466–511) King of the Salian Franks from 481, from the Merovingian family. He conquered almost all of Gaul, which laid the foundation for the Frankish state. In Gaul during the fall of the Roman Empire, four Germanic peoples dominated: the Franks - from the Rhine to the Somme, the Alemanni - along the Middle Rhine, the Burgundians - in the region of the Rhone and Saone rivers, and the Visigoths - between the Loire and the Pyrenees. In addition, the middle strip of Gaul between the Somme and Loire rivers was still a Roman possession, that is, it was under the control of a Roman governor. Of all these peoples, the Franks were the strongest. Tall and very strong, barely covered with animal skins, armed with a large ax and a long shield, they were terrifying at their very appearance. Initially, the Frankish squads invaded Northern Gaul from the Rhine to plunder, then they began to establish their settlements here. The Franks were divided into different tribes led by kings. The leading tribe among them was the Salic Franks (named from the Sala River), over which the Merovingian clan, or descendants of Merovei, dominated; Their distinguishing feature was long, never cut hair. At the beginning of the 5th century they conquered northeastern Gaul as far as the Somme; the main cities of the Salic Franks were Tournai and Cambrai. The Franks, who had established themselves along the Lower Rhine, were called Riloir - coastal; their center was the city of Cologne. At the end of the 5th century, Clovis stood at the head of the Salic Franks. This cunning and enterprising king laid the foundation for the mighty Frankish monarchy. The power of the Roman governors in Gaul formally remained until the last quarter of the 5th century. The Roman Empire, weakened from within, could not withstand the onslaught of the "barbarians" (as the Romans called foreigners - primarily the Germans), advancing on its borders from all sides. When the last Roman emperor was overthrown in 476, this did not make a big impression in Gaul: by that time it was almost entirely divided between the German leaders of the “barbarian” kingdoms, who even formally did not all recognize the authority of Rome. Only in the interfluve of the Loire and the Seine did the power of the former Roman governor Siagrius survive for a few more years. This Roman general was the last representative of the Roman Empire in Gaul. As his seat, like his father Egidius, he chose Soissons, bordering on the possessions of the Franks. In 486, the last stronghold of the Romans was conquered by the 19-year-old king of the Salic (seaside) Franks Clovis. Bishop Gregory of Tours, who lived in the 6th century, writes in the Ecclesiastical History of the Franks: “Clovis, together with his relative Ragnahar, who also had a kingdom, opposed Syagrius, and demanded that Syagrius prepare a place for battle. He did not evade and was not afraid to resist Clovis. And there was a fight between them. And when Syagrius saw that his army was defeated, he took to flight and quickly marched to Toulouse to King Alaric. But Clovis sent messengers to Alaric demanding that he hand over Syagrius to him. Otherwise - let Alaric know - if he shelters Syagrius, Clovis will start a war with him. And Alaric, fearing that because of Syagrius he would not incur the wrath of the Franks, because cowardice is characteristic of the Goths, he ordered Syagrius to be tied up and handed over to the ambassadors. Having obtained Syagrius, Clovis ordered him to be kept in custody, and after seizing his possession, he ordered him to be secretly stabbed with a sword. At that time, Clovis's army plundered many churches, since Clovis was still in captivity of pagan superstitions. This victory was the beginning of a series of military triumphs for the Salian Franks. The young king from the family of the semi-legendary Merovei (which is why Clovis himself and his successors were called Merovingians) showed remarkable political flair, more than once finding the optimal solution to the tasks he faced. Clovis defeated the Burgundian king Gundobald, then turned to the Alemanni, who pressed the Ripuarian Franks, who lived in the middle reaches of the Rhine. In a decisive battle (at Tolbiac), the Alemanni were defeated, and their lands passed into the possession of the Franks. This battle is extremely important in its consequences. The wife of Clovis, the Burgundian princess Clotilde, was a Christian and had long urged her husband to leave paganism. But Clovis hesitated. They say that in the battle with the Alemanni, when the enemy began to gain the upper hand, he vowed with a loud voice to be baptized if he won. There were many Gallo-Roman Christians in his army; having heard the vow, they were inspired and helped to win the battle. After this, Clovis was solemnly baptized by Bishop Remigius (496). Together with him, more than three thousand of his warriors adopted the Catholic form of Christianity. This decision, at first glance, was all the more unexpected since the Visigoths, Burgundians, and many others Germanic tribes Those who accepted Christianity before the Franks professed its Arian form, which was distinguished by a more democratic church organization. But the step taken by Clovis was determined by a sober assessment of the situation in Gaul. Catholicism has long been rooted among the Gallo-Roman aristocracy and townspeople. It had a fairly strong church organization. Persecuted by the Visigoths and Burgundians, Catholics willingly supported their co-religionists. By choosing Catholicism, Clovis, by one decision, secured the support of influential sections of the Gallo-Roman population (especially the clergy) and at the same time created complications for his political opponents - the Visigoths and Burgundians. The Gallo-Roman episcopate considered the adoption of Christianity in the form of Catholicism by Clovis their victory. So, in a letter to Clovis, Bishop Avitus wrote "Your religion is our victory." In 507, Clovis opposed the largest state of that time - the Visigothic kingdom, which occupied the southern part of Gaul, south of the Loire, whose capital was Toulouse. The Visigoths, like the Arians, were unloved by the native Catholics, and the clergy in these lands diligently helped Clovis. In the battle of Vuille (about 15 km south of Poitiers), the Visigoth king Alaric II was killed, and his troops fled. The Toulouse kingdom ceased to exist. King Clovis annexed most of southern Gaul south of the Loire to his possessions. By 508, Clovis had mastered most of Gaul: from the Garonne to the Rhine and from the borders of Armorica to the Rhone. The further conquest of Gaul took place already under the sons of Clovis, who reached the Pyrenees in the south, the Alpine foothills in the east and the shores of the Mediterranean in Provence. Clovis decided to unite under his rule the Frankish tribes subordinate to other Merovingians. He achieved this goal by deceit and atrocities, having exterminated almost all relatives. For example, he sent the following order to the son of one king: “Your father is old and lame; if he dies, his land and my friendship will be yours.” The inhuman son killed his father, and was himself killed by Clovis's men; the squad of the slain raised Clovis to the shield, that is, they proclaimed their king. The following story is told by Gregory of Tours: “At that time, King Ragnahar lived in Cambrai, who indulged in such unbridled passion that he hardly noticed his closest relatives. His adviser was disgusting, to match him, Farron. It was said that when food or some gift was brought to the king, he used to say that it was enough for him and his Farron. The Franks were very indignant at this behavior of the king. And it so happened that Clovis took advantage of this and sent them golden wristlets and baldrics; all these things looked like gold, but in fact they were only skillfully gilded. These gifts Clovis sent to the Lends of King Ragnahar to encourage Clovis to oppose Ragnahar. And when Clovis then came out against him with an army, he began to send his people to reconnaissance. Upon their return, he asked them how strong Clovis' army was. They answered him: "More than enough for you and your Farron." Approaching with the army, Clovis began a battle against him. When he saw that his army was defeated, he prepared to flee, but his own people from the army seized him, tied his hands behind his back and, together with his brother Richard, brought him to Clovis. Clovis said to him: “Why did you humiliate our family by allowing yourself to be tied? You'd be better off dead." And, raising his axe, cut his head. Then, turning to his brother, he said: “If you had helped your brother, he would not have been tied up,” and killed him in the same way, hitting him with an ax. After the death of both, their traitors learned that the gold they received from King Clovis was fake. They say that when they told the king about this, he answered them: “The one who voluntarily puts his master to death receives such gold according to his merits. You should be content that you survived and did not die under torture, thus paying for the betrayal of your masters. Hearing such words, they wanted to win mercy from Clovis, assuring him that it was enough for them that they would be given life. The kings mentioned above were relatives of Clovis. Their brother named Rignomer, on the orders of Clovis, was also killed in the city of Le Mans. After their death, Clovis took over their entire kingdom and all their wealth." Clovis made extensive use of the physical destruction of his relatives as possible rivals in the struggle for power. bloody strife in royal families have long been found among the Germans. Clovis gave them an unprecedented scale, which attracted the attention of contemporaries because at that time solidarity and mutual assistance among relatives had not yet become an empty phrase. Despising old traditions, Clovis included in the arsenal of means of his internal political struggle treachery, treachery, murder, which had previously been used by the Franks more often in foreign political clashes. By brutality and violence, Clovis strengthened his power over the Franks, thus facilitating military victories over his neighbors. “After he killed many other kings and even his close relatives, fearing that they would take the kingdom from him, he extended his power over all of Gaul. However, they say, having once gathered his people, he said the following about his relatives, whom he himself killed, the following: “Woe to me that I remained a stranger among strangers and I don’t have any of my relatives who could help me with anything in moment of danger." But he said this not out of pity for the dead, but out of cunning, could he accidentally find someone else in order to kill him too ”(Gregory of Tours). Clovis received from Emperor Anastasius a letter conferring on him the title of consul, and in the Basilica of St. Martin was dressed in a purple tunic and mantle, and a crown was placed on his head. Then the king mounted his horse and on his way from the door of the porch of the basilica of St. Martin to the city church with exceptional generosity with his own hand scattered gold and silver to the assembled people. And from that day on he was called consul, or augustus (emperor). From Tours he came to Paris and made it the seat of his kingdom. The power of the king was indisputable only in relation to the conquered lands, and the Franks themselves considered themselves free people and obeyed the king only as their commander. By what means obedience was inspired to them, the following case shows. Once the Franks robbed a Christian church. The bishop asked Clovis to return one of the church vessels - a precious mug. Clovis promised him, but it was still necessary to obtain the consent of the squad, because only a certain part of the booty was allocated to the king by lot. The division of booty took place in the city of Soissons. Most of the warriors of the squad willingly agreed to give the king a gold mug in addition to his unit. But one Frank angrily objected that nothing should be given beyond the lot, and struck the mug with his axe. Clovis remained silent and gave the mug to the bishop's messenger, but he decided, at an opportunity, to take revenge on the impudent warrior. During the usual popular assembly of the Franks in the month of March, the king, inspecting the troops, stopped in front of that warrior, took his ax from him and threw it on the ground, saying "No one has such a bad weapon as you!" Frank bent down to pick up his weapon, and at that moment Clovis cut off his head with his ax with the words: "Just like that you hit the mug in Soissons." When he died, he ordered the others to disperse, instilling fear in them with his act. Clovis died in Paris around 511. He was buried in the Church of the Holy Apostles, which he himself built with his wife (now the Church of St. Genevieve). The queen, after the death of her husband, came to Tours, and there she served at the Basilica of St. Martine, spent all the days of her life modestly and virtuously, rarely visiting Paris. With the death of Clovis, the state of the Franks was divided between his sons, and then between his grandchildren, the inevitable consequence of the division was civil strife in the Merovingian family. These civil strife were accompanied by treacherous murders and other cruelties. Thus, although the Franks called themselves Christians, but in essence they were still rude barbarians.

