1. New Kingdoms Develop
As the Roman Empire fell, new people settled into the territory, and small kingdoms developed
Visigoths controlled Spain and Italy
Ostrogoths (another Germanic tribe) replaced them later
By 500, the Western Empire had been replaced by states ruled by German kings
Germanic kingdoms are developing
(Anglo Saxon) (2 Germanic groups that intermarried)

2. The Frankish kingdom, established by a strong military leader named Clovis, will be among the strongest
Most only last a short time
This is the only German state on the European continent that will prove long lasting….
He will eventually gain modern day France and Western Germany

3. At first he refused the pleas of his Christian wife to adopt Christianity (“your God can do nothing”)
But when he was up against some tough forces at one time in battle…he asked God for assistance in return, he would believe and be baptized
The enemy was soon beaten, and he became a Christian
One of the perks is that he gained a friend now, in the catholic Church……who was happy to have a powerful leader of Europe on their side
His kingdom remains strong until his death---when his sons divide up his kingdom
Clovis is noted for being the first Germanic leader to convert to Christianity

4. He is also credited with being the originator of the French nation
The son of Childeric I and Basina, Clovis inherited the kingship of the Salian Franks in 481, at the age of 15. In 486 he led his army against Soissons, the last of the Gallo-Roman strongholds, and defeated the Roman governor. He then engaged in a series of campaigns against other barbarian kingdoms, and it was during one of these military ventures that Clovis was converted to non-Arian Christianity. According to Gregory of Tours, Clovis was at a disadvantage in his fight against the Alamans and sought the aid of the God of his Christian wife Clotilde, promising that if he were given victory he would become a Christian. In 506 Clovis inflicted a crushing defeat on the Alamans at Tolbiac (Zülpich).
After the battle Clovis adopted Christianity and by so doing won the support of the Gallo-Roman bishops who controlled a significant portion of the wealth of Gaul and were exceedingly influential with the population. Moreover, his conversion automatically made Clovis's wars into holy wars against heretics and nonbelievers. Many historians have seen Clovis's conversion as a shrewd political move; but it is also likely that the victory of Tolbiac was instrumental in his religious shift and that without a sign of some variety he might never have abandoned his ancestral gods.
Within the Frankish portion of his kingdom Clovis, who was ruthless in his desire for power, gradually eliminated the other kings who had previously been his allies, and by a combination of military expertise and treachery he emerged as the supreme ruler in Gaul.
The period of Frankish expansion, which had begun in 486, ended with the battle against the Visigoths at Vouille (near Poitiers) in 507. Clovis then turned his attention to the government of his newly conquered territories. His reign, which combined elements of Germanic kingship with traditional Roman fiscal and administrative systems, owed much of its success to the cooperation between Clovis and his Germanic followers and the Gallo-Roman episcopate. His policy toward the Church was essentially one of overlordship tempered with consideration for ecclesiastical needs and privileges. In the latter years of his reign, Clovis devoted much energy to the promulgation and codification of the Lex Salica (Salic Law), the customary unwritten laws of the Franks, and thus he provided jurisdictional unity for his kingdom.
Clovis died at Paris on Nov. 27, 511, at the age of 45. In keeping with Frankish tradition, his four sons (Chlodomer, Childebert I, Clothar I, and Theuderic) divided his kingdom.
He is also credited with being the originator of the French nation

6. New Cultural Traditions
The German belief in family led to changes in what had been Roman-inspired law codes
In Rome, crimes were against society/the state, and thus, a court would hear evidence and arrive at a decision
But German law is personal….an injury by one person against another could mean a blood feud---which leads to savage acts of revenge

7. In an effort to avoid vengeful bloodshed, a system of “wergild” was established
“Money for a man”
The amount paid by wrongdoer to the family of the person he or she injured or killed
“wergild” means “money for a man”….the value of a person in money (varies based on social status)

8. This was tied to the German idea of “ordeal”
when
evidence
was lacking
This is a system which allowed for a person to determine guilt under Germanic law
The ordeal was based on the idea of divine intervention
All ordeals involved a physical trial of some sort….such as holding a red-hot iron
It was believed that divine forces would not allow an innocent person to be harmed.
If the accused person was unharmed after a physical trial or ordeal, he or she was presumed innocent