Clovis I : The Secular and Religious History of the Early Franks

[@studyofantiquityandthemidd4449]

What are your thoughts on this episode about the Franks and the conversion of Clovis I to Christianity? Become a Patron of The Study of Antiquity and the Middle Ages and make history matter! Join us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/The_Study_of_Antiquity_and_the_Middle_Ages Check out history related merchandise through our affiliate link to SPQR Emporium! spqr-emporium.com/?aff=3 The link above is an affiliate link which means we will receive a small commission from your generous purchases, just another way to support your history channel. Donate directly at our PayPal: paypal.me/NickBarksdale

[@mattyoungblood5720]

Good stuff. Though from my understanding, you kinda bungled the cleaved urn/cleaved skull story. All in all, 4/5. Keep it up!

[@MrRourk]

You are a good storyteller. Thanks for the history lesson.

[@quintonmitchell2853]

It's interesting that the Franks had Roman exposure going back to the 300s and some were in the Roman Army and played a role as the Empire was declining, so it seems Franks are always shown as barbarians, but really a good number were assimilated into Roman customs, techniques, etc. After the Battle of Soissons conquering the remaining rump state of Rome in France, the Franks blew up acquiring more land from their original Northern French Belgian Walloon roots. If Franks were in part Roman conscripts (the Romans by this point were contracting heavily with barbarian soldiers), it seems some Franks probably were in the Middle East, North Africa, Turkey, etc. This wealthy of information compared to other Germanic tribes like those in Saxony or deeper, seems to have given the Franks a competitive advantage, and we Rome fell, they say themselves as the true successors. Were the Franks barbarians? Yes, but always no in many cases, though they were pagans, yet, they lived alongside Christianity slowly

[@mad_fleming]

Wowow the Franks are not descended from Walloons and the Northern French, it's the other way around. The Flemish, most of the Dutch and many West-Germans are also descended from the Franks. Hell the Flemish and Dutch still speak the language.

[@quintonmitchell2853]

@@mad_fleming talking about the general area of North France, Belgium in general, etc.

[@basedkaiser5352]

@@quintonmitchell2853 Weren’t they Celtic though ?

[@quintonmitchell2853]

@@basedkaiser5352 Yes and No. They were a Germanic Federation of tribes with Celtic elements with German being the stronger culture within it and Germanic culture came to rule the top of the federation over the Gallo Celtic, but both mixed over time to strengthen the Franks a whole. It was easier to rule the larger Gallo Celtic lower classes if you at top (smaller nobility) learned their language than the other way around. Also marrying into the leaders of people who were included into the "gang" helped organize but by doing so you ran into issues of pagans marrying Catholics so conversion to Catholic was inevitable but had political benefits of A) religion controls people and B) papal decree justifies rule. The Franks would do this strategy all over Europe. Conquer tribes, either kill a competitor or make The competitor a subject but then marry into their family ensuring children favored the male frankish line. For women children they'd me married back into the family (cousins, second or third cousins) so The Franks never lost power. The Franks were Germanic with two cores being Salians (Northwest) in the marshes of Southern Netherlands and Belgium and the Ripurian (South East) in present day Germany proper but they both come from East of the Rhine (Germany). Franks are a Germanic Gallo Celtic hybrid group. Tribes migrated quite a bit due to the Romans, in fighting, weather, etc., but also conflicts with other barbarians tribes like that Huns, Avars, etc. One stronger or more influential tribe would unite with others and the stronger culture would be adopted, etc etc. A similar federation were the Alemmani. One could say the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes created a similar confederation when invading England and displacing the Celtic Britons who fled to Brittany and Wales. Many Germans fled elsewhere across Europe and some into North Africa. People want history to simple but it's not.

[@quintonmitchell2853]

@@basedkaiser5352 it's funny that even today the nation's of Belgium and the Netherlands stand out because they are German French hybrid in how their cultures are Beer drinking (Germanic). Beer drinking nations but their beers are almost made like wines (Gallo Celtic, Latin) with fruitier and spicier tastes.

[@timomastosalo]

Clovis was the Latinized version of his Germanic name Hlodowig (Chl-/Hlodovech...us), Which sounds very similar as all the Germanic leaders or the Migration era.

[@faramund9865]

Modern Dutch: Lodewijk

[@faramund9865]

@Galva Tron Yup, Louis being the French derivative of Ludwig.

[@thomaslacornette1282]

Clovis is also the previous name of Louis. Just remove the C-> Lovis

[@DarkRyderWhisky]

With the exception of the conical helmets and thor medallions I enjoyed this. Very good job.

