Quarter 3–Week 8: Clovis, Justinian, and Others Universal Theme Six: The Preservation of God's People (300-1000 AD). In the readings of this week, we will read of two towering historical figures: Clovis, the first King of the Franks, and the Emperor Justinian. Both were Christians who sought to expand the influence of the faith through their exercise of power. We also read of the background for the legend of King Arthur and the conflicts between Byzantium and Persia.

Key Events in the West 481: Childeric, who claimed the title “King of the Franks,” achieves some success but, at his death, was still a chieftan, and is succeeded by Clovis (Chlodovocar), his 15-year old son. 496: Clovis, whose wife Clotid was a Christian, after successfully uniting many of the Franks, is converted to Christianity after winning a decisive battle against the Amemanni. He and 3,000 of his army are later baptized. 507: Clovis pushes the Visigoths out of southern Gaul and, with Constantinople’s approval, proclaimed himself “Augustus, Counsul of the West.” 509-511: Clovis unites and rules as the Christian “King of the Franks” in his new capital, Paris, a new Constantine.

485: Ambrosius Aurelianus, chief warlord of Britain, after initial defeats in 473 and 477, wins a famous victory over the Saxons at Mount Badon, driving many of the Saxons out of Britain impedes the influx of Saxons. One of his generals was named Arthur! 511: Ambrosius dies after ‘saving Britain,’ but was immortalized under the legend of Arthur, King of the Britons. 524: Chlodomer, the first of Clovis’ fours sons among whom his kingdom was given, dies in battle, and the Frankish kingdom begins to fall apart. 531: Theudis, an Ostrogoth soldier-official, is elected king of the Visogoths after Amalaric’s death, ending ancestry as the basis for Visogoth rule.

Clovis, King of the Franks—the New Constantine (466 - 511, d. in Paris)

Frankish Kingdoms Before Rise of Clovis

Clovis Clovis (466-514) was born a pagan who worshipped the Roman gods but converted to the Christian faith through the influence of his wife, Clotilde. While Arianism was the dominant form of Christianity in northern Europe, both Clovis and Clotilde were Catholics. Bauer points some similarities between the conversions of Clovis and Constantine. Both saw that “Romanness” was a dying cultural influence that was not of sufficient depth to unify their territories. On Christmas Day in 508, Clovis and over three thousand soldiers of his army were baptized into the faith. The faith quickly spread throughout the kingdom of the Franks, and gained a permanent foothold in Western Europe. Clovis conquered most of northern and western Gaul (present day France) and held German territories as well. He consolidated his power and transformed the Kingdom of the Franks from a confederacy into a hereditary monarchy. He called himself “Augustus of the West,” and was the first Frankish king to set up his court in Paris. Clovis also transformed the law code of the Frankish Kingdom to Roman Law, which was to remain the standard in France until the early 1800s, when the Napoleonic Code was adopted. . Bauer, p. 175.

called himself “Augustus of the West,” and was the first Frankish king to set up his court in Paris. Clovis also transformed the law code of the Frankish Kingdom to Roman Law, which was to remain the standard in France until the early 1800s, when the Napoleonic Code was adopted (Bauer, p. 175). The Kingdom of the Franks was weakened soon after Clovis’ death. In his will, he divided the kingdom into four equal parts, one for each of his sons. This arrangement seems to be borne out of the desire of Clovis to divide his estate equally. While Clovis may have succeeded in this aim, the effect was that it undermined his legacy by becoming the wellspring of much internal discord and strife.

Tapestry of King Arthur (c. 1385) King Arthur is among the most famous literary characters of all time. The Arthurian legend of the Knights of the Round Table, Camelot, the Quest for the Holy Grail, the love affair of Lancelot and Guinevere, and the wizard Merlin have informed and inspired literary, musical, and other major artistic visions for centuries. There have been countless books, major films, operas, television shows, games, toys, plays, and graphic novels either re-telling or inspired by the Arthurian legend which developed in Europe between 1136-1485 CE, was revived in the 19th century CE, and remains popular in the present day. (www.ancient.eu/King_Arthur) Tapestry of King Arthur (c. 1385)