Editing Childeric I

{{short description|Frankish king}}
{{Uncited categories|date=June 2020}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name         = Childeric I
| title        = 
| image        = CHILDERICI REGIS.jpg
| caption      = Copy of the [[signet ring]] of Childeric (original stolen in 1831). Inscription CHILDIRICI REGIS ("of king Childeric").<ref>G. Salaün, A. McGregor & P. Périn (2008), "Empreintes inédites de l'anneau sigillaire de Childéric Ier : état des connaissances", ''Antiquités Nationales'', 39, pp. 217–224 (esp. 218).</ref> The original was found in his tomb at [[Tournai]] ([[Monnaie de Paris]]).
| succession   = King of the Salian Franks
| reign        = {{circa}} 457–481
| coronation   = 
| predecessor  = [[Merovech]]
| successor    = [[Clovis I]]
| succession1  = 
| reign1       = 
| coronation1  = 
| predecessor1 = 
| successor1   = 
| spouse       = [[Basina of Thuringia]]
| issue        = {{plainlist|
*[[Clovis I]]
*[[Audofleda]]
*[[Lanthilde]]
*[[Albofledis]]}}
| house        = [[Merovingian]]
| house-type   = Dynasty
| father       = [[Merovech]]
| mother       = 
| birth_date   = 
| birth_place  = 
| death_date   = {{circa}} 481<ref>The date 481 is arrived at by counting back from the Battle of Tolbiac, which [[Gregory of Tours]] places in the fifteenth year of Clovis's reign.</ref>
| death_place  = [[Tournai]] (present-day [[Belgium]])
| burial_date  = 
| burial_place = [[Tournai]] (present-day Belgium)
| signature    = 
}}

'''Childeric I''' (died 481 AD) was a [[Franks|Frankish]] leader in the northern part of imperial Roman [[Gaul]] and a member of the [[Merovingian dynasty]], described as a king (Latin ''rex''), both on his Roman-style seal ring, which was buried with him, and in fragmentary later records of his life. He was father of [[Clovis I]], who acquired effective control over all or most Frankish kingdoms, and a significant part of Roman Gaul.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Perin |first=Patrick |title=Empreintes inédites de l'annaeau sigillaire de Childéric Ier |url=https://www.academia.edu/7244367 |journal=Antiquités nationales 39, 2008}}</ref>

==Biography==
Most of early Merovingian history is based on the account of the 6th-century [[Gregory of Tours]]. The date of Childeric's accession is not given in the text, but it was after emperor [[Avitus]]' death in December 456 ([https://encyclopedie.arbre-celtique.com/histoire-des-francs-livre-ii-7140.htm II. 11]). The only certain date is the [[Battle of Vouillé]] in 507; most of Gregory's other statements are contradictory.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Wood |first=Ian N. |date=1985 |title=Gregory of Tours and Clovis |url=https://www.persee.fr/doc/rbph_0035-0818_1985_num_63_2_3503 |journal=Revue belge de Philologie et d'Histoire |volume=63 |issue=2 |pages=249–272 |doi=10.3406/rbph.1985.3503}}</ref>

Childeric's father is recorded by several sources to have been [[Merovech]], after whom the dynasty is named.<ref>[[Gregory of Tours]], ''[[Historia Francorum|History of the Franks]]'', II.9. Later medieval sources do not always agree, and it has been suggested for example that Childeric descended from Merovech on his mother's side. See Étienne Renard (2014). "[http://www.persee.fr/doc/rbph_0035-0818_2014_num_92_4_8602 Le sang de Mérovée. 'Préhistoire' de la dynastie et du royaume mérovingiens]". ''Revue belge de Philologie et d'Histoire'' 92–94  pp. 999–1039.</ref> Gregory (II.9) says that Merovech was reputed by some to be a descendant of [[Chlodio]], an earlier Frankish king who had conquered Gaulish areas first in the [[Silva Carbonaria]], then in [[Tournai]], [[Cambrai]] and as far south as the [[River Somme|Somme]]. This is roughly the definition of the Roman province of ''[[Belgica Secunda]]'' (approximately the "Belgium" defined by [[Julius Caesar]] centuries earlier, the region stretching from north of Paris to the Flemish coast); later, a letter of [[Saint Remigius]] to Childeric's son Clovis I implies that Childeric had been its administrative chief.

Childeric himself is mainly associated with Roman military actions around the [[Loire]] River involving the Gallo-Roman general [[Aegidius]]. According to Gregory (II.12), Childeric was exiled to "[[Thuringia]]" for eight years due to Frankish distaste for his debauchery and his seduction of his subjects' daughters.<ref>"Thuringia" is a term which surviving manuscripts of Gregory used in this section to describe the region on the Roman side of the Rhine where Chlodio's original fort was. It may refer to the [[Civitas Tungrorum|region]] of [[Tongeren]]. On the other hand many modern authors are encouraged by the find of a spoon in [[Weimar]] with the name Basina, showing that the name was used for the region we now call Thuringia.</ref> In the meantime, according to Gregory, Aegidius himself took up the title of king of the Franks. Upon his return from exile, Childeric joined his host's wife, Queen Basina, who bore their son Clovis.<ref>Gregory of Tours, ''History of the Franks'', II.12.</ref>

[[Guy Halsall]] connects the story to Roman politics, Aegidius being an appointee of Majorian:

{{blockquote|Although this is only one interpretation of the fragmentary sources, an eight-year period ending with Aegidius' death would allow us to associate Childeric's expulsion with [[Majorian]]'s accession and appointment of Aegidius.<ref>Halsall, "Barbarian Migrations and the Roman West 376–568" p. 263</ref> ...

