Chlothar I[1] (c. 497 – 29 November 561), called the Old (le Vieux), King of the Franks, was one of the four sons of Clovis I of the Merovingian dynasty
life[edit]
Chlothar was the fifth son of Clovis and the fourth of Queen Clotilde. The name 'Chlothar' means "glory".[3] Chlothar was born around 497 in Soissons. On the death of his father on 27 November 511, he received, as his share of the kingdom, the town of Soissons, which he made his capital; the cities of Laon, Noyon, Cambrai, and Maastricht; and the lower course of the Meuse River. But he was very ambitious, and sought to extend his domain.
Bust of Chlothar Accession to the throne[edit]
At this time, the Frankish kingdom was divided between Chlothar and his brothers Theuderic, Childebert, and Chlodomer.[4]
Because of the rights of mothers, different queens were granted a portion of their son's kingdom. Clovis who had two wives, divided his kingdom into two for each of them, and then parceled out pieces for his respective sons. The eldest, Theuderic, son of the first wife, had the benefit of receiving the kingdom of Reims. Chlothar shared the second half with two other brothers, with Chlothar receiving the northern part, Childebert the central kingdom of Paris, and Chlodomer receiving the southern Kingdom of Orléans.[2]
Imagined Bust of Chlothar on coin minted by Louis XVIII The domain inherited by Chlothar consisted of two distinct parts: one in Gaulic Belgium, corresponding to the kingdom of the Salian Franks, where he established his capital at Soissons and also included the dioceses of Amiens, Arras, Saint-Quentin and Tournai; the other part being in Aquitane including the dioceses of Agen, Bazas, and Périgueux.[2]
First Burgundian war[edit]
In 516, Gundobad, king of Burgundy, died and the throne passed to his son Sigismund, who converted to Catholicism. Sigismund adopted a very anti-Arian policy, and even went as far as executing his Arian son Sigeric who was the grandson of the Ostrogoth King Theoderic the Great. He also nearly prompted the Franks to launch an offensive against him, but it was avoided when he married one of his daughters to Theuderic.
In 523, at the instigation of Clotilde, Chlothar, Childebert, and Chlodomer joined forces in an expedition against the Burgundians. The Burgundian army was routed and Sigismund was captured and executed. However his brother Godomar replaced him on the throne with the support of the aristocracy and the Franks were forced to leave.
A new campaign began in 524, this time also including Theuderic. The Franks advanced to the Isère valley, but on 25 June 524, suffered a serious defeat at the Battle of Vézeronce, during which Chlodomer died. The Franks left Burgundy and Godomar resumed his rule until 534.[
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tiers_de_sou_d'or_de_Childebert_Ier.png King Childebert Childebert I (c. 496 – 13 December 558) was a Frankish King of the Merovingian dynasty, as third of the four sons of Clovis I who shared the kingdom of the Franks upon their father's death in 511. He was one of the sons of Saint Clotilda, born at Reims. He reigned as King of Paris from 511 to 558 and Orléans from 524 to 558.
In the partition of the realm, he received as his share the town of Paris, the country to the north as far as the river Somme, to the west as far as the English Channel, and the Armorican peninsula (modern Brittany). His brothers ruled in different lands: Theuderic I in Metz, Chlodomer in Orléans, and Clothar I in Soissons.
The division of the lands of Gaul to the sons of Clovis I upon his death in 511. In 523, Childebert participated with his brothers in a war against Godomar of Burgundy. Chlodomer died in the Battle of Vézeronce (524). Thereafter, concerned that the three sons of Chlodomer would inherit the kingdom of Orléans, Clothar conspired with Childebert to oust them. They sent a representative to their mother Clotilde, who as the queen mother had authority as the head of the family line. The representative presented a pair of scissors and a sword, offering her the choice to shear the three young boys, thereby depriving them of the long hair considered a symbol of royal power, or to have them killed. She famously replied, "It is better for me to see them dead rather than shorn, if they are not raised to the kingship".[1] After the murder of Chlodomer's two elder children—the third, Clodoald, escaping to a monastic life—Childebert annexed the cities of Chartres and Orléans.
