The Frankish Kingdom was seen as a great military power in the time of Clovis. Early medieval Europe was primarily under the control of the Roman Empire. Syagrius, the king of the Romans and his son Aegidius were living in the city of Soissons when Clovis decided to show off his military excellence. Clovis marched against Syagrius and eventually defeated him by disposing of his army and forcing him to flee the area. Syagrius fled to the kingdom of Aralic. In another show of his power, Clovis scarred Aralic into giving Syagrius up or he would be marched on as well.
Out of fear, Syagrius was given up to Clovis and secretly killed. This was the beginning of the power and respect that was to come for Clovis. Clovis did not believe in Jesus as being a true god. His mind would change in the near future. He married a woman who was a believer in the Christian religion.
The way he would be converted to the Christian religion was very fitting for this military leader. Clovis’ wife would try to convince him that the Christian religion is the one for him. He would not change his mind until he was on the battlefield. He was in the middle of a conflict with a man named Alamanni and his army. Clovis’ troops were being annihilated, so he would ask Jesus for help in exchange for his faith. He looked to Jesus to help him survive this battle.
If he would survive, he would hold the god of his wife as the same holy god for himself, and would be faithful to the lord. As Clovis asked for the aid of the lord, Alamanni retreated and soon after was killed. In this event, Alamanni’s troops surrendered and Clovis was then victorious. After this, Clovis kept his word and converted to the Christian faith. Along with himself, three thousand of Clovis’ followers were baptized on Christmas day. The conversion of Clovis in 496 was a decisive event in the political and religious future of continental Europe.
The Essay on Christian Church Jesus People Early
A Critical Interpretation of Hans Kung's Historical Analysis of the Development of the Hierarchical Church The beginnings of the Christian church are shrouded in mystery. With the lack of evidence about that time in history, it is hard to draw conclusions of any type. However, the historical analyst, Hans Kung, has written a book to shed some light on the subject. In this book, Kung discusses his ...
By converting to the Christian religion, Clovis would gain the favor of Constantinople and among the people and clergy of the Roman population in Gaul Under the leadership of Clovis, the Franks acquisition ed the former Roman territories in Gaul and in Germany. Clovis would also gain the Burgundian people. They would abandon Arianism, along with many other peoples. This acquisition would come to be known as the Kingdom of the Franks.
Clovis effectively united the Franks with the use of Religion. He took over the few remaining outposts of the Romans and pushed the Visigoths across the Pyrenees and into Spain. It is now known that the conquests of Clovis turned the land of Gaul into what is now seen as France. (Frankfurter PG 56) In order to strengthen his kingdom, Clovis began to break the cultural barriers between the Roman and German subjects that he had conquered. He would begin to do this by making the politics of this new society run by the Christian church. Christian bishops would assume the role of the aristocratic members of that society.
This would make it very difficult for anyone to deny the power of the Christian church. Anyone who would disagree with the church would be dealt with in a severe way. The conquering of the Roman Empire would be the real factor that would give rise to the Frankish Kingdom. This was made possible by the acceptance of the Christian religion, by the people under the rule of Clovis and his sons. Anyone who would think of opposing the Frankish powerhouse would be convinced that the will of Jesus Christ would prevail and that they would be defeated in what ever they would try. Religion was a very important part of life in that time.
The church would have a strong say in whatever went on in the town and the territory.