Majorian's commander on the Loire, Aegidius, refused to accept [[Libius Severus|Severus]] as emperor. It is possible that, to legitimise his position, he took the title king of the Franks.<ref>Halsall, "Barbarian Migrations and the Roman West 376–568" pp. 266–267.</ref>}}

Halsall (p.&nbsp;269) speculates that Childeric probably began a Roman military career in the service of [[Flavius Aetius]] who defeated [[Attila]] in Gaul, and he points out that much of his military career appears to have played out far from the Frankish homelands. Ulrich Nonn (map p.&nbsp;37, and pp.&nbsp;99–100), following his teacher Eugen Ewig, believes that the exile story reflects a real sequence of events whereby Childeric was a leader of "Salian" or "Belgian" Franks based in the Romanized areas conquered by Chlodio, who were allies under the lordship of Aegidius, but eventually able to take over his power when he and his imperial patron died. (Childeric's son Clovis I later fought Aegidius' son [[Syagrius]] who was remembered as a King of Romans, and who had control of [[Soissons]] in the south of ''Belgica Secunda''.)

In a passage normally considered to have come from a lost collection of annals, Gregory (II.18) gives a sequence of events which are very difficult to interpret. In 463 Childeric and Aegidius successfully repelled the [[Visigoths]] of [[Theodoric II]] from [[Orléans]] on the [[Loire]].{{sfn|Previté-Orton|1952|p=98}} After the death of Aegidius soon after, Childeric and a ''comes'' ("count") Paul are recorded defending the Loire region from Saxon raiders, who were possibly coordinating with the Goths now under [[Euric]]. Childeric and Paul fought [[Saxons]] under the command of a leader named "[[Adovacrius]]" (sometimes given by modern authors in either an Anglo-Saxon spelling form, Eadwacer, or in a spelling the same as used for his contemporary the future King of Italy [[Odoacer]], with whom he is sometimes equated). The origin of these "Saxons" is however unclear, and they are described as being based upon islands somewhere in the Loire region.
[[File:Abeilles de Childéric Ier.jpg|thumb|Detail of golden bees with garnet insets]][[File:Childeric's bees.jpg|right|thumb|Golden bee or fly jewelry from the tomb of Childeric I in Tournai. Drawn by [[Jacob van Werden]] and engraved by [[Cornelis Galle the Younger]]]]

Soon after this passage, Gregory of Tours (II.19) reports that Childeric coordinated with "Odovacrius", this time normally assumed to be the King of Italy, against [[Allemanni]] who had entered Italy. While some authors interpret these Allemani to be Alans, a people established in the Loire region in this period. There is no consensus on this however, because the reference in this case is not apparently to events near the Loire.{{Citation needed|date=November 2021}}

==Marriage, children, and death==
Gregory of Tours, in his ''History of the Franks'', mentions several siblings of Clovis within his narrative, apparently thus children of Childeric:
#[[Clovis I]] (died 511), whose mother was Basina.
#[[Audofleda]], Queen of the Ostrogoths, wife of [[Theodoric the Great]]. Gregory III.31 also mentions their daughter Amalasuntha.
#[[Lanthechild]]. Gregory II.31 mentions she had been an [[Arian]] but converted to Catholicism with Clovis.
#[[Albofleda]] (died approximately 500). Gregory II.31 mentions that she died soon after being baptized with Clovis.

Childeric is generally considered to have died in 481 or 482 based on Gregory's reports that his son Clovis died in 511 and had ruled 30 years.<ref>James p.79</ref>

==Tomb==
Childeric's tomb was discovered in 1653<ref name=Long162>Wallace-Hadrill ''Long-Haired Kings'' p. 162</ref> not far from the 12th-century church of Saint-Brice in [[Tournai]],  now in Belgium.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://archeurope.eu/index.php?page=site-of-childeric-s-grave|title=Location of Childeric's grave: A plaque at the site reads (in French): "Childeric King of the Franks Died in his palace in Tournai the year 481. His tomb was found in this place in the year 1653"|publisher=Archaeology in Europe|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150701130952/http://archeurope.eu/index.php?page=site-of-childeric-s-grave|archive-date=2015-07-01}}</ref>  Numerous precious objects were found, including jewels of gold and [[garnet]] [[cloisonné]], gold coins, a gold bull's head, and a ring with the king's name inscribed. Some 300 golden winged insects (usually viewed as [[bee]]s or [[cicada]]s) were also found which had been placed on the king's cloak.<ref name=Long162/> [[Archduke Leopold William]], governor of the Southern Netherlands (today's Belgium), had the find published in Latin.  The treasure went first to the [[Habsburgs]] in Vienna, then as a gift to King [[Louis XIV of France]], who was not impressed with the treasure and stored it in the royal library, which became the [[Bibliothèque Nationale de France]] during the [[French Revolution|Revolution]].