About 481, only 15 years old. The Franks then owned only a relatively small area, which included modern Belgium and the neighboring territories of Germany and the Netherlands.

The center of present-day France with Paris (Roman Lutetia) was an independent possession of the Roman governor Siagrius. In 486, Clovis invaded this state and defeated Syagrius in battle. The conquest of the lands subject to it dragged on, however, not for one year. Many cities withstood the Frankish siege for a long time, but Clovis nevertheless conquered them all one by one. Syagrius fled to the Visigothic king Alaric II, but the Franks achieved his extradition. By order of Clovis, Syagrius was executed.

Already after this first success of Clovis, the region of the Franks turned into one of the most powerful Germanic kingdoms that arose then on the ruins of the Western Roman Empire. Clovis soon married the daughter of the Burgundian king, Clotilde. Clotilde was a zealous Christian and began to persuade her pagan husband to accept the faith of Jesus.

Saint Clotilde, wife of Clovis I. 12th-century statue, Corbeil Abbey

To the east of the Frankish possessions was an area of ​​​​wild and predatory Alemanni. Clovis started a war against them as well. In the decisive battle with the Alemanni at Tolbiac (496), victory hesitated for a long time. According to legend, in the midst of the battle, Clovis made a vow that he would convert to Christianity if he defeated his enemies. He managed to win the battle, and he, along with three thousand other francs, was baptized by the Archbishop of Reims, Remigius. It is not known how much this legend can be trusted. Rather, the need for closer rapprochement with the inhabitants of the parts of Gaul they conquered, who were mostly Christians, could rather induce a select part of the Frankish nobility and Clovis to change religion. Another reason was the charm of the higher Roman civilization, which in the last century and a half before this began to be associated precisely with the Christian faith.

Baptism of Clovis. 13th century miniature

It is important to note that Clovis was baptized Orthodox rite. Orthodoxy at that time in the West was the name prevailing among the “Romans” inhabitants, a doctrine different from Arian heresy. Arianism was professed by most of the Germans and their kings, who divided the remnants of the Western Empire. Religious strife between Arianism and Orthodoxy intensified the hatred of the conquered inhabitants of Italy, Spain and Southern Gaul for the German conquerors. The Franks, who converted to Orthodoxy, eliminated the religious difference between themselves and the subject "Roman" population. Religious unity with the subjects not only strengthened their power over the already occupied areas, but also had to help their expansion - primarily through the war with the Visigoths.

Around the year 500, Clovis intervened in the affairs of Burgundy and at one time forced the local king Gundobald to pay tribute to the Franks. In 506 he invaded southern Gaul, which then belonged to the Visigoths. Clovis gave the appearance of a religious war against the heretic Arians to this campaign of his. The Orthodox Roman inhabitants of Southern Gaul took the side of the Franks, and Clovis strictly forbade his soldiers to rob them. Clovis' campaign was very successful. Visigothic king Alaric II died. Almost all of southwestern Gaul (Aquitaine) was taken from the Visigoths and annexed to the Frankish kingdom.

Battle of Clovis with the Visigoths. 14th century miniature

Its borders now drew closer to the Italian state of the Ostrogoths, which was ruled by the famous Theodoric the Great. The Franks almost clashed with the Ostrogoths in the struggle for Provence. Although this conflict was resolved peacefully, the enemy of the Ostrogoths, the Byzantine emperor Anastasy, hastened to conclude an alliance with Clovis and awarded him the honorary title of consul. Imperial authority was very high throughout the Roman world, and it was a very prestigious matter to receive such a title from Constantinople. Clovis, who was then in Tours, solemnly rode through this city in consular clothes, throwing money into the crowd.

The state of Clovis has now reached enormous size and strength. Previously, only the Salic department of the Franks was subordinate to him, and even then, probably, not all of them. But now, simultaneously with the conquests in the south, Clovis began to unite around him other branches of the Frankish tribe. He did not shy away from either cunning or cruelty. The king of the Ripuarian (Eastern) Franks, Sigibert, was, according to the intrigues of Clovis, killed by his own son. Then the murderer-son fell at the hands of people sent by Clovis. In a similar way, several other minor Frankish regional lords were also destroyed. Around Clovis, little by little, all the people of his tribe rallied.

Conversion to Christianity had little effect on the character of Clovis, who until his death retained rude and ruthless Germanic-barbarian habits. He became famous not only as a conqueror, but also as an internal organizer of the state. It is believed that it was under Clovis that the traditional Frankish laws were recorded - the so-called

It is difficult to overestimate the importance of this people for the history and development of European civilization. In fact, it was they who became the successors of the culture of the ancient Romans, namely the culture and not their form of government, Byzantium continued this. After all, it was Paris under the Franks, and not Constantinople, that eventually became the place where all European minds were drawn.

Initially, the Franks were called a group of Germanic tribes that lived in the north of Gaul, on the territory of modern Belgium.

Merovey. Painting by Evariste Vital Lumine. Museum of Fine Arts in Rennes

The lands of some tribes, for example, the Sicambri and the Salic Franks, were included in and these tribes supplied the border troops of the Romans with warriors.

