Clovis I, King of Salic Franks, King of France b. 466 d. 27 Nov 511 Paris, , , France: If the Legends Are True...

The Merovigians were a dynasty of Frankish kings, descended, according to tradition, from Merovech, chief of the Salian Franks , whose son was Childeric I and whose grandson was Clovis I , the founder of the Frankish monarchy. Merovingian kings followed Frankish custom in dividing the patrimony. After the death (511) of Clovis I, the kingdom was divided among his descendants into various kingdoms, which later became known as Austrasia , Neustria , and Burgundy . These kingdoms, whose borders were constantly shifting, were often combined; for brief periods, they were all united in a single realm under Clotaire I (558-61), Clotaire II (613-23), and Dagobert I (629-39). The rule of the Merovingians before Dagobert I was disturbed by chronic warfare among aristocrats and rivals for power, notably between Queen Brunhilda of Austrasia and Queen Fredegunde of Neustria. Dagobert I was the last active ruler; his descendants were called the rois fainéants, or idle kings. They were entirely subject to their mayors of the palace, the Carolingians , who became the nominal as well as the actual rulers of the Franks when Pepin the Short deposed (751) the last Merovingian king, Childeric III.

Suffix	King of Salic Franks, King of France
Alt. Birth	463 [5]
Birth	466 [1, 2]
Religion	496 [6]
	converted to Roman Catholicism
	The traditional date of the conversion of Clovis to Roman Catholicism is 496. He had previously married a Burgundian, Clotilda, who was of the Roman communion. The Burgundians in general were Arians, and Clovis's choice may have been deliberate. In any case his conversion won him papal support and opened the way to wide conquests from the heretic (i.e., Arian) German peoples. Burgundy was conquered (after 500); the Visigoths defeated at Vouillé (507); and their whole kingdom north of the Pyrenees (except Septimania and Provence) was soon subjugated. These conquests were supported by the Gallo-Roman clergy as a religious war. Clovis founded the Church of the Holy Apostles (Ste. Geneviève) at Paris, and shortly moved his "capital" from Soissons to Paris. He was made an honorary consul by Emperor Anastasius, a proceeding that brought the Franks technically into the empire. Frankish Administration. The old Roman civitas, city and surrounding territory, served as the basis of Merovingian and (later) Carolingian administration. Comites, later called counts, royal officials of Gallo-Roman descent, presided over the civitas, collected taxes, heard lawsuits, enforced justice, and raised troops. Clovis and his descendants issued capitulares, legislative and administrative orders divided by chapters, that tried to reduce violence; these showed the strong influence of Roman law.
Christened	22 Sep 496 [5]
Gender	Male
Acceded	King of France [1]
Acceded	481-511 [1, 2, 3, 4]
	King of Salic Franks
History	The Merovingian Dynasty [4, 7]
	The Merovigians were a dynasty of Frankish kings, descended, according to tradition, from Merovech, chief of the Salian Franks , whose son was Childeric I and whose grandson was Clovis I , the founder of the Frankish monarchy. Merovingian kings followed Frankish custom in dividing the patrimony. After the death (511) of Clovis I, the kingdom was divided among his descendants into various kingdoms, which later became known as Austrasia , Neustria , and Burgundy . These kingdoms, whose borders were constantly shifting, were often combined; for brief periods, they were all united in a single realm under Clotaire I (558-61), Clotaire II (613-23), and Dagobert I (629-39). The rule of the Merovingians before Dagobert I was disturbed by chronic warfare among aristocrats and rivals for power, notably between Queen Brunhilda of Austrasia and Queen Fredegunde of Neustria. Dagobert I was the last active ruler; his descendants were called the rois fainéants, or idle kings. They were entirely subject to their mayors of the palace, the Carolingians , who became the nominal as well as the actual rulers of the Franks when Pepin the Short deposed (751) the last Merovingian king, Childeric III.
Died	27 Nov 511	Paris, , , France [1, 2, 5]
History	511-628 [6]
	the Frankish lands were divided after the death of Clovis
	His four sons established four capitals — Metz, Orleans, Paris, Soissons. Expansion eastward continued along the upper Elbe; Burgundy was added, and the territory of the Ostrogoths north of the Alps. After a period of ruthless conflict, only Lothair (Chlothar) survived, and for a brief time (558– 61) the Frankish lands were under one head again. Lothair's division of his lands among his four sons led to a great feud from which three kingdoms emerged: Austrasia (capital Metz) lying to the east (Auster) and mostly Teutonic; Neustria (the "new land," as the name implies; capital Soissons), Gallo-Roman in blood; and Burgundy, which had no king of its own but joined Neustria under a common ruler. The prince of Neustria exterminated the rival house in Austrasia, but the local chieftains preserved the kingdom's identity. Under Lothair II all three kingdoms were united again (613) under one ruler.
Name	Chlodovech I of the Franks [5]
Name	Clovis the Great [1, 2]
Person ID	I15997	If the Legends Are True...
Last Modified	19 Aug 2011

Father	King Childeric I of Franks, b. 436, d. 26 Nov 481, Tournai, , Basse-Normandie, France
Mother	Basina, b. 438, d. 491
Married	464
Family ID	F5933	Group Sheet

Clovis I, King of Salic Franks, King of France[1, 2, 3, 4]

Clovis I, King of Salic Franks, King of France^{[1, 2, 3, 4]}