Clovis I Converts to Christianity - Foundation of Christian France
Clovis had united the Frankish tribes of northern Gaul by the 480s CE and was steadily expanding his kingdom. His wife Clotilde was a Nicene Christian and had long urged his conversion. Gregory of Tours places his baptism after a vow made during the Battle of Tolbiac (496 CE) against the Alemanni. Most Germanic kings, Visigoths, Ostrogoths, Burgundians, Vandals, had converted to Arian Christianity through the influence of Ulfilas. By accepting Nicene orthodoxy, Clovis could present himself as the defender of Catholic Christianity against Arian heretics, winning support from the Roman aristocracy and the Gallic clergy. Clovis's conversion thus determined the religious and political future of western Europe far more than any battlefield victory. It separated the Franks from other Germanic peoples and made them the heirs of both Rome and Christianity. This alliance would culminate in Charlemagne's coronation as emperor in 800 CE.
- Year: 496 CE
- Category: Cultural