[@mahakalabhairava9950]

May I ask you How those helmets should have been instead?

[@DarkRyderWhisky]

@@mahakalabhairava9950 they should have been romanesque. This is several hundred years to soon for this style of helm.

[@AnthonyEvelyn]

@@mahakalabhairava9950 He is right. Germanic tribes back then didnt have conical helms. They had more rounded helms with cheek guards, just like late Roman helmets.

[@mahakalabhairava9950]

I have seen pictures of Frankish with pointed helmets... Not like in the video, but like spiked.

[@DarkRyderWhisky]

@@mahakalabhairava9950 oh please dont misunderstand, I'm not saying the conical helmet wasnt in existence as it absolutely was, but not this style during this timeframe. Almost every helmet found from this time period in this part of Europe is the same. All are reworked fairly basic helms of the legion.

[@al_wombat]

Interesting! The pronunciation of European names makes it tricky to follow sometimes. „Baouwarkorneyg“ at 9:36 is probably Bauernkönig. Apart from that: great listen.

[@anthonykaiser974]

Lots of Americans have been given bad info on pronouncing German umlauts.

[@iangeorgewhatton7541]

One of my Ancient Ancestors following the 1st Whatton William de Whatton 1066 son of Walter de Tirel the 3rd family through to Eccard de Tirel, Hildebrand, through to Chlodomar de Francie the 1st born 11BC. You are talking about Clovis Chlodiom Born 392 Koln Germany. Father of Sigmerious of Koln, Bishop of Auvenugne and Merovech.

[@makessence2205]

Really I live in a City called Clovis was a Protestant never wanted to become Catholic but on March 19th 2007 the True Relic of the Cross placed on my forehead saw 2 visions went down with my 7 mo old son in my hands had a peace come down on me that made me Catholic now oh the Church was called St Helen in Portales NM really .

[@mikeyb8040]

you might want to see a psychiatrist... just saying.

[@thecupoftruth3508]

Mikey B took your advice saw one and boy did it do wonders

[@theveryproudmoroccan2834]

Huh?

[@rmp7400]

Welcome home+❤✨👑

[@craigluther2078]

I was Clovis and have had flash backs and all my wife now was even Clotilde in that life and she got me to convert and she truly changed my soul it was amazing not because I was King but that I changed my soul for the better

[@craigluther2078]

Interesting I was Clovis in a past life and in another life Henry Dearborn. You were involved in a several hour pod cast on Henry Dearborn. You guys got it mostly right but if you want to hear the rest of the story let me know i am willing to share working on a book on Henry Desrborn now.

[@anduinlothar4003]

Frank monarchy always adorned long hairs until the capet

[@TheNorgesOption]

Regarding the Franks' relationship with Julian, I'm unsure what is happening with modern historians and their persistent defamation of the Frankish tribes. Historians tend to give the Franks proper recognition when discussing specific battles, such as the Battle of Strasbourg (the Battle you are talking about in the video 4:09), likely because they rely on contemporary accounts from those who witnessed the events. However, speaking of the Franks more generally, they often overlook a crucial point: they were not fighting against the Romans but serving as part of the Roman elite Auxilia palatina. This oversight stems from historians relying on later sources rather than detailed accounts of individual battles. In fact, Caesar Julian explicitly stated that he made a treaty with the Franks before the Battle. They were Roman allies who provided troops to serve as Auxilia palatina. These very forces played a pivotal role in saving Julian during this Battle. Battle over, the origins of the Franks remain uncertain, as various sources provide differing accounts. This discrepancy likely arises because these sources were based on accounts from individuals who had served alongside the Franks rather than offering a clear ethnographic history. This inconsistency aligns with the idea that the Franks were more of a military unit than a distinct tribe or people. For instance, Gregory of Tours states, "Some people say the Franks are from..."-a deliberately vague remark suggesting that differing perspectives were common. This ambiguity further reinforces the notion of the Franks as Foederati, serving the Roman Empire rather than standing as its adversaries.

[@justokproductions222]

I’ve heard that intro before somewhere…

[@blueinferno2135]

What were the sources of the battle scenes? (Were they Historical recreations? If so can anyone name where they are available to watch?) Edit: Like in 16:00

[@str.77]

I don't recall that the baptisms of Ingomer and especially Chlodomer were secret.

[@clio2rsminicup]

Clovis the first who chose as Capital of his kingdom an ancient Gallic city then Gallo-Roman named "Lutecia". Lutecia which at the very beginning of the 4th century A.D. changed its name to ... PARIS! Clovis who was therefore the king who made Paris the official capital of France!