One of the reasons that prompted the Frankish tribes to stubbornly seek beyond the Rhine from the 3rd century, in addition to increasing the population, was the pressure of the Saxons, who crossed the Elbe and began to push the small tribes that they met on their way to the West and South.

From the 40s of the III century. The Franks begin their invasion of Gaul. Now they are striving for a stable settlement in new places, without leaving, however, purely robber raids, which sometimes went very far: for example, in 260 they passed through all of Gaul and reached Tarrakona in Spain.

Around 428, the leader of the Salic Franks, Chlodion, arranged numerous sorties into the territory of the Romans and was able to include the Roman colony of Cambrai and the lands of the modern department of the Somme into his possessions. The kingdom of Chlodion received new borders. Chlodion's relatives, the Merovingian dynasty, expanded the borders of the Frankish state even further south.

Clovis converted to Christianity, and his wife Clotilde plays a big role in this. Clotilde was the daughter of the King of Burgundy and was a Christian of the Nicene Creed. After her death, she was canonized as a saint.

During his 30-year reign (481 - 511), Clovis defeated the Roman commander Siagrius, conquered the Roman enclave of Soissons, defeated the Alemanni (Battle of Tolbiac, 504), putting them under the control of the Franks, defeated the Visigoths in the battle of Vuille in 507, having conquered their entire kingdom (with the exception of Septimania) with the capital in, and also conquered Bretons(according to the Frankish historian Gregory of Tours), making them vassals of Frankia. By the end of his 46-year life, Clovis ruled all of Gaul, with the exception of the province Septimania and Burgundian kingdom in the southeast.

Governing body Merovingian was a hereditary monarchy. The kings of the Franks followed the practice of divisible inheritance: dividing their possessions among their sons. Even when multiple kings ruled Merovingian, the kingdom - almost like in the later - was perceived as single state, led collectively by several kings, and only a series of various events led to the unification of the entire state under the rule of one king.

The Merovingian kings ruled by the right of the anointed of God and their royal majesty was symbolized by long hair and clamor, which was carried out by their ascension to the shield according to the traditions of the Germanic tribes at the choice of the leader. After death Clovis in 511, the territories of his kingdom were divided among his four adult sons in such a way that each got an approximately equal part of the fiscus.

King Clovis (c. 466 - 511) did not have the nickname "Great" in history, but, of course, he deserves it. The name Hlodowig (Hludewig), which has become a favorite dynastic name of Germanic and Romanesque Europe (from Louis the Pious and his descendants to a number of famous Louis, kings of France, and Bavarian kings from the Wittelsbach family), means "Loud fight". The greatest act of Clovis is his baptism on December 25, 498. Unlike Theodoric the Great and the Visigothic kings of the 5th - mid-6th centuries, who were Arians, Clovis converted to Orthodoxy. Thus, he became a natural ally of Byzantium and a stronghold of Orthodoxy in the West. This is the great merit of Clovis's wife, Queen Chrodechild (Clotilda), who boldly confessed Christ, baptized her children and converted her husband to the right faith.
Clovis belongs to the Merovingian dynasty and is its most famous representative. The Merovingians are a Frankish royal family with a rich and developed mythology of power. The legendary ancestor of the dynasty was Merovei (Merovech, Merovig), whose name means "Glorious Battle" or "Sea Battle". According to legend, the queen - the future mother of Merovei gave birth to him from a sea monster that took possession of her while bathing. Therefore, Merovei had bristles on his back, like a boar. This legend can be compared with the myth of Retra - the sanctuary of the ancient Slavs. There was a sacred lake in Retra, from which, according to legend, once a year a huge boar appeared and gave the country fertility and prosperity. The boar (boar) is an Indo-European symbol of fertility, which became a military symbol among the ancient Germans. The leader, the prince in the Old Norse tradition was called the "boar" (Old Icelandic jöfurr). The boar is the totem symbol of the Lombards (a tribe that came out of Scandinavia and reached Italy), whose progenitors were considered the brothers Ibor (cf. other Upper German ebur ‘boar') and Agio.

The symbol of the king's power from the Merovingian dynasty was long hair that could not be cut. This idea, by no means obligatory for all ancient Germans (for example, the Goths, including Theodoric the Great himself, cut their hair “under the page”) is a relic of the deepest Indo-European antiquity. Cutting hair meant renunciation of power. So, Queen Chrodechild (Clotilda), who was given a choice - scissors or a sword for her grandchildren taken prisoner - chose the latter. The murdered offspring of the Merovingian dynasty was identified by long hair. The Merovingian Chlodoald (later known as Saint Claude) renounced power and cut his hair. And finally, Pepin the Short (father of Charlemagne) tonsured the last king of the Merovingian dynasty - Childeric the Third.
The subject symbol - the emblem of the Merovingian dynasty were golden bees studded with pomegranates. Gold and garnets - the usual cloisonne style for the era of the Great Migration of Peoples. The St. Petersburg archaeologist M. B. Shchukin called the Great Migration of Peoples the "Age of Gold and Blood". Clay or bone figurines of bees (archaeologists sometimes inaccurately call them "cicadas") are found in the burials of noble Franks and Thuringians. The bee was a pagan symbol of immortality (perhaps the transmigration of souls), eternal life. “Wives of Victory” (OE sigewif) in the ancient Germanic tradition are called both Valkyries and bees. The "classical" idea of ​​the pagan Germans about eternal life is an eternal feast fallen heroes(Old Norse einherjar) in Valhalla near Odin. However, in the Eddic cycle of songs about Helgi, the killer of Hunding, by the way, we come across the following explanation: “They say that Helgi and Svava were born again” (Old. eternity (identity) of the leader-hero, of course, should have carried more weight than the idea of ​​​​posthumous stay in another world. Compare here the Old Norse name Óláfr< Anleifr ‘предком оставленное" или даже ‘предок остается" (по толкованию выдающегося германиста Отто Хёфлера).
On the just instructions of V. I. Karpets, it was not by chance that Napoleon usurped the Merovingian bees as an emblem, and not any symbol of subsequent dynasties. The Merovingians were and remain both for ancient Frankia and for today's France the first and unique royal family. Kings with royal happiness (Old Upper German heil, Old Norse heill), kings marked with special signs, healer kings. In retrospect - an Indo-European sacred king, in perspective - a holy noble king.
Clovis's father was King Childeric, son of Merovei (ruled c. 457-458 - 481-482). It was in his grave in Tournai that Merovingian scarlet-gold bees and a gold ring with the name of the king and his image (of course, with long hair) were found. Clovis' mother was the Thuringian queen Basina, daughter of the Thuringian king Basin and the Saxon Basina. According to legend, Basina the Younger fled from Thuringia to Roman Gaul and married Childeric as "the most powerful man in the world." I saw an elegant silver spoon with the name “Basina” and a cross at the exhibition “The Age of the Merovingians. Europe Without Borders” at the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow in 2007... Sometimes time recedes. In order to give an idea of ​​the context of the era, it should be mentioned that Clovis' sister, Audeflæd, married Theodoric the Great, an Ostrogothic king from the Amal dynasty.
Much of what Clovis did was later attributed to Charlemagne of the Pipinid family. Thus, the first unification of laws was carried out by Clovis (“Pravda” of the Franks in Latin), and it is to the conquests of the great Clovis that the empire of Charlemagne, who is now sometimes announced in the West as the “creator of a united Europe,” dates back. However, what can we say about historical memory, if the same alleged admirers of Karl begin their story about him with the words: “Little is known about the family of Karl ...” But what about Karl's mother, Bertrada Big Foot? And where are the great-grandfather of Charles, Pepin Geristalsky and grandfather, Charles Martel, the winner of the Arabs in the battle of Poitiers? Yes, and with the "united Europe" according to Karl, not everything is clear, if you remember that it was Karl who carried out the state resettlement of the Saxon rebels with the confiscation of land and property - the first deportation in Western Europe ...

