The History of the Franks

The Franks were a Germanic people who migrated into, and conquered, most of Gaul. The Franks were united under the rule of the Merovingian dynasty. In English, “Franks” is the origin of the country’s name, “France.”

The Goths or Visigoths were a Germanic people who, in 415, established a kingdom in modern-day Spain. By 585, they had taken the territory of modern-day Portugal as well. Their kings practiced Arian Christianity (See: Background) until the conversion of King Recared to Catholic Christianity in 587.

Among English-language historians, the Longobards were a Germanic group more commonly referred to as the Lombards. In the 6th century, they conquered Italy, replacing the earlier, Germanic kingdom of Italy that rose in the aftermath of the fall of the western Roman Empire. Instead of Catholic Christianity, their kings were Arians.

The Merovingian Dynasty is the royal dynasty that Clovis I established over Gaul. Much of their early history is detailed in The History of the Franks. By 751, they were overthrown and replaced by the Carolingians.

Septimania was the name given to a region of southwest Gaul. It was originally ruled by the Visigothic kings of Spain, but sometime in the 6th century it was annexed by the Franks, possibly under King Chilperic.