He took part in later various expeditions against the kingdom of Burgundy. He besieged Autun in 532 and, in 534, having conquered the kingdom along with his brother Clothar and Theuderic's son Theudebert I, received as his share of the spoils of that kingdom the towns of Mâcon, Geneva, and Lyons. When Witiges, the king of the Ostrogoths, ceded Provence to the Franks in 535, the possession of Arles and Marseilles was guaranteed to Childebert by his brothers. The annexation of that province was completed, with Clotaire's help, in the winter of 536–537.
In 531, he received pleas from his sister Chrotilda, wife of King Amalaric of the Visigoths. The Arian king of Hispania, Chrotilda claimed, was grossly mistreating her, a Catholic. Childebert went down with an army and defeated the Gothic king. Amalaric retreated to Barcelona, where he was assassinated. Chrotilda died on her return journey to Paris of unknown causes.
Childebert made other expeditions against the Visigoths. In 542, he took possession of Pamplona with the help of his brother Clotaire and besieged Zaragoza, but was forced to retreat. From this expedition he brought back to Paris a precious relic, the tunic of Saint Vincent, in honour of which he built at the gates of Paris the famous monastery of Sainte-Croix-et-Saint-Vincent, known later as St-Germain-des-Prés.
He died on 13 December 558, and was buried in the abbey he had founded, where his tomb has been discovered.[2] St-Germain-des-Prés became the royal necropolis for the Neustrian kings until 675.[3] He left no sons, only two daughters, Chrodoberge and Chrodesinde, by his wife Ultragotha. Childebert was an acquisitive monarch. He expanded his domains in more foreign wars than any of his brothers, fighting in Burgundy (more than once), Spain (more than once), Provence, and elsewhere in Gaul. Gregory of Tours, a contemporary Neustrian, cites Childebert as saying: Velim unquam Arvernam Lemanem quae tantae jocunditatis gratia refulgere dicitur, oculis cernere.[4] Childbert was also one of the more religious of the sons of Clovis, cooperating with his brothers, rescuing his sister, and constructing the famous monastery of Saint Vincent to house his relics
[img] https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/43/Tiers_de_sous_d'or_de_Clovis_II.jpg/160px-Tiers_de_sous_d'or_de_Clovis_II.jpg [/img] King Clovis II with braided hair https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_French_monarchs Clovis II (637 – 27 November 657 or 658) succeeded his father Dagobert I in 639 as King of Neustria and Burgundy. His brother Sigebert III had been King of Austrasia since 634. He was initially under the regency of his mother Nanthild until her death in her early thirties in 642. This death allowed him to fall under the influence of the secular magnates, who reduced the royal power in their own favour. Clovis' wife, Balthild, was an Anglo-Saxon aristocrat sold into slavery in Gaul. She had been owned by Clovis' mayor of the palace, Erchinoald, who gave her to him to garner royal favour. She bore him three sons who all became kings after his death. The eldest, Chlothar, succeeded him and his second eldest, Childeric, was eventually placed on the Austrasian throne by Ebroin. The youngest, Theuderic, succeeded Childeric in Neustria and eventually became the sole king of the Franks.
Clovis was a minor for almost the whole of his reign. He is sometimes regarded as king of Austrasia during the interval 656–57 when Childebert the Adopted had usurped the throne. He is often regarded as an early roi fainéant.
