"After the Roman Empire had collapsed in Western Europe, the Franks managed to build a large kingdom of their own, starting with the conquests of Clovis at around 500 AD. Under Charlemagne the Frankish realm would include modern France, the Benelux, Switzerland, Austria, most of modern Germany, two-thirds of Italy, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, much of Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as a small part of northern Spain.
By the ninth century, the Franks had established such an important position in Europe that in the Muslim world Western Europe was known as Frangistan ("Land of the Franks"). During the period of the Crusades, Muslims referred to a Westerner as al-Faranj, irrespective of whether he was a Frank or not.
Origins of the Franks
The term Franks ("the free ones" or "the bold ones") originated in the third century AD and was used as a collective label for an alliance of the Germanic tribes of the Amsivarii, Bructeri, Batavi, Chamavi, Chatti, Chattuarii, Salii, Sugambri, Tencteri, Tungri and Usipii.
Having united to fight the Romans more effectively, the Franks ultimately sided with their enemies of old in the last major military operation of the Western Roman Empire: the battle against the Huns near Châlons in 451 AD, also known as the Battle of the Catalaunian Plains, or the Battle of the Campus Mauriacus.
Here, a coalition of Franks, Visigoths, Burgundians, Alani, Saxons, Armoricans and Sarmatians led by the Roman commander Flavius Aetius faced the troops of Attila, who had allied with the Ostrogoths, Gepids, Rugians, Scirii, Thuringians, Scythians, Bastarnae, Taifals and Alamanni.
The Merovingians (448 751 AD)
The Merovingian dynasty is named after the semi-legendary dux Merovech, who led the Salian Franks in the Battle against the Huns. His famous grandson Chlodwig I (better known as Clovis) was the first king of the Franks who made it to the hall of fame.Allegedly Clovis (r. 482 – 511 AD) converted to Christianity, after having defeated the Alamanni in the Battle of Zülpich, 40 km southwest of Cologne in 496 AD. Similar to the conversion of the Roman emperor Constantine the Great, who had turned Christian after the Battle of the Milvian Bridge, Clovis' adoption of the Christian faith would have a great impact on the position of the Church and its future role in Western Society…"
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Armand
shows how using inks makes it easier to paint a 15mm scale army.