However, the deeds of Charles are a subject for a separate discussion. He was a locally venerated saint in Western Europe even before 1054. As a ruler and personality, he exceeds the historical "matrix" of the Pipinids. It is no coincidence that his name gives the word "king" in Slavic languages and the dynastic name Magnus (from "Carolus Magnus") in Scandinavia, and it is no coincidence that Charles is the ideal king in the Old French epic. Speaking of Clovis here, one should refer to the "History of the Franks" by Gregory of Tours. Gregory, Bishop of Tours (in the world George Florence, a descendant of a noble Gallo-Roman family; November 30, 538 or 539 - November 593 or 594) was a supporter of King Sigibert, husband of Queen Brunhilda, who was treacherously killed during the strife of the king brothers. Between the death of Clovis and the birth of the most famous historian of the Merovingian era lies less than 30 years. But this does not mean that Gregory of Tours states only those facts that he himself saw or learned from the direct associates of Clovis. The truth of the era was syncretic, and oral tradition was its essential and even essential component. So, some important legends about the Merovingians, not reflected in Gregory, were reported in the chronicle of Fredegar. But the earliest historical account of Clovis, which subsequent chroniclers were guided by, is contained in book II of the History of the Franks by Gregory of Tours. It should immediately be noted that the modern reader, as a rule, is surprised by those episodes where Clovis appears harsh and even vindictive. However, it should be borne in mind that Gregory of Tours conveys here those deeds for which Clovis became famous among the Germans - yesterday's pagans. In this sense, the legend of the Soissons bowl is no different from the story of The Tale of Bygone Years about the revenge of Princess Olga for the death of her husband, Prince Igor, who was killed by the Drevlyans. And if in the Icelandic saga of the XIII century. says: “Only a slave takes revenge soon, but a coward never”, then it is not surprising that the same views were relevant for the Franks of Clovis in the 5th century. But, of course, the biography of Clovis in the History of the Franks was written by a learned man who received a classical education. In the German epic, the same episodes would have sounded differently and would not have caused bewilderment. And what wealth of legends remained outside the scope of the work of Gregory of Tours, one can only guess.
« 27 . [...] Childeric died, and his son Clovis began to rule in his place. In the fifth year of the reign of Clovis, the king of the Romans Syagrius, the son of Aegidius, chose Soissons, which was once owned by the aforementioned Aegidius, as his place of residence. Clovis, together with his relative Ragnahar, who also had a kingdom, opposed Syagrius and demanded that Syagrius prepare a place for battle. He did not evade and was not afraid to resist Clovis. And there was a fight between them. And when Syagrius saw that his army was defeated, he took to flight and quickly marched to Toulouse to King Alaric. But Clovis sent messengers to Alaric demanding that he hand over Syagrius to him. Otherwise - let Alaric know - if he shelters Syagrius, Clovis will start a war with him. And Alaric, fearing, as if because of Syagriya did not incur the wrath of the Franks, because cowardice is characteristic of the Goths, ordered Syagriya to be tied up and handed over to the ambassadors. Having obtained Syagrius, Clovis ordered him to be kept in custody, and after seizing his possession, he ordered him to be secretly stabbed with a sword. At that time, Clovis's army plundered many churches, since Clovis was still in captivity of pagan superstitions. One day, the Franks took away from some church, along with other precious things necessary for the church service, a large bowl of amazing beauty. But the bishop of that church sent messengers to the king with a request that if the church did not deserve the return of anything else from its sacred utensils, then at least let this cup be returned to it. The king, after listening to the ambassadors, said to them: “Follow us to Soissons, because there they must share all the spoils of war. And if this vessel, which the bishop asks, gets me by lot, I will fulfill his request. Upon arrival in Soissons, when the whole pile of booty was piled in the middle, the king said: "The bravest warriors, I ask you to give me, in addition to my share, also this vessel." Of course, he was talking about the mentioned cup. In response to these words of the king, those who were wiser said: “Glorious king! Everything we see here is yours, and we ourselves are in your power. Do now whatever you please. After all, no one dares to oppose you! As soon as they uttered these words, one hot-tempered warrior, envious and stupid, raised his ax and with a loud exclamation: “You will receive from here only what is due to you by lot,” lowered it onto the bowl. Everyone was amazed at this act, but the king endured this insult with patience and meekness. He took the bowl and handed it to the episcopal ambassador, harboring "a deep offense in his soul." And a year later, Clovis ordered all the soldiers to appear with all military equipment in order to show on the March field how well they keep their weapons. And when he went around the ranks of the soldiers, he approached the one who struck [with the ax] on the bowl and said:
“No one keeps a weapon in such poor condition as you. After all, neither your spear, nor your sword, nor your ax are good for anything. And, snatching the ax from him, he threw it on the ground. When he bent a little for the ax, Clovis raised his ax and cut off his head, saying: "That's what you did with that cup in Soissons." When he died, he ordered the rest to disperse, bringing great fear to them with his act. Clovis fought many battles and won many victories. Thus, in the tenth year of his reign, he began a war with the Thuringians and subjugated them.
28 . At that time, among the Burgundians, the king was Gundeveh from the family of King Athanaric, the persecutor of Christians, whom we mentioned above. Gundeveh had four sons: Gundobad, Godigizil, Chilperic and Godomar. And so Gundobad killed his brother Chilperic with a sword, and drowned his wife in the river, tying a stone to her neck. He doomed his two daughters to exile; of these, the eldest, who became a nun, was called Chrona, the youngest - Chrodechild. But since Clovis often sent embassies to Burgundy. then his ambassadors once saw the girl Chrodechild. Finding her beautiful and intelligent and learning that she was of royal lineage, they reported this to King Clovis. He immediately sent ambassadors to Gundobad with [ 49 ] a request to give her to him as a wife. Since Gundobad was afraid to refuse Clovis, he handed it over to the ambassadors. They accepted it and quickly delivered it to the king. Seeing her, the king was very happy and married her. But he already had a son, named Theodoric, by a concubine.