[@pompeiusmagnus2276]

Lutetia Parisiorum (Lutetia of the Gallic tribe the Parisii) apparently was called "Parisiorum" for short in the vulgar Latin vernacular. It didn't exactly change its name, but the vernacular speakers called it "Parisiorum," hence "Paris" for short.

[@yahuhananbenyamineliyahu7706]

Super interesting and visually nice made.. I understood exactly as much as: Arr arr aarr ääärr arrr örrr.. ..but thx. 👍😜

[@KeithAvila]

Isn’t it odd that Clovis on the battlefield calling on the Christian god is translated into old English? When I die I hope that everything I’ve ever said is translated into old English too😂😂 Damn yo… Keith died. What really? What were his last words? Oh he said “Thou looketh into my eyes set before thi and caneth you passeth unto me but one more beereth for thou shall see my stomach has yet to reacheth fullness” Wow

[@zerozilch]

It's hard to live by one set of rules and be punished by a conflicting set of rules.

[@jhonfamo8412]

Like the ability to consume. Consumption gets the prize

[@HonestLawyersNeeded]

Sounds like Irish bagpipes to me, best sound ever, do you know the name of the tune?

[@historicinematics]

Great grandpa!

[@claudiussmith8798]

I would differenciate more between celto romans and christians, because the roman gods were still a thing at the rhine river until the early viking ages and were tolerated by the franks. Also don t forget that the pre migration franks contributed just with 10 % population to their new territories western the rhine. So actually exept the leading elite, the franks actually were mostly celto romanics. Conversions from christians to germanic paganism just didn t happend and from roman paganism to germanic far away from their former holy sites also didn t makes sence. so under which religion you should try to unite your multi cultural empire? It was the only choise he had. arian christianity wasn t an option, without a stock of arians in your own population and the romanic people within your kingdom hating them beeing responsible for the fall of their civilisation. Nice vid anyway, i just wished you didn t forgot the roman pagans, because i know there is very few literature about them, i just know about a letter from a preacher who was kicked out of colongne because he tried to burn the temples in the 8th or 9th century and after beeing kicked out he complained to the pope. The others are finding of statures of isis (the goddess) within the walls of cologne churches, found after wwII bombardments.

[@str.77]

Constantine's mum is not part of any "Christian wife converts pagan ruler" trope - not only because Constantine Was her son but also because Constantine was Christian before his mum.

[@str.77]

@علي ياسر Constantine WAS a pagan until he converted to Christianity. What nation are you talking about - Constantine was a Roman Emperor - ans what is your last sentence supposed to mean?

[@str.77]

@علي ياسر What are you even talking about? His mother was a pagan when her son became a Christian. She later became a Christian too. Helena did not cause any divisions or blasphemy. Nor did Constantine.

[@54032Zepol]

What song was that at the beginning that was on fire!!

[@54032Zepol]

@Sea dreams where?

[@d.c.8828]

Go watch Jack Rackham's channel! It's the intro theme he uses for every episode!

[@d.c.8828]

kzbin.info

[@u.mazzeru3327]

How does being heavily Christianized make Gaule more “Romanized” than the Italian peninsula or Rome itself!? (2:28). The very notion of being Roman or Roman citizenry begins to lose meaning when the empire becomes Christian.

[@d.c.8828]

Thought I was watching a Jack Rackham video when I heard the intro. 😂

[@dancarson1479]

Speaking Frankly. 🤣

[@htttppppp]

The papacy was not involved per se and was not mentioned (if I understood correctly) because it was pre-Great Schism time when Rome was a see of a Roman archbishop and not a bishop, which is the fact today. Basically, pre-schism bishops were called archbishops and popes. Pope means father just as patriarch (Eastern version) also means father. So, Rome was not a bishopric see. After the breach, they became Popes which is equal to Patriarch (it is Eastern Orthodox's first bishop among equals).

[@devinsword5777]

anyone else notice the dude getting smacked in the head with a sword at 00:10?

[@missunderstood6862]

Anyone researched their genealogy back to Clovis? I found him in my tree after about a year of research...

[@auguste573]

Yes! Mine reaches Clovis and Saint Francis lol i have up to 200 journals of my ancestors collections stretching over 1600 years.

[@missunderstood6862]

@@auguste573 that's awesome, fam!! 😄 it is amazing to find who you related to, right??