On the night of November 5&ndash;6, 1831, the treasure of Childeric was among 80&nbsp;kg of treasure stolen from the Library and melted down for the gold. A few pieces were retrieved from where they had been hidden in the Seine, including two of the bees.  The record of the treasure, however, now exists only in the fine engravings made at the time of its discovery and in some reproductions made for the Habsburgs.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://penelope.uchicago.edu/hydrionoframes/bees.xhtml|title=A note on Childeric's Bees|author=James Eason|website=penelope.uchicago.edu|access-date=2020-02-03}}</ref>

===Origin of Napoleonic bees===

When [[Napoleon]] was looking for a heraldic symbol to trump the Capetian [[fleur-de-lys]], he settled on Childeric's bees as symbols of the [[First French Empire|French Empire]]. The minutes of a meeting of the ''[[Conseil d'État (France)|Conseil d'État]]'' held at [[Château de Saint-Cloud|Saint-Cloud]] in June 1804 suggest that it approved the symbolism of the bees on a suggestion by [[Jean-Jacques-Régis de Cambacérès|Cambacérès]]. The design was made by [[Vivant Denon]], Director of the [[Louvre]].<ref>{{cite book|publisher=Belin|page=68|title=La France avant la France, (481–888)|author1=Geneviève Bührer-Thierry|author2=Charles Mériaux|date=2010|location=Paris}}</ref>

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* [[Gregory of Tours]] (6th century), ''[https://encyclopedie.arbre-celtique.com/histoire-des-francs-livre-ii-7140.htm Histoire des Franks]''
*{{Cite journal|last=Cameron|first=Alan|date=1988|title=Flavius: a Nicety of Protocol|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/41540754|journal=Latomus|volume=47|issue=1|pages=26–33|jstor=41540754}}
* {{cite book |author=Collins, Roger |title=Early Medieval Europe: 300–1000 |publisher=St. Martin's Press |location=New York |year=1999 |isbn=0-312-21886-9 |edition=Second}}
* {{cite book|author=Halsall, Guy|author-link=Guy Halsall |title=Barbarian Migrations and the Roman West 376-568 |year=2007 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-43543-7}}
* {{cite book |author=Heather, Peter |author-link=Peter Heather |title=The Fall of the Roman Empire: A New History of Rome and the Barbarians |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2006 |location=Oxford, UK |isbn=978-0-19-532541-6}}
* {{cite book|author=James, Edward |title=The Franks |year=1988 |publisher=Basil Blackwell |isbn=0-631-17936-4}}
* {{cite book|author=Murray, Alexander Callandar |publisher=Higher Education University of Toronto Press |year=2000 |title=From Romans to Merovingian Gaul}}
* {{cite book |author=Nonn, Ulrich |title=Die Franken |publisher=[[Kohlhammer Verlag]]|year=2010 |isbn=978-3-17-017814-4}}
* {{cite book |title=The Shorter Cambridge Medieval History |volume=1 |first=C. W. |last=Previté-Orton |year=1952 }}
* {{cite book |author=Wallace-Hadrill, J. M. |title=The Long-Haired Kings |publisher=University of Toronto Press |location=Toronto |year=1982 |isbn=0-8020-6500-7}}
* {{cite book |author=Wickham, Chris |author-link=Christopher Wickham |title=The Inheritance of Rome: Illuminating the Dark Ages 400–1000 |publisher=Penguin Books |location=New York |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-14-311742-1}}
* {{cite book|author=Wood, Ian |title=The Merovingian Kingdoms 450-751 |publisher=Routledge |year=1994 |isbn=978-0-582-49372-8}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}     
*[https://www.livius.org/articles/person/childeric/ Livius.org on Childeric]
*[https://books.google.com/books?id=15NCjWEcG_YC&pg=PA83 Photo:] Merovingian sword and scabbard mounts from the tomb of King Childeric featuring silver-gilt and cloisonné garnets
*[http://penelope.uchicago.edu/hydrionoframes/bees.html "A note on Childeric's bees"]: the discovery of his tomb: follow the links for the engravings of Childeric's treasure and the two remaining gold bees.
*{{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Childeric|volume=6|page=137}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-hou|[[Merovingian dynasty]]||c. 437||481}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Merovech]]}} 
{{s-ttl|title=[[Salian Franks|King of the Salian Franks]]|years=458&ndash;481}} 
{{s-aft|after=[[Clovis I]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Merovingians}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Childeric 01}}
[[Category:Frankish warriors]]
[[Category:Merovingian kings]]
[[Category:Magistri militum]]
[[Category:430s births]]
[[Category:480s deaths]]
[[Category:Year of birth uncertain]]
[[Category:Year of death uncertain]]
[[Category:5th-century Frankish people]]
[[Category:5th-century monarchs in Europe]]