29 . So the king [Clovis] had a son by Queen Chrodechild as his first child. Since Chrodechild wanted to baptize him, she constantly turned to her husband and said: “Your gods, whom you revere, are nothing, because they are not able to help themselves or others, because they are made of stone, wood or any metal. . And the names that you gave them belonged to people, and not to gods, as, for example, Saturn, who, in order not to be expelled from his kingdom by his son, took to flight; or, for example, Jupiter himself, the most impious debaucher, the defiler of men, the mocker of relatives, he could not even refrain from cohabiting with his own sister, as she herself says about it: "I am both the sister and wife of Jupiter." And what were Mars and Mercury capable of? Rather, they were endowed with the art of sorcery than with divine power. It is better to honor Him who, according to His word, created from nothing heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them. Who made the sun shine and adorned the sky with stars, Who filled the waters with reptiles, the earth with living creatures, the air with winged birds; by Whose beckoning the earth is adorned with fruits, the trees with fruits, the vines with grapes; Whose hand created the human race; by whose goodness all this creation serves man and is intended for the very man whom He created. But no matter how often the queen said this, the king’s heart was not at all inclined towards the Christian faith, and he answered: “Everything was created and happened by the will of our gods, but your God cannot manifest himself in anything and, most importantly, cannot prove that he is from the family of gods.
Meanwhile, the pious queen brought her son to be baptized. She ordered that the church be decorated with carpets and curtains, so that during this festive service it would be easier to persuade those whom she could not persuade with a sermon to the faith. But the child, named Ingomer, died after baptism, still in the white robes in which he was reborn at baptism. Infuriated by this circumstance, the king angrily and sharply rebuked the queen. “If the boy,” he said, “had been consecrated in the name of my gods, he would certainly have remained alive; now that he has been baptized in the name of your God, he has not survived.” To which the queen replied:
“I thank the almighty Lord, the Creator of everything, because He did not consider me unworthy and wanted to take what was born from my womb into His Kingdom. My soul does not grieve about this, for I know that if someone is called from this world in white clothes, then he must stay in the Kingdom of God.
After that, the queen gave birth to a second son, who was given the name Chlodomer in baptism. When he began to fall ill, the king said: “The same thing will happen to him as to his brother. Namely: baptized in the name of your Christ, he will soon die.” But, saved by the prayers of his mother, the son, by the will of God, recovered.
30 . The queen constantly exhorted Clovis to recognize the true god and abandon pagan idols. But nothing could incline him to this faith until at last one day, during the war with the Alemanni, he was forced to admit what he had previously willingly rejected. And it happened like this: when both troops converged and a fierce battle ensued between them, the army of Clovis was already in danger of complete extermination. Seeing this, Clovis raised his eyes to heaven and, touched by his heart, with tears in his eyes said: “O Jesus Christ, to You, whom Chrodechild confesses to be the Son of the Living God, to You, Who, as they say, helps the suffering and gives victory to those who trust in You I humbly cry out to manifest the glory of Your might. If You grant me victory over my enemies and I test Your power, which, as he claims, the people sanctified by Your name experienced, I will believe in You and be baptized in Your Name. For I called on my gods to help, but I found that they did not help me. That is why I think that the gods who do not come to the aid of those who worship them are not endowed with any power. Now I call on you, I want to believe in you, just save me from my adversaries. And as soon as he uttered these words, the Alemanni turned back and fled. And when they saw their king killed, they surrendered to Clovis with the words: “We ask you not to destroy the people anymore, because we are already yours.” Clovis stopped the battle and, encouraging the people, returned home in peace. There he told the queen how he had won the victory by calling on the name of Christ.
[This happened in the 15th year of his reign.]
31 . Then the queen ordered to secretly summon Saint Remigius, bishop of the city of Reims, and asked him to inspire the king with the "word of salvation." Having invited the king, the bishop began in private to inspire him to believe in the true God, the Creator of heaven and earth, and leave the pagan gods, who cannot benefit either themselves or others. The king said to him in response: “I willingly listened to you, most holy father, one thing confuses me that the people subordinate to me will not tolerate me leaving their gods. However, I will go and speak to him according to your words.” When he met with his own, the power of God overtook him, and all the people, even earlier than he, began to speak, as if exclaiming with one voice: “Gracious king, we renounce mortal gods and are ready to follow the Immortal God, whom Remigius preaches.” This was reported to the bishop, and with great joy he ordered the baptismal font to be prepared. Multi-colored banners are hung on the streets, the church is decorated with white curtains, the baptistery is put in order, balm is poured, fragrant candles shine brightly and burn, the entire church of the baptistery is filled with a divine aroma. And God gave such grace there that people thought they were among the fragrances of paradise. And the king asked the bishop to baptize him first. The new Constantine went to the font to cleanse himself of the old leprosy and wash away the dirty stains inherited from the past with fresh water. When he approached; ready to be baptized, the saint of God addressed him with such eloquent words: “Himbly bow your neck, Sigambr, honor that [ 51] what you burned, burn what you revere.” But Saint Remigius was a very learned bishop, and especially versed in rhetoric. In addition, he was distinguished by such holiness that in performing miracles he was equal to Sylvester. And now there is still a book with his life, which tells that he raised the dead. So the king recognized the almighty God in the Trinity, was baptized in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, was anointed with holy chrism and overshadowed by the Cross of Christ. And from his army more than three thousand people were baptized. His sister Albofleda was also baptized, whom the Lord took after a little while. Since the king grieved deeply for her, Saint Remigius sent him a letter with words of consolation. It began like this: “The cause of your sadness grieves me and greatly grieves me, namely the death of your sister Albofleda, who left a good memory behind her. But we can console ourselves with the fact that she left this world in such a way that we should admire her more than mourn for her. His second sister, Lantechilde, who had previously been a supporter of the heresy of the Arians, also converted; recognizing the consubstantiality of the Son and the Holy Spirit with the Father, she was chrismated.

32 . Then the brothers Gundobad and Godegizil owned a kingdom that stretched along the Rhone and Sonia with the province of Massilia. But they and their people adhered to the false doctrine of the Arians. And when Gundobad and Godegizil attacked each other, then Godegizil, having learned about the victories of King Clovis, secretly sent messengers to him with these words: “If you help me in pursuing my brother, so that I can kill him in battle or drive him out of the country I will pay you the tribute you set every year in any amount.” He gladly accepted this offer, promised him help wherever it was needed, and at the appointed time sent an army against Gundobad. When Gundobad found out about this, he, unaware of his brother's treachery, sent a messenger to him to say:
“Come to my aid, as the Franks are against us and are coming to our country to capture it. Let us unite against a people hostile to us, so that if we act alone, we will not suffer what other peoples have endured. And he answered: "I will come with my army and help you." And all three set out at the same time with their troops - Clovis against Gundobad and Godegizil, and they reached with all the soldiers to a fortress called Dijon. During the battle at the river Ush, Godegisil joined Clovis, and their troops destroyed the army of Gundobad. When Gundobad saw the treachery of his brother, whom he did not suspect, he turned back and fled, then walked along the banks of the Rhone River and entered the city of Avignon. After the victory, Godegisil, having promised Clovis part of his kingdom, retired in peace and entered Vienne with glory. as if he already owned the whole kingdom.
King Clovis, still multiplying his forces, set off after Gundobad in order to kill him, having driven him out of the city. Upon learning of this, Gundobad was horrified, fearing that sudden death would overtake him. But he had one noble man named Aridius, resourceful and intelligent. Gundobad called him to him and said: “From all sides they lie in wait for me [ 52 ] misfortune, and I do not know what to do, since these barbarians came out against us to kill us and ruin our whole country. Aridius answered him: “You should, in order to save your life, pacify the wild temper of this man [Clovis]. Now, if you don't mind, I will pretend to be a defector from you, and when I come to him, I will act so that they will not harm you or your country. Only you try to do what Clovis, on my advice, will require of you, until the merciful Lord deems it possible to bring your work to a successful end. And Gundobad said: "I will fulfill all your requirements." After that, Aridius said goodbye to Gundobad and left. When he came to King Clovis, he said to him: “Most merciful king, here I am, your obedient servant, I have come to surrender to your power, leaving this most unfortunate Gundobad. If your grace deems it worthy to receive me, then you and your descendants will have in me an honest and faithful servant. He very willingly accepted it and left it with him. Aridius was a cheerful storyteller, an intelligent adviser, a fair judge and a reliable person in keeping secrets. And then one day, when Clovis with all his army was at the walls of the city, Aridius said to him: “O king, if your glorious highness would graciously wish to listen to me, unworthy, my few words, then I, although you do not need advice, would serve from the bottom of my heart, and it would be useful both for you and for the cities against which you are thinking of fighting. Why,” he continued, “are you keeping an army here, while your enemy is sitting in a very fortified place, devastating the fields, grazing the meadows, destroying the vineyards, cutting down the olive orchards and destroying all the fruits in the country? Meanwhile, you can't do him any harm. It is better to send an embassy to him and impose on him a tribute, which he would pay you annually, so that in this way the country will remain intact, and you will always rule over your tributary. If he does not agree with this, then you will do as you please.” The king accepted his advice and ordered the army to return home. Then he sent an embassy to Gundobad and demanded that he pay him the annual tribute imposed on him. And he paid him for this year and promised to pay further.
33 . After that, Gundobad, again gathering his strength and already considering it low for himself to pay the promised tribute to King Clovis, set out with an army against his brother Godegizil and, locking him up in the city of Vienne, began a siege. But when there was not enough food for the common people in the city, Godegizil, fearing that hunger would overtake him, ordered the lesser people to be expelled from the city. And so it was done; but along with others, the master, who was entrusted with the care of the water supply, was expelled from the city. Indignant at the fact that he, too, was expelled along with the rest, he, seething with anger, came to Gundobad and showed how he could penetrate the city and take revenge on his brother. Under his leadership, the armed detachment went along the water canal, and many who walked in front had iron crowbars, since the water outlet was blocked by a large stone. At the direction of the master, they, using [ 53 ] crowbars, rolled away the stone and entered the city. And now they were in the rear of the besieged, while they were still firing arrows from the walls. After the trumpet signal was heard from the center of the city, the besiegers seized the gates, opened them and also entered the city. And when the people in the city found themselves between two detachments and they began to be exterminated from both sides, Godegisil took refuge in the church of heretics, where he was killed along with the bishop of the Arians. The Franks, who were under Godegisil, all gathered in one tower. But Gundobad ordered that no harm be done to any of them. When he captured them, he sent them into exile to Toulouse to King Alaric. And the senators and Burgundians who sympathized with Godegisil were killed. Gundobad, on the other hand, conquered the whole region, which is now called Burgundy, and among the Burgundians established softer laws, according to which they were not to oppress the Romans.

