Genealogy by Martha

Cross - Love - Culpepper - Herron - Mordecai - Shelby - Cobb

the Great Clovis I Of the Franks

Male 465 - 511  (46 years)


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  • Name Clovis I Of the Franks 
    Prefix the Great 
    Born 465  France Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Gender Male 
    Died 511 
    Person ID I3148  MyTree
    Last Modified 15 Aug 2009 

    Father Childeric I Of the Franks,   b. 481,   d. 451 
    Mother Basina Of Thuringia 
    Married France Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Family ID F2134  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family 1 Clothilde Of Burgundy,   b. 475, Burgundia Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 550, France Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 75 years) 
    Married 492  France Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Children 
    +1. Lothaire I Of Neustria,   d. 561
     2. Chlodomir Of Orleans,   d. 524
     3. Childebert I Of Paris,   d. 558
     4. Clotilde Of the Franks
    Last Modified 17 Jul 2017 
    Family ID F2133  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family 2 Evochild Of Thuringia 
    Children 
    +1. Theuderic I Of Austrasia
    Last Modified 17 Jul 2017 
    Family ID F3198  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  • 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)