Before you get started! You may want to familiarize yourself with some words, so here's your...
Handy Dandy Cheat-sheet!
These names are used interchangeably...
"Frankish" means "Germanic" (the Franks were a Germanic people group that occupied Central Europe and Scandinavia during antiquity)
"Gaul" means the area of modern-day France
"France" comes from the word "Franks" or "Frankish"
And again,
"Frankish" means "Germanic"
In other words:
Germanic peoples = Franks, Frankish, Francia = where we get the name "France"
That's it!
500
RULERS & ROYALTY: Alaric II is ruling Hispania (modern-day Spain) as king of the Visigoths (Germanic peoples) – Gaul (modern-day France) is being ruled by Frankish (Germanic) kings – Symmachus is pope/bishop of Rome – Anastasius I Dicorus is emperor of the Byzantine Empire (eastern Roman Empire)
The Mayan Civilization in modern-day Mesoamerica reaches its peak during the 500s
501
RULERS & ROYALTY: Alaric II is ruling Hispania (modern-day Spain) as king of the Visigoths (Germanic peoples) – Gaul (modern-day France) is being ruled by Frankish (Germanic) kings – Symmachus is pope/bishop of Rome – Anastasius I Dicorus is emperor of the Byzantine Empire (eastern Roman Empire)
502
RULERS & ROYALTY: Alaric II is ruling Hispania (modern-day Spain) as king of the Visigoths (Germanic peoples) – Gaul (modern-day France) is being ruled by Frankish (Germanic) kings – Symmachus is pope/bishop of Rome – Anastasius I Dicorus is emperor of the Byzantine Empire (eastern Roman Empire)
503
RULERS & ROYALTY: Alaric II is ruling Hispania (modern-day Spain) as king of the Visigoths (Germanic peoples) – Gaul (modern-day France) is being ruled by Frankish (Germanic) kings – Symmachus is pope/bishop of Rome – Anastasius I Dicorus is emperor of the Byzantine Empire (eastern Roman Empire)
504
RULERS & ROYALTY: Alaric II is ruling Hispania (modern-day Spain) as king of the Visigoths (Germanic peoples) – Gaul (modern-day France) is being ruled by Frankish (Germanic) kings – Symmachus is pope/bishop of Rome – Anastasius I Dicorus is emperor of the Byzantine Empire (eastern Roman Empire)
505
RULERS & ROYALTY: Alaric II is ruling Hispania (modern-day Spain) as king of the Visigoths (Germanic peoples) – Gaul (modern-day France) is being ruled by Frankish (Germanic) kings – Symmachus is pope/bishop of Rome – Anastasius I Dicorus is emperor of the Byzantine Empire (eastern Roman Empire)
506
RULERS & ROYALTY: Alaric II is ruling Hispania (modern-day Spain) as king of the Visigoths (Germanic peoples) – Gaul (modern-day France) is being ruled by Frankish (Germanic) kings – Symmachus is pope/bishop of Rome – Anastasius I Dicorus is emperor of the Byzantine Empire (eastern Roman Empire)
507
RULERS & ROYALTY: Alaric II, ruler of Hispania (modern-day Spain) as king of the Visigoths (Germanic peoples), dies, and – Gaul (modern-day France) is being ruled by Frankish (Germanic) kings – Symmachus is pope/bishop of Rome – Anastasius I Dicorus is emperor of the Byzantine Empire (eastern Roman Empire)
In the Spring, the armies of Alaric II, king of the Visigoths in Hispania (modern-day Spain) and that of Clovis I, who will soon be king of Gaul (modern-day France), clash at the Battle of Vouillé near Poitiers; This territory has been ruled by the Visigoths up until now, but when Alaric II, king of the Visigoths, is defeated in battle, the Visigoths lose the territory to the Franks; This was the last territory they had in Gaul, now they rule only in Hispania (Photo: Illumination of Clovis I and Aleric II in battle, 14th century manuscript by an unknown author; Credit: Wikimedia Commons)
508
RULERS & ROYALTY: Hispania (modern-day Spain) is being ruled by the Visigoths (Germanic peoples) – Gaul (modern-day France) is being ruled by Frankish (Germanic) kings – Symmachus is pope/bishop of Rome – Anastasius I Dicorus is emperor of the Byzantine Empire (eastern Roman Empire)
December 25, Clovis I (who will become the first Merovingian king next year) is baptized into the Catholic Church on Christmas Day; This is significant because he will reform the church in Frankish Gaul (modern-day France) and create a strong link between the Crown and the Catholic Church in 511 at the First Council of Orléans
509
RULERS & ROYALTY: Hispania (modern-day Spain) is being ruled by the Visigoths (Germanic peoples) – Clovis I becomes the first Frankish (Germanic) Merovingian king to rule Gaul (modern day France) – Symmachus is pope/bishop of Rome – Anastasius I Dicorus is emperor of the Byzantine Empire (eastern Roman Empire)
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Clovis I is the First Merovingian King (aka the First King of France)
Since the Roman Empire's collapse about 50 years ago, the Roman province of Gaul (modern-day France) has been made up of small kingdoms ruled by Frankish (Germanic) kings; The Franks invaded Gaul back in the 400s after the collapse of the Roman Empire and set up their kingdoms; However, in this year...