34 . But after Gundobad realized that the teachings of the heretics were false, he recognized that Christ, the Son of God, and the Holy Spirit were consubstantial with the Father, and asked Saint Avit, Bishop of the city of Vienne, to anoint him secretly. To this, the bishop said to him: “If you really believe in what the Lord himself taught us, you must follow it. And the Lord says: “If anyone confesses Me before men, I will confess him also before My Father in heaven; and whoever denies me before men, I will also deny him before my Father in heaven." The Lord spoke the same way to the holy and beloved blessed apostles when he announced to them about the trials during the coming persecutions: "Beware of people, for they will give they will flog you in their courts and in their synagogues, and they will bring you for Me to rulers and kings, to testify before them and all the Gentiles." Since you yourself are a king, you are not afraid that someone will attack you, but you are afraid of a popular uprising and therefore do not openly recognize the Creator. Leave this foolishness and confess publicly what you, as you yourself say, believe with your heart. For thus says the blessed Apostle: "They believe with their hearts unto righteousness, but with their lips they confess unto salvation." So the prophet says: "I will confess Thee in the great church; among the multitude I will praise Thee." And again: I confess to You, Lord. among the nations, I will give praise to your name among the tongues. "For you, king, are afraid of the people, not knowing what is better: either that the people follow your faith, or that you indulge the weakness of the people? For you are the head of the people, and not the people - the head you. If you go to war, you will lead the troops of the army, and they will follow you wherever you lead them. Therefore, it is better for them to know the truth when you lead them, than for them to remain in error if you perish. After all, "God is not mocked," because he does not love the one who, because of earthly power, does not confess him in this world. But since Gundobad himself was mistaken, he persisted in his recklessness until the end of his life and did not want to publicly recognize the consubstantiality of the Trinity. Saint Avit at that time was a very eloquent husband. And when the heretical teaching of Eutychus and Sabellius, who denied the divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ, spread in the city of Constantinople, Avit himself, at the request of Gundobad, wrote letters against these heresies. These wonderful letters remain with us to this day. Then they put an end to heretical teaching, and now they are helping to strengthen God's Church. In addition, Avit wrote one book of sermons, six books in verse on the beginning of the world and on various other topics, and nine books of letters, among which are the letters mentioned. In one of the sermons in which he described the days of Prayer, Avit says that these very days of Prayer, which we celebrate before the feast of the Ascension of the Lord, were established by Mamert, the bishop of the city of Vienne, where Avit became bishop after Mamert. The Days of Prayer were established by Mamert on the occasion of numerous signs that caused fear in the inhabitants of this city. Namely: the city often shook from tremors, wild animals, according to the description of Avit, deer and wolves entered the gate and walked around the city, fearing nothing. And since these signs continued throughout the year, all the people, at the approach of the festive Easter days, with humility expected God's mercy, hoping that these days of the great holiday would put an end to their fear. But on the night before the bright holiday, during mass, the royal palace located in the city suddenly caught fire from lightning. Everyone left the church in complete fear, thinking only about how the whole city would not burn out from this fire or how the earth would not open up and swallow them. Meanwhile, the holy bishop fell on his face before the altar and prayed, groaning and shedding tears, for the mercy of the Lord. What's next? The prayer of the glorious bishop reached the heights of heaven, and the stream of flowing tears extinguished the fire of the royal house. And meanwhile, while all this was going on, as we said, the day of the Ascension of the Lord was approaching. The bishop appointed a fast for the people, established prayers, determined the type of food and ordered the issuance of alms for the joy of the poor. After this, all fears in the city finally ceased, a rumor about what had happened spread throughout the country and prompted all the bishops to imitate what Bishop Mamert had done thanks to his faith. And now these days are celebrated in all churches with reverence in the heart and with humility in the name of God.
35 . And when King Alaric was ready to see that King Clovis was constantly winning victories, conquering the peoples, he sent ambassadors to him to say: “If my brother, by the grace of God, wanted to meet with me, then this would be my desire.” Clovis agreed with this proposal and came to Alaric. They met on an island in the Loire River, located near the village of Amboise in the region of the city of Tours. After talking among themselves, they dined together, drank wine and parted from the world, promising each other friendship. Many inhabitants of Gaul really wanted then to be under the rule of the Franks.

36 . That is why it happened that Quintianus, Bishop of Rhodes, was driven out of the city. “After all, you wish,” they said to him, “that the Franks owned this country and dominated here.” And a few days later a quarrel arose between him and the townspeople, and since the latter reproached Quintianus for wanting to subject them to the power of the Franks, the Goths living in this city became suspicious of him, and they [ 55 ] decided to kill him with a sword. When this became known to the man of God, he got up at night, went out with his most faithful servants from the city of Rodez and came to Clermont. And there he was graciously received by the holy Bishop Euphrasius, who had once succeeded Aprunculus, Bishop of Dijon. Having endowed him with houses, fields and vineyards, he left him with him, saying: “The wealth of our church is quite sufficient to support two. Let such love dwell among the saints of God, which the apostle proclaims. The Bishop of Lyon was also generous to Quintianus, who gave him something from the possessions of his church, located in Clermont. As for the rest of the information about Saint Quintian, that is, about the persecutions he endured and about the deeds he performed with God's help, all this is told in the book of his life.
37 . And so King Clovis said to his people: “I am very worried that these Arians own part of Gaul. With God's help, let's go against them and, having defeated them, we will subject the country to our power. And since everyone liked his speech, Clovis, having set out with an army, went to Poitiers. Alaric was there then. When part of the army passed through the region of Tours, Clovis, out of respect for St. Martin, ordered that no one take anything in this region, except grass and water. But one of the troops, finding hay from some poor man, said: “Didn’t the king order to take only grass and nothing else? And it's grass, after all. We won't break the king's orders if we take her." When the warrior arbitrarily took hay from the poor man, the king became aware of this. The king cut him with his sword in the twinkling of an eye, saying: “How can we hope for victory if we offend blessed Martin?” This was enough for the army to take nothing else in this area. And Clovis himself sent ambassadors to the holy basilica and at the same time said: “Go there, maybe in the holy temple there will be some omen of victory for you.” Moreover, he gave them gifts so that they would put them in a holy place, and said: “If you, Lord, are my Helper and decided to transfer this unfaithful and always hostile people into my hands, then be merciful to me and give a sign when at the entrance to the Basilica of St. Martin, so that I may know that You have considered me, Your servant, worthy of Your mercy. The servants hurried, and when they approached the appointed place and, by order of the king, were already entering the holy basilica, at that moment the head of the choristers suddenly sang the following antiphon: “You girded me with strength for war and put down under my feet those who rise against me. You turned the rear of my enemies to me and destroyed those who hated me. Hearing this psalm, the ambassadors, giving thanks to the Lord and promising sacred gifts to the blessed confessor, joyfully reported this to the king. When Clovis with the army approached the Vienne River, he did not know at all where he should cross, since the river overflowed its banks from the rains.
And when that night the king prayed to God that he would deign to show him the place of crossing, then early in the morning before his eyes, by the will of God, a deer of amazing size entered the river, and Clovis learned that the army could cross where the deer crossed. And when the king came 56 ] to Poitiers, then from afar, while still in the camp, he saw how a ball of fire appeared from the Basilica of St. Hilary, which seemed to be moving towards him. Probably, this vision meant that the king, with the help of the light poured out by the blessed confessor Hilarius, would be able to more easily defeat the army of heretics, against whom this bishop often fought for the faith. And Clovis sternly ordered the whole army, neither where it was, nor on the way to rob anyone, and not to take anything from anyone.
At that time there was a man of meritorious holiness, the abbot Maxentius, who, for the fear of God, lived as a recluse in his monastery, located in the region of Poitiers. We have not given the name of his monastery, for this place is called to this day the cell of St. Maxentius. When the monks of this monastery saw that one of the military detachments was approaching the monastery, they asked the abbot to come out to them and encourage them. But as he hesitated, the monks, seized with fear, opened the door of his cell and led him out. He fearlessly went to meet the enemies, as if he was going to ask for peace. However, one of them drew his sword to stab him on the head. But when he raised his hand with the sword over the ear of the abbot, the hand became numb and the sword fell out of it. The warrior himself fell prostrate at the feet of the blessed husband, asking his forgiveness. At the sight of this, the rest returned to the army seized with the greatest fear, fearing that they themselves would not suffer. In a similar way. The blessed confessor smeared the hand of this man with consecrated oil, overshadowed it with the sign of the cross, and it became as before. So thanks to the protection of the abbot, the monastery remained intact. He also performed many other miracles, and if anyone wants to get acquainted with them in more detail, then he will find all this in the book of his life.
[This happened in the twenty-fifth year of the reign of Clovis].
Meanwhile, King Clovis met to fight Alaric, king of the Goths, in the valley of Vouille, ten Roman miles from the city. Poitiers; moreover, the Goths fought with spears, and the Franks with swords. And when, as usual, the Goths turned back, the victory, with the help of the Lord, went to King Clovis. And then the son of Sigibert the Lame, named Chloderic, helped him. This Sigibert was wounded in the knee in the battle against the Alemanni near the city of Zulpich, and therefore limped. After Clovis put the Goths to flight and killed King Alaric, two suddenly attacked him and struck him from both sides with spears. But he survived thanks to the shell and the fast horse. Then a large number of people from Clermont, who came with Apollinaris, perished, and among them the most distinguished senators perished. After this battle, the son of Alaric, Amalaric, fled to Spain, who, thanks to his mind, seized the kingdom of his father. Clovis sent his son Theodoric through Albi and Rodez to Clermont. In this campaign, he conquered these cities for his father - from the possessions of the Goths to the border of the possessions of the Burgundians. King Alaric ruled for 22 years. And Clovis spent the winter in the city of Bordeaux and, having captured all the treasures of Alaric in Toulouse, he arrived in the city of Angouleme. The Lord endowed Clovis with such heavenly grace that at one glance, the walls themselves collapsed. Then, having driven out the Goths, he conquered [ 57 ] this city. After that, he returned victorious to Tours, bringing many gifts to the holy basilica of the blessed Martin.

