Hlotar I

Hlotar I.

Hlotar I (497. - 561) kralj Franaka 558. - 561. godine.

Ovaj sin Hlodoveha I. je u građanskom ratu koji je trajao 48 godina uspešno eliminisao svu svoju braću i njihovu decu kako bi ponovno ostvario jedinstvo Franačke države narušeno očevom odlukom o državnoj podeli. Osim ratova u samoj Francuskoj preduzimao je vojne pohode u Burgonji i Saskoj.

Posle vladavine od samo tri godine podelio je ponovno teško stečeno državno jedinstvo među svojim sinovima koji ubrzo započinju novi građanski rat za vrhovnu vlast. Te bitke će trajati sledeće 52. godine do finalne pobede Hlotara II.

Uvod

The expansion of Clothar's territories, shown in brown

Frankish customs of the day allowed for the practice of polygamy, especially among royalty. So it was not uncommon for a king to have multiple wives and several competing heirs upon his death. This was a major deviation from the monogamy of late Roman customs, influenced by the Church. Frankish rulers followed this practice mainly to increase their influence across larger areas of land in the wake of the Roman empire's collapse. The aim was to maintain peace and ensure the preservation of the kingdom by appeasing local leaders. In the Germanic tradition succession fell, not to sons, but to younger brothers, uncles, and cousins. But under Salic law, Clovis I instituted the custom of sons being the primary heirs in all respects. However, it was not a system of primogeniture, with the eldest son receiving the vast majority of an inheritance, rather the inheritance was split evenly between all the sons. Therefore, the greater Frankish Kingdom was often splintered into smaller sub-kingdoms.

Život

Early life

Chlothar was the one of the four sons of Clovis I of Queen Clotilde. The name 'Chlothar' means "glory". Upon 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 river Meuse. But he was very ambitious and sought to extend his domain.

Imagined bust of Chlothar, 13th century.

Accession to the throne

Upon the death of Clovis I in the year 511, the Frankish kingdom was divided between Chlothar and his brothers, Theuderic, Childebert, and Chlodomer. Because of the rights of mothers, queens were granted a portion of their son's kingdom. Clovis I, who had two wives, divided his kingdom into two for each of his wives, then parceled out pieces to his respective sons. The eldest, Theuderic, son of the first wife, had the benefit of receiving one half of the kingdom of Francia, Reims. Chlothar shared the second half of the kingdom with his brothers Childebert and Chlodomer. Chlothar received the northern portion, Childebert the central kingdom of Paris, and Chlodomer the southern Kingdom of Orléans. 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 included the dioceses of Amiens, Arras, Saint-Quentin and Tournai; and the other in Aquitane including the dioceses of Agen, Bazas, and Périgueux.

First Burgundian war

In 516, Gundobad, king of Burgundy, died, and the throne passed to his son Sigismund, who converted to Catholicism. Sigismund adopted an extreme anti-Arian policy, going so far as to execute his Arian son Sigeric, who was the grandson of the Ostrogoth King Theoderic the Great. Sigismund also nearly prompted the Franks to launch an offensive against him, but he avoided a conflict by giving one of his daughters, Suavegotha, in marriage to Chlothar's older half-brother, Theuderic I.

In 523, at the instigation of their mother, Clotilde, Chlothar, Childebert, and Chlodomer joined forces in an expedition against the Burgundians. The Burgundian army was defeated, and Sigismund was captured and executed. Sigismund's brother Godomar replaced him on the throne, with the support of the aristocracy, and the Franks were forced to leave.

In 524, Chlothar and his brothers, including Theuderic, began a new campaign, advancing to the Isère Valley. But on 25 June 524, they suffered a serious defeat at the Battle of Vézeronce, and Chlodomer was killed. The Franks left Burgundy, and Godomar resumed his rule until 534.

Marriage with Guntheuc

Radegonde's wedding, depiction of her praying, and prostrate in the marital bed

Chlothar married Guntheuc, Queen of Orléans and widow of Chlodomer, his brother. This union gave Chlothar access to Chlodomer's treasury and ensured Guntheuc's position as sole heiress to King Godegisel lands; Frankish law allowed a woman to inherit land if she had no sons.

Marriage with Aregund

Chlothar's wife Ingund requested that he find a husband worthy of her sister, Aregund. Finding no one suitable, Chlothar took Aregund as one of his own wives. The year was c. 533–538. She remained his wife until the death of her sister, Ingund, in 546, after which she fell out of favor with Chlothar.

Thuringian conquest

In 531, Hermanafrid, king of the Thuringians, promised to give Chlothar's half-brother, Theuderic, part of the Kingdom of Thuringia if he would help to depose Baderic, Hermanafrid's rival and brother. Theuderic accepted. However, having been injured after a victory, he appealed to Chlothar to continue the war. Hermanafrid died around this time, and the goal became simply to conquer Thuringia.

The alliance, along with the aid of his nephew Theudebert I, conquered Thuringia, and it became a part of the Frankish domain. During the division of the spoils, Chlothar and Theuderic argued fiercely over the hand of Princess Radegund, but eventually Chlothar won the dispute on the grounds that it had been his men who had captured her.

Princess Radegund

Radegund is brought before Chlothar

In 538, Radegund was brought to Soissons to marry Chlothar, as "not illegitimate but legitimate queen," who could help consolidate his dominance over Thuringia.