[@henocarbouet4093]

I am related agnatically to him through Caribert of Aquitaine. Gascony duxes

[@craigluther2078]

It is but even more do when you find out about your past lives and who you once were the blood in your veins isn't that big a deal anymore ​@@missunderstood6862

[@jhonfamo8412]

Clovis loved his extended family

[@Gilbertlouise12]

God isnt religion. Hes real. He healed me of PTSD. Clovis was there, on the battlefield. He had the experience. He converted because he experienced God for himself. It's only when you have your own experience that u find God is actually real. It's wrong to assume there must have been another reason. History says Clovis had a personal reason to convert. History cannot be changed.

[@craigluther2078]

This is correct and I was so moved by that experience and my past life review after death that I changed my soul. This is a very hard thing to do!

[@zachfranks2817]

I love my ancestors being Frankish royalty

[@wilsontheconqueror8101]

Well done! Didn't Clovis kill alot of his relatives?

[@str.77]

That's what Gregory claims but there were actually only a handful of cased. Contrary to common depiction, Clovis is not the culprit of the death of Sigibert of Cologne.

[@AdriatheBwitch]

Well, its normal there is no mention of papcy, the papcy and the notion of pope didnt exixt at this moment, the papcy and pope existed under emperor Phocas in the start of the 7th century, before that the pope was the bishop of rome and nothing more he was equal as other bishops in the roman empire

[@andrecostermans7109]

true, from the 3th till 5th century the Romans used the institute (religion) as a bond between political and military issues especially in Southern Gaul , in fact Italian nobility ( Rome) wanted to restore their power in Europe when the empire collapsed and they used the catholic institute as a tool to achieve this. Those families, delivering senators and caesors for ages were all billionaires at the time!! Did they get lucky when Clovis converted now they were at the top of the powerchain. From now on , under the pretext of religion, the institute took absolute power over Europe ! Decline started at the 13th-14th century .

[@priscillavelazquezs]

I hear you say Aryan as opposed to Catholic, but how does one become Aryan? I don’t understand because to me an aryan is an indo European group which one is born to, not a religion. Also I’m thinking Asia when I hear this- although I know the nazis had their own interpretations of what the purest of aryans groups were…Sorry for my ignorance, I just don’t understand.

[@priscillavelazquezs]

I think I just realized you meant Arian** whoops

[@gregoryrollins59]

In Justin martyr conversation with trypho he speaks against the Catholics.

[@Richquicc]

Gregory Rollins Please explain?

[@gregoryrollins59]

@@Richquicc what you want me explain? He references the Catholics several time as being wrong. Its on audibles use a credit and listen to it. I like how he explains that Jesus's hand were above his head and not out on the cross piece. And his explanation of Joshua and the javelin with the kingdom of A.I.. he obviously never read it and the jews didnt use a cross for this reason. He made it up. They used a stake, at least he got the hands over the head right. And the reason for it.

[@buffy377]

Is Franks where the name Franklin came from?

[@SirBojo4]

Probably

[@donaldedward4951]

I wish people would not talk about what we are going to talk about. He mentioned something that was talked about before. Then later what we were going to talk about later. I soon lost interest in all the talk about different peoples and where thry lived. I hate lists. Then he mentions something he should have mentioned I 'll go elsewhere. But I will say the "frankly" joke set the tone and went over my head.

[@jhonfamo8412]

Great

[@KenDelloSandro7565]

When my ancestors ( as well as moderns) refer to themselves as Catholics or the Catholic Church, they are using the term Catholic in its greek meaning. Catholicos = universal or everyplace . We are the One Church beginning from Christ and we are universal. You can find us all over the known world. We had to start referring to ourselves as Catholic so people could distinguish us from the heretical " churches" whom also refer to themselves as Christians. St Ignatius of Antioch is the earliest known written source whom referring to ourselves as the Catholic Church ( AD 97 - 107) .

[@JohnSmith-rk6jy]

The French come from the Franks, a tribe from Germany. The English come from the Saxons, a tribe from Germany. 🇩🇪 💪

[@BartGielingh]

From Belgium, Holland and the Low countries 😂

[@filipieja6997]

Alemannia is NOT modern-day Germany nor the proper Germany today. Alemannia is today's Bavaria region including modern day Switzerland and it is NOT Germany(there were so many Germanic tribes even to that period that made up what is now todays Germany). And some of these Germanic tribes were those that you mentioned to have moved into northern Gaul (today's Franconia, Luxemburg, Belgium and Netherland)

[@priscillavelazquezs]

In Spanish, Germany is named Alemania, although I can imagine territories can’t possibly be exact as the original, today.

[@Ironjagg]

Wolololo