38 . And so Clovis received from the emperor Anastasius a letter conferring on him the title of consul, and in the basilica of St. Martin he was dressed in a purple tunic and mantle, and a crown was placed on his head. Then the king mounted his horse, and on his way from the door of the porch of the [St. Martin's] basilica to the city church, with exceptional generosity, he scattered gold and silver with his own hand to the assembled people. And from that day on he was called consul or Augustus. From Tours he came to Paris and made it the seat of his kingdom. Theodoric also came to him there.
39 . And so, after the death of Eustochius, Bishop of Tours, Licinius was ordained as the eighth bishop after Saint Martin. At this time, the war described above took place. And then King Clovis arrived in Tours. They say that Licinius was in the East, visited the holy places and was even in Jerusalem itself, and repeatedly visited the places of the Cross Passion and the Resurrection of the Lord, which we read about in the Gospels.
40 . When King Clovis was in Paris, he secretly sent an ambassador to Sigibert's son with the words: “Your father has grown old, he has a bad leg, and he is lame. If he died, then you would rightfully inherit, along with our friendship, his kingdom.” He, overwhelmed by greed, planned to kill his father. One day, Sigibert left the city of Cologne and crossed the Rhine to take a walk in the Bukon forest. At noon he fell asleep in his tent. The son, in order to take possession of his kingdom, sent assassins to him and ordered him to be killed there, but by the will of God he himself “fell into a hole”, which he dug with a hostile purpose to his father. Namely: he sent ambassadors to King Clovis with a notice of the death of his father, saying: “My father is dead, and his wealth and kingdom are in my hands. Send your people to me, and I will gladly send you from the treasures of Sigibert what they like. And Clovis said: "I thank you for your good wishes, but I ask you only to show my people who will come to you the treasures, and then own everything yourself." When Clovis' men arrived, he opened his father's pantry for them. While examining various jewels, he told them: “My father used to keep gold money in this chest.” In response to this, they suggested to him: "Dip your hand to the bottom," they said, "and sort through everything." When he did this and bent down strongly, one of them raised an ax and split his skull. So the unworthy son suffered the same fate that he prepared for his father.
Upon learning of the death of Sigibert and his son, Clovis arrived there and, having called all the people together, said: “Listen to what happened. During my voyage along the Scheldt, Chloderic, the son of my relative, followed his father Sigibert and slandered me that I wanted to kill him [Sigibert]. And when he, escaping, fled through the Bucon forest, Chloderic sent assassins to him and ordered them to kill him. He [Chloderic] himself died, I don’t know who was struck down, when he opened his father’s pantry. But I am completely innocent of all this. 'Cause I can't spill 58 ] the blood of my relatives, because it is sinful to do so. But since it happened, then I will give you advice - only if it seems acceptable to you: turn to me so that you can be under my protection. As soon as they heard this, they began to beat their shields and shout in approval, then raised Clovis on a round shield and made him king over them. Having received the kingdom of Sigibert along with his treasures, he subjugated his people themselves. So every day God delivered his enemies into his hands and increased his possessions, for he [Clovis] walked with a right heart before the Lord and did what was pleasing to His eyes.
41 . After that, Clovis opposed Hararih, because when he fought with Syagrius and asked Hararih to help him, he [Hararich] remained indifferent, not providing assistance to either side, and waited for the outcome of the case in order to conclude an alliance with whoever gets it victory. That is why Clovis, resenting him for this, went against him. By cunning, he captured him along with his son, tied them up and ordered them to tonsure and ordain Hararih to the rank of presbyter, and her son to the rank of deacon. It is said that when Hararih complained that he was humiliated and wept, his son said: “These branches are cut on a green tree, but the branches have not dried up at all and can quickly grow back. If the one who did it would also quickly die! These words reached the ears of Clovis. They were a threat to him: they would grow their hair and kill him. That is why he ordered them both to be beheaded. After they were killed, he took over their kingdom along with their wealth and people.
42 . And at that time King Ragnahar lived in Cambrai, who indulged in such unbridled passion that he hardly noticed his next of kin. His adviser was disgusting, to match him, Farron. It was said that when food was brought to the king, or any gift or anything, he used to say that it was enough for him and his Farron. The Franks were very indignant at this behavior of the king. And it so happened that Clovis took advantage of this and sent them golden wristlets and baldrics; all these things looked like gold, but in fact they were only skillfully gilded. These gifts Clovis sent to the Leids of King Ragnahar to encourage Clovis to oppose Ragnahar. And when Clovis then marched against him with an army, he often sent his people to reconnaissance. Upon their return, he asked them how strong Clovis' army was. They answered him: "More than enough for you and your Farron." Approaching the army, Clovis began a battle against him. When he saw that his army was defeated, he prepared to flee, but his own people from the troops seized him, tied his hands behind his back and, together with his brother Richard, brought him to Clovis. Clovis said to him: “Why did you humiliate our family by allowing yourself to be tied? You'd be better off dead." And, raising the axe, he cut his head, then, turning to his brother, said, "If you had helped your brother, he would not have been bound," and killed him in the same way, striking with the axe. After the death of both, their traitors learned that the gold they received from King Clovis was fake. It is said that when they told the king about this, he answered them: “According to merit [ 59 ] receives such gold who, of his own free will, puts his master to death. You should be satisfied that you survived and did not die under torture, thus paying for the betrayal of your masters. Hearing such words, they wanted to win mercy from Clovis, assuring him that it was enough for them that they would be given life. The kings mentioned above were relatives of Clovis. Their brother named Rignomer, on the orders of Clovis, was also killed in the city of Le Mans. After their death, Clovis took over their entire kingdom and all their wealth. After he also killed many other kings and even his close relatives, fearing that they would take the kingdom from him, he extended his power over all of Gaul. However, they say, having once gathered his people, he said the following about his relatives, whom he himself killed, the following: “Woe to me that I remained a stranger among strangers and I don’t have any of my relatives who could help me with anything in moment of danger. But he said this not out of pity for the dead, but out of cunning: could he accidentally find someone else [from his relatives] in order to kill him too.
43 . After these events Clovis died in Paris. He was buried in the Church of the Holy Apostles, which he himself built together with his wife Chrodechild. And he passed away in the fifth year after the battle of Vuille. And he ruled for thirty years. [And he was only 45 years old].
So, from the death of St. Martin to the death of Clovis - and this year was at the same time the eleventh year of the bishopric of St. Licinius of Tours - there are 112 years.
Queen Chrodechild, after the death of her husband, came to Tours, and there she served at the Basilica of St. Martin, spending all the days of her life in the highest degree modest and virtuous, and rarely visiting Paris.