...Clovis I unites unites all the Frankish kingdoms, and establishes the Merovingian Dynasty of Frankish kings
And because he is the first to unite all these smaller kingdoms, he is often known in French history as
"the first king of what would become France"
510
RULERS & ROYALTY: Hispania (modern-day Spain) is being ruled by the Visigoths (Germanic peoples) – Clovis I is the first Merovingian king of Gaul (modern-day France) – Symmachus is pope/bishop of Rome – Anastasius I Dicorus is emperor of the Byzantine Empire (eastern Roman Empire)
Gildas (490-570?), a British cleric, writes his De excidio et conquestu Britanniae (Concerning the Ruin and Conquest of Britain), a sermon in three parts that is a rebuke of his contemporaries who he says are the reason for the deterioration of affairs in Britain; Though he is not writing history, it gives an account of the devastations of the Anglo-Saxon invasion of Britain (The Druids, pg. 205, Wikipedia, Earliest proposed date for work)
511
RULERS & ROYALTY: Hispania (modern-day Spain) is being ruled by the Visigoths (Germanic peoples) – Clovis I, the first Merovingian king of Gaul (modern-day France), dies, and his kingdom is split between his four sons – Symmachus is pope/bishop of Rome – Anastasius I Dicorus is emperor of the Byzantine Empire (eastern Roman Empire)
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Huddle Up: The First Council of Orléans
Clovis I calls the First Council of Orléans; Thirty-two bishops from across Gaul (modern-day France) attend, and together, they pass thirty-two decrees which create...
...an enduring between the Frankish-Germanic Crown and the Catholic Church
Clovis' dynasty will eventually evolve into what we know today as France and Germany
November 27, Clovis I, king of the Gaul (modern-day France) dies, aged about 45, and the kingdom passes to his four sons
512
RULERS & ROYALTY: Hispania (modern-day Spain) is being ruled by the Visigoths (Germanic peoples) – The Merovingian kings are ruling Gaul (modern-day France) – Symmachus is pope/bishop of Rome – Anastasius I Dicorus is emperor of the Byzantine Empire (eastern Roman Empire)
513
RULERS & ROYALTY: Hispania (modern-day Spain) is being ruled by the Visigoths (Germanic peoples) – The Merovingian kings are ruling Gaul (modern-day France) – Symmachus is pope/bishop of Rome – Anastasius I Dicorus is emperor of the Byzantine Empire (eastern Roman Empire)
514
RULERS & ROYALTY: Hispania (modern-day Spain) is being ruled by the Visigoths (Germanic peoples) – The Merovingian kings are ruling Gaul (modern-day France) – Pope Symmachus dies, and he is succeeded by Hormisdas – Anastasius I Dicorus is emperor of the Byzantine Empire (eastern Roman Empire)
July 19, Pope Symmachus dies, and he is succeeded by Hormisdas
515
RULERS & ROYALTY: Hispania (modern-day Spain) is being ruled by the Visigoths (Germanic peoples) – The Merovingian kings are ruling Gaul (modern-day France) – Hormisdas is pope/bishop of Rome – Anastasius I Dicorus is emperor of the Byzantine Empire (eastern Roman Empire)
516
RULERS & ROYALTY: Hispania (modern-day Spain) is being ruled by the Visigoths (Germanic peoples) – The Merovingian kings are ruling Gaul (modern-day France) – Hormisdas is pope/bishop of Rome – Anastasius I Dicorus is emperor of the Byzantine Empire (eastern Roman Empire)
517
RULERS & ROYALTY: Hispania (modern-day Spain) is being ruled by the Visigoths (Germanic peoples) – The Merovingian kings are ruling Gaul (modern-day France) – Hormisdas is pope/bishop of Rome – Anastasius I Dicorus is emperor of the Byzantine Empire (eastern Roman Empire)
518
RULERS & ROYALTY: Hispania (modern-day Spain) is being ruled by the Visigoths (Germanic peoples) – The Merovingian kings are ruling Gaul (modern-day France) – Hormisdas is pope/bishop of Rome – Anastasius I Dicorus, emperor of the Byzantine Empire (eastern Roman Empire), dies, and is succeeded by Justin I
July 9, Anastasius I Dicorus, the Byzantine Emperor, dies, aged 87, and is succeeded by Justin I
519
RULERS & ROYALTY: Hispania (modern-day Spain) is being ruled by the Visigoths (Germanic peoples) – The Merovingian kings are ruling Gaul (modern-day France) – Hormisdas is pope