Notes |
- According to the seventh century chronicler Fredegar, the wife of
semi-legendary King Clodio had an encounter with a Quinotaur. From
this encounter came the ruler Merovich after whom the Merovingians
were named. The son of Merovich was said to be Childeric, and his son
was Clovis I (465 - 511).
The details of the lives and deeds as well as the actual relationship
between Chlodio, Merovich and Childeric are shrouded in myth and
legend. However these Salic chieftains were related, they were
certainly part of the leading family of the Salian Franks. They were
distinguished, like other Germanic aristocratic families by the
fashion of allowing their hair (and sometimes beards as well) to grow
long, and they became known as "the long haired kings".
(Source: Robert Sewell,
www3.sympatico.ca/robert.sewell/merovech.html)
Clovis I was the first important ruler of the Merovingian Dynasty and
is considered the founder of the French State. He became Chieftain of
the Salian Franks in 481. In 486, he defeated the last great Roman
army in Gaul and went on to defeat many minor princes, kings and
tribal chieftains to form the first Frankish Kingdom. Clovis I
married in 493 to Clotilda (475 - 545), later St. Clotilda, daughter
of Childperic, King of the Burgundians.
Germanic tribesmen living close to the North Sea tended to have fairly
large timber houses supported by four rows of posts that divided the
house into three rooms. The family lived in the centre room, while a
smaller room on one side was used for storage and a larger room on the
other side was used to house the animals whose body heat helped warm
the living quarters. From this arrangement comes the story that "the
people lived in the barn" or that "the cattle lived in the house."
Further inland, people tended to inhabit dwellings that were supported
by upright posts but without interior supports. These dwellings
varied in size from 20 feet X 12 feet up to perhaps 25 feet square.
Long, narrow buildings about 12 feet X 25 feet housed the cattle while
smaller structures 12 feet square were used for storage. Some of
these smaller storage buildings were partially underground.
The main crops were barley, wheat, oats, peas and beans. Crop
rotation was practiced, and fields were improved by adding limestone
and manure. Depleted soil was abandoned and new land brought into use
using the slash and burn technique. Simple scratch ploughs pulled by
oxen were most common, and they didn't actually turn the soil. Grain
was left attached to the hay and was roasted slightly to preserve it.
Grain was separated from the hay as needed and ground using simple
hand grindstones. Once ground, flour was used to prepare porridge and
flat bread. Grain was also used to make beer.
Cattle were very important and were an indicator of wealth. Pigs,
sheep, goats, horses, chickens and geese were also kept. Every
portion of the animals was used either for food or for the production
of clothing, shelter and utensils. Wild animals were hunted and killed
for sport and to eliminate nuisance animals. Wild animals are thought
to have made up less than 5% of the total animals used.
Iron was produced using small, crude but effective charcoal furnaces
made of earth. These ovens held about a litre of ore, and only 200
grams of iron could be made at a time from the very best ore. This
iron was worked into very high quality steel, far superior to the
equipment of the Roman troops. However, the Germanic tribes were iron
poor, and weapons such as long swords were rare.
Each individual household was dominated by the father who held
authority over all the members. A number of households, sometimes as
many as fifty, were grouped into a family clan-like organization. A
number of clans formed a tribe which was sometimes overseen by a
"king" who was really a tribal chieftain. The "king" was usually
chosen from one family that was most closely identified with the
ethnic, cultural and historical traditions of the tribe - that is,
from a "royal family." Some tribes had several kings, one to preside
over meetings, one for religious ceremonies and one for military
command. Other tribes didn't have a king at all.
In order to survive and prosper, a tribe had become almost completely
militarized; that is, the tribe had to become an army. This is what
appears to have happened with the Salian Franks whose Merovingian
Kings dominated the region from the fifth century onwards.
(Source: Patrick J. Geary: "Before France and Germany", Oxford
University Press, 1988)
|