Brunhilda, the wife of Sigibert, was the daughter of the Visigoth king Atanagild and came from Spain with a huge dowry (treasures were carried by a whole convoy). Her sister Galsvinta married Chilperic, Sigibert's brother. Chilperic was obviously a gifted person (he mastered jewelry making, developed additional letters for the Frankish version of the Latin alphabet), but the concubine Fredegonda he took killed Galsvinta and forced Brunhilda to take revenge (the Franks did not approve of the murder of Galsvinta and said that the lamp over her tomb was mysteriously moving) . The names of Sigibert and Brunnhilde and the conflict itself (the wife's revenge for her beloved husband, who was treacherously murdered) influenced the Nabelung epic fund. By the way, it should be noted that binomial names with the component *Sigi- ‘victory’ were common primarily among the Goths and Franks.

A formidable cruel king and a meek pious queen, living in love and harmony - this is not the plot of a fairy tale, but part of the history of Europe. Clovis and Clotilde, despite differences in way of thinking, temperament and religion, glorified each other as great figures of the Middle Ages, and besides, they were just a happy married couple.

King of the Franks Clovis I

Western Europe at the end of the fifth century consisted of several states that arose on the lands of the former Roman Empire. In each of them, their kings ruled, or rather, the leaders of the tribes, leading constant battles among themselves. Clovis, who inherited power from his father, the ruler of the Salian Franks, was to turn the Gallic tribes into a single state. The life and achievements of Clovis are known mainly from a single source - the "History of the Franks", written several decades after the death of the king by Bishop Gregory of Tours, and therefore information about those times cannot be considered completely reliable - if only because in the interpretation of facts and events the dogmas of Christian teaching intervened.

He was probably born in 466, and at the age of fifteen received the title of king. Under the rule of Clovis, a representative of the Merovingian dynasty, there was then part of modern Belgium, as well as parts of Holland and Germany. First of all, the young ruler enlisted the support of a neighboring tribe, the Ripuarian Franks, by marrying the daughter of their king. Her name has not been preserved to this day, and the chronicler denies the status of his wife - after all, the marriage was concluded according to pagan rules.

The immediate goal of Clovis was the conquest of the state of Siagria - at that time the last fragment of the Roman Empire in Gaul. The cities of Soissons, Orleans, Tours and Paris were located in Siagria, and Clovis sent his troops to her.
According to the chronicles, he besieged Paris for five years, and Geneviève (Genovefa), the patron saint of the city, who delivered a caravan of ships with food along the river, saved the inhabitants from starvation. The ruler of Syagria was captured by Clovis and then killed.

During the capture of Soissons, Clovis and his army got a lot of valuable trophies, including the wealth of Christian churches. The legend says that Bishop Remigius, later the mentor of Clovis, asked the king to leave him an ancient bowl of special beauty. However, according to the customs of that time, the king did not have the right to put himself above others when dividing the conquered, as one of his soldiers reminded Clovis, cutting the cup with a sword and offering everyone to take a share that was due to him.

Some time later, the king, who did not forget this episode, under the pretext of inspecting the troops, considered the condition of the weapon of that warrior unworthy of the Frankish army and cut his head with a sword, recalling that he had done the same with the cup. This episode, among others, strengthened the reputation of Clovis as not only a talented, but also a cruel commander.

Clotilde of Burgundy

In Burgundy, which Clovis also could not deprive of attention, relying on the unification of the Gallic lands, lived the daughter of one of the rulers, Clotilde (Chrodechild). Parents - King Chilperic and his wife Karetena, were killed in the struggle for uncle Clotilde, then taking her and her sister to his upbringing.

When the ambassadors of Clovis once again arrived to negotiate in Burgundy, Clotilde's youth and beauty struck them. When they returned, they told Clovis about the fair-haired and green-eyed beauty, and he immediately wanted to marry her - besides, this met his goals regarding an alliance with Burgundy. So the seventeen-year-old girl became the wife of the Frankish king.

Clotilde was a Christian, she was brought up in this faith by her mother, and she dreamed of introducing her husband to her. Apparently, warm relations developed between the spouses throughout the marriage, but Clovis refused to accept Christianity. Clotilde's first son, Ingomer, became ill shortly after birth, and the queen convinced her husband to baptize the child for his sake. The boy died soon after. Later, a second son was born, Chlodomir, also baptized at the insistence of Clotilde. The new heir was struck by the same disease, but, as the chronicler notes, his mother managed to save him with her prayers. It is noteworthy that the king for a long time remained skeptical about his wife's religion, and nevertheless succumbed to her convictions in such a serious matter - Clotilde raised her children in a faith alien to Clovis.

Another educator and mentor of the king is called Bishop Remigius, who, according to legend, became a participant in the incident with the cup in Soissons.

The healing of the baptized son did not convince Clovis to become a Christian, but in 496, when his troops fought against the Allemanni, the king made a vow before the decisive battle. Seeing that the enemy forces significantly outnumbered the Franks, he announced that he would accept the Christian faith if he won. December 25, Christmas, Clovis and several thousand of his soldiers were baptized.

According to legend, during the sacrament, an angel flew to Clovis, turning into a dove. He brought a jar of oil, anointing oil. Later, this vessel became one of the main French relics and was called the Holy Glassware. It has been used for centuries in coronation rites and kept in the cathedral at Reims, the city where French kings since Louis I the Pious received their official title.

The Holy Glassware was broken during the French Revolution in 1793, but its shard was preserved and used to create a new vessel that was used at the coronation of Charles X.

Clovis and Clotilde - together and apart

The baptism of Clovis did not make him a saint - conquests and killings continued. The king, who subjugated a vast territory, was afraid of conspiracies and attacks, primarily from his relatives, and therefore acted ahead of the curve, cracking down on them with his own hands. This fate befell Ragnahar and his brothers, who not only were related to Clovis, but also became his allies in the conquest of the lands of Gaul. In the biography of the king, it is mentioned that even he expressed his longing for the absence of surviving relatives with intent: would someone show concern for him, who could then be killed just in case. Unlike his wife, Clovis was never canonized.

Clovis died at the age of about 45 and was buried next to Saint Genevieve. Clotilde, who during the marriage gave birth to six children from the king, retired to Tours, where she lived the remaining 33 years of her life. She devoted herself to prayers, almsgiving to the needy, serving the church where she lived. By the end of her days, Clotilde had given away everything she had.

Clotilde is considered the patroness of Paris. The image of a shield decorated with three lilies is associated with her, supposedly it was this image, symbolizing the Holy Trinity, that she created on the armor presented to Clovis before the battle.

Clotilde founded a monastery in Paris, which was later called the Abbey of Saint Genevieve, it existed before the French Revolution, and then was destroyed.

Clovis, one of the most prominent kings and military leaders of the past, who subjugated the entire territory on the left bank of the Rhine with a sword, and the no less great Clotilde, patroness of brides, parents, widows and orphans, whose name is revered throughout the Christian world, strangely passed life path together.

But after the death of Clovis, the state he created was divided between the warring heirs, and the children, raised with love and humility by Clotilda, entered into a struggle among themselves and even killed her young grandchildren. continued to rule in Europe.