tournai. In 486 Clovis
overthrew Syagrius, the last Roman governor in Gaul, and in the following
years, compelled the other Salian and Ripuarian tribes to submit to his
authority.(Cottingham 31) This marked the first time the Franks had stood
united. Clovis then took advantage of the depleted Roman defenses and
led the united Franks in a series of campaigns that brought all of northern
Gaul under his rule by 494. He stemmed the Alemannic migrations into
Gaul from east of the Rhine, and in 507 he drove southward, subduing the
Visigoths who had established themselves in southern Gaul. A unified
Frankish kingdom was thus established and secured. Clovis converted to
Catholicism, and the massive adoption of orthodox Christianity by the
Franks only helped to further unite them.(McNeill 77)
Clovis belonged to the Merovingian dynasty, so named for his
grandfather Merovich.(Latouche 215) After the death of Clovis, the kingdom
was divided among his four sons, and for the following century it went
through several divisions and reunifications until finally consolidated by
Clotaire II in 613. Shortly after his death, however, the kings ceased to
exercise any influence, and authority passed into the hands of the great
officers of the state, mostly notably, the mayor of the palace(major domus).
In the eastern part, Austrasia, however, a powerful family, the Carolingian,
arose which retained exclusive possession of the palace morality for more
than 100 years.(Winston 77) In 687 Pepin of Herstal, the Austrasian mayor
of the palace, overthrew the forces of Neustria(the western part) and
Bourgogne, setting himself up as major domus of a united Frankish
kingdom. His son, Charles Martel, extended the frontiers of the kingdom in
the east and in 732 repelled the Moors in a decisive battle fought at a site
between Tours and Poitiers. Frankish power attained great development
under Charles Martel s grandson, Charlemagne, who in his time was the
most powerful monarch of Europe. On December 25, 800, he was crowned
Carolus Augustus, emperor of the Romans, by Pop Leo III. Charlemagne s
imperial title was later borne by the Holy Roman emperors until the early
19th century. His Frankish lands developed into the kingdom of France,
which is named for the Franks.(Ibid)
The Carolingian decline after Charlemagne, followed the same pattern
as the Merovingians after Clovis. The same type of partition of lands
resulted in the area roughly equivalent to medieval France being assigned to
the Frankish emperor Charles II. He and his descendants held an
ever-weakening grip over the kingdom against invading Vikings and
predatory lords. Over the shrunken French state, the Capetian dynasty
would achieve kingship by 987, and within the state the feudal system would
flower.(McManus 48)
Successive Barbarian incursions marked the last phase of the
Western Roman Empire. Among these Barbarian groups were the
Goths(Visigoths and Ostrogoths), the Alans, the Suebi, the Vandals, and the
Franks. Only one of these, however, was able to establish a great and
prosperous kingdom after the fall of the Western Roman Empire.
Dominating present-day northern France, Belgium, and Western Germany,
the Franks established the most powerful Christian kingdom of early
medieval Europe.