While her title and status were necessary for Chlothar to attain authority over Thuringia, Radegund remained in simple clothing and was not treated in the customary manner of a queen. This was largely due to her Christian faith; she did not want to appear luxurious.

Radegund did not eat to excess. She insisted that much of her food be given to the poor. She spent most of her time praying and singing psalms but spent very little time with the king. Her allegiance was to God first and to Chlothar second. Chlothar became irritated and had many disputes with her.

She retired to a convent and went on to found the abbey in Poitiers St. Croix, the first nunnery in Europe. She was canonized Saint Radegund.

Literatura

• Bachrach, Bernard S. (1972). Merovingian Military Organization, 481–751. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, ISBN 0-8166-0621-8.
• Geary, Patrick J. (1988). Before France and Germany: The Creation and Transformation of the Merovingian World. Oxford: Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-504458-4.
• James, Edward (1991). The Franks. London: Blackwell, ISBN 0-631-14872-8.
• Oman, Charles (1908). The Dark Ages, 476–918. London: Rivingtons.
• Wallace-Hadrill, J. M. (1962). The Long-Haired Kings, and Other Studies in Frankish History. London: Methuen.
• Wood, Ian N. (1994). The Merovingian Kingdoms, 450–751. London: Longman, ISBN 0-582-21878-0.
• The Cambridge Illustrated History of France – Cambridge University Press
• The Origins of France: Clovis to the Capetians 500–1000 by Edward James ISBN 0-333-27052-5
• Late Merovingian France: History and Hagiography, 640–720 (Manchester Medieval Sources); Paul Fouracre (Editor), Richard A. Gerberding (Editor) ISBN 0-7190-4791-9
• Medieval France: An Encyclopedia, eds. W. Kibler and G. Zinn. New York: Garland Publishing, 1995.
• Beyerle, F; Buchner, R. (1997) [1954]. Lex Ribvaria (на језику: латински). Hannover: Hahnsche Buchhandlung. ISBN 9783775250528. OCLC 849259009. 
• Effros, Bonnie (2010) [2002]. Caring for Body and Soul: Burial and the Afterlife in the Merovingian World. Penn State Press. ISBN 978-0-271-04532-0. 
• Esders, Stefan, ур. (2019). The Merovingian Kingdoms and the Mediterranean World: Revisiting the Sources. et al. Bloomsbury Academic. 
• Ewig, Eugen (2006). Die Merowinger und das Frankenreich [The Merovingians and the Frankish Empire]. Kohlhammer Urban-Taschenbücher (на језику: немачки). 392. W. Kohlhammer Verlag. ISBN 978-3-17-019473-1. 
• Geary, Patrick J. (1988). Before France and Germany: The Creation and Transformation of the Merovingian World. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-504458-4. 
• Kaiser, Reinhold (2004). Das römische Erbe und das Merowingerreich [The Roman Heritage and the Merovingian Empire]. Enzyklopädie deutscher Geschichte (на језику: немачки). 26. De Gruyter. ISBN 978-3-486-56722-9. 
• Oman, Charles (1898). The Dark Ages, 476–918 (3rd изд.). Rivingtons. 
• Rouche, Michel (1987). „Private life conquers State and Society”. Ур.: Ariès, Philippe; Veyne, Paul; Duby, Georges. From pagan Rome to Byzantium. A History of Private Life. 1 (5th изд.). Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. стр. 419—. ISBN 978-0-674-39975-4. 
• Werner, Karl Ferdinand (1989). Die Ursprünge Frankreichs bis zum Jahr 1000 [The origins of France up to the year 1000]. Geschichte Frankreichs (на језику: немачки). 1. Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt. ISBN 978-3-421-06451-6. 
• Wood, Ian N. (1994). The Merovingian Kingdoms, 450–751. Longman. ISBN 978-0-582-49372-8. 
• Wood, Ian N. (2003). „Deconstructing the Merovingian Family”. Ур.: Corradini, Richard; Diesenberger, Maximilian; Reimitz, Helmut. The Construction of Communities in the Early Middle Ages: Texts, Resources and Artefacts. Brill. стр. 149—. ISBN 90-04-11862-4. 
• Murray, A.C. (1998). „7. Post vocantur Merohingii: Fredegar, Merovech, and 'Sacral Kingship'”. Ур.: Goffart, Walter; Goffart, Walter A. After Rome's Fall: Narrators and Sources of Early Medieval History : Essays Presented to Walter Goffart. University of Toronto Press. стр. 121—152. ISBN 978-0-8020-0779-7. 
• Flinders Petrie, W.M. (1906). „Migrations. (The Huxley Lecture for 1906)”. The Journal of the Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland. 36: 189—232 see p. 205. JSTOR 1193258. doi:10.2307/1193258. „Probably among this confederacy should be included the Marvingi* of Ptolemy, to the south of the Catti, ... who seem to have given the Merving family to rule the Franks” 
• Moore, Walter Judson (2015-08-27). Mediterranean Beaches and Bluffs: A Bicycle Your France E-guide. Lulu Press. ISBN 9781329514553. 
• Halsall, Guy (28. 1. 2008). Warfare and Society in the Barbarian West 450–900. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-134-55387-7. CS1 одржавање: Формат датума (веза)

Spoljašnje veze

• The Oxford Merovingian Page.
• Genealogy of the Merovingian dynasty at Genealogy.eu
• Merovingian Archaeology at the Museum of the Dark Ages (France).