Clovis II was buried in Saint Denis Basilica, Paris
King Clothar II
King Clothaire II
Chlothar II (or Chlotar, Clothar, Clotaire, Chlotochar, or Hlothar; 584–629), called the Great or the Young, was King of Neustria and King of the Franks. He started his reign as infant under the regency of his mother, Fredegund, assuming full power upon her death in 597. He continued her feud with Queen Brunhilda of Austrasia with equal viciousness and bloodshed
Description: Ancient and Hammered Gold Coin, BARBARIC COINAGE FRANCS Solidus after 540, Theuderic I, Merovingian king of Austrasia, hammered in Bonna, Bonn (Germany) Solidus frappé après 540 à Bonna, Bonn (Allemagne) A/. DN THEODEBx/RTVS VICTOR buste de face, lance sur l'épaule droite. Le buste est casqué, le casque orné de trois rangs de perles, surmonté d'un cimier. Sur l'épaule gauche, un bouclier sur lequel est représenté un cheval. R/. VICTOR/I/A/AVCCCCI Victoire debout de face, tenant une longue croix et un globe crucigère. Lettres B et O de part et d'autre de la Victoire. Etoile dans le champ à droite ICONOB à l'exergue. - Références : deux exemplaires de mêmes coins sont connus : l'un conservé à la BnF : Belfort, n° 909 = n° 913 = Prou, n° 39 et n° 15 pl. I = Lafaurie, RN, 1983, n° 93 et pl. XXII (4, 21 g. ) provenant du trésor d'Alise et présentant un même coin de revers altéré sur le mot CONOB - l'autre est conservé au Cabinet des Médailles de Bruxelles : Vanhoudt, RBN, 1982, n° 127 (4, 37 g. ) - Provenance : vente à Genève (Dürr et Michel), 8 novembre 1999, n° 362 (Boulogne) = Lacam, Byzance, pl. CVIII (cet exemplaire), région rhénane = collection Robert Perret, (Bourgey), 1958 - Or. 4, 41 g. (6h). Très Beau. Extrêmement Rare. Le style de ce solidus n'est pas sans rappeler le prototype byzantin. Seul le nom du souverain change. Au lieu de la légende DN IVSTINIANVS PP AVG on lit DN THEODEBERTVS VICTOR. Cette titulature rappelle la victoire du roi lors de son expédition en Italie ; elle est postérieure à 540. Le titre de VICTOR se rencontre sur les solidi d'ateliers divers. La collection nationale en renferme une dizaine d'exemplaires. Cette nouvelle titulature commémore une victoire importante. Théodebert aurait fait frapper le solidus (la pièce la plus prestigieuse) au nom de l'empereur avant la campagne d'Italie en 540, et à son nom après la campagne. Cette expédition marque incontestablement une mutation monétaire et l'importance déjà grandissante des ateliers du midi. Voir Prou, p. XXXII. L'attribution à Bonn proposée depuis Belfort est confirmée par Lafaurie, RN, 1983, p. 120. THE AUCTIONEER IS ONLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE FRENCH INFORMATION PROVIDED BY THIS CATALOGUE. THE ENGLISH TRANSLATION IS COURTESY TO THE ENGLISH SPEAKERS.
Notes: The solidus (the Latin word for solid) was originally a gold coin issued by the Romans.The solidus was first introduced by Diocletian around 301, struck at 60 to the Roman pound of pure gold (c. 5.3g) and with an initial value equal to 1000 denarii. However, Diocletian's solidus was only struck in small quantities, and thus had only minimal economic impact.The solidus was re-introduced by Constantine I in 312, permanently replacing the aureus as the imperial gold coin of the Roman Empire. The solidus was struck at a rate of 72 from a Roman pound of pure gold, each coin weighing twenty-four Roman/Greek carats, or about 4.5 grams of gold per coin. By this time, the solidus was worth 275,000 increasingly debased denarii.The solidus maintained essentially unaltered in weight and purity until the 10th century, though in the Greek-speaking world during the Roman period and then in the Byzantine economy it was known as the nomisma (plural nomismata). Whenever the coin was taken in by the treasury, it was melted down and reissued. This maintained the evenness of the weight of the circulating solidi, since the coin did not tend to be in circulation for long enough to become worn.Minting of the gold coin - unlike the base-metal coins of the time - had no permanently established minting facility. Due to the requirement that taxes were paid in gold, solidus minting operations tended to follow the emperor and his court. For example, solidi were minted in Milan in 353, and in Ravenna after 402. Each of these locations were imperial residences at those times.Although merchants were forbidden to use solidi outside of the Byzantine empire, there was sufficient trade in these coins outside of the empire that they became a desirable circulating currency in Arabic countries. Since the solidi circulating outside the empire were not used to pay the taxes to the emperor they did not get re-minted, and the soft pure gold coins quickly became worn.Through the end of the 7th century, Arabic copies of solidi - dinars minted by the caliph Abd al-Malik who had access to supplies of gold from the upper Nile - began to circulate in areas outside of the Byzantine empire. These corresponded in weight to only 20 carats, but matched with the weight of the worn solidi that were circulating in those areas at the time. The two coins circulated together in these areas for a time.Except in special cases, the solidus was not marked with any face value throughout its seven-century manufacture and circulation. Solidi were wider and thinner than the Aureus, with the exception of some lower quality issues from the Byzantine Empire[citation needed]. Fractions of the solidus known as semissis (half-solidi) and tremissis (one-third solidi) were also produced.The word soldier is ultimately derived from solidus, referring to the solidi with which soldiers were paid. Theudebert I (French: Thibert or Théodebert) (c. 500-547 or 548) was the Merovingian king of Austrasia from 533 to his death in 548. He was the son of Theuderic I and the father of Theudebald.Most of what we know about Theudebert comes from the Histories or History of the Franks written by Gregory of Tours in the second half of the sixth century. In addition, we have diplomatic correspondence composed at the Austrasian court (known as the Austrasian Letters), the poems of Venantius Fortunatus, an account from Procopius' work[1] and a small number of other sources.During his father's reign, the young Theudebert had shown himself to be an able warrior. In about 516 he defeated a Danish army under King Chlochilaich (Hygelac of Beowulf) after it had raided northern Gaul. His reputation was further enhanced by a series of military campaigns in the south of Gaul against the Visigoths.Upon his father's death, Theudebert had to fight both his uncles Childebert and Clotaire to inherit his father's kingdom. In the end, his military prowess persuaded Childebert to abandon the dispute and adopt Theudebert as his heir. Together they campaigned against Clotaire but sued for peace after their armies were hit by storm.After relations between the Frankish kings had settled down, Theudebert found himself embroiled in the Gothic Wars started when the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I attempted to subdue the Ostrogoths in Italy. Justinian saw Theudebert as an ideal ally: Austrasian lands flanked the Ostrogoths in northern Italy. The emperor paid Theudebert handsomely for his assistance, but Theudebert proved an untrustworthy ally. The Frankish armies saw the Italian conflict as an opportunity for plunder and a chance to exert their own claims to northern Italy. In the event the Byzantines were forced to fight the Franks as much as the Ostrogoths.Theudebert seems to have revelled in his power growing on the European stage. His letters show him laying claim to a vast array of lands around Austrasia, including Byzantine lands[2]. Since the fall of the Roman Empire, the Frankish kings had always shown a certain deference to the Byzantine Emperor, but Theudebert rejected his status as an inferior leader: for example, he broke imperial custom by minting gold coins containing his own image. Hitherto former Frankish kings had respected imperial convention and circulated gold coins with the image of the emperor. Not surprisingly, perhaps, the Byzantine chronicler Agathias recorded the rumour in Constantinople that the Byzantines suspected Theudebert of planning an invasion of Thrace.In common with other Frankish rulers at the time, Theudebert took several wives as and when he wanted. As heir to his father's kingdom, he was betrothed to Wisigard, daughter of Wacho, king of the Lombards. This sort of political match was rare for the Merovingian kings. Theudebert abandoned her for Deuteria, a Gallo-Roman he had met while on campaign in southern Gaul. However, his supporters were not best pleased by his treatment of Wisigard, perhaps because of the political dimension, and persuaded Theudebert to take her back. Wisigard, though, soon died, and Theudebert married again.As well as being renowned for his military prowess, Theudebert was lauded by contemporaries for his patronage of the Gallic Church. Gregory of Tours reserves special praise for him in this regard, but his piety is also mentioned by Fortunatus.Theudebert died in the 14th year of his reign (at the end of 547 or the beginning of 548) and Theudebald, his son by Deuteria, succeeded him. In contrast to that experienced by many Merovingian kings, Theudebald's accession was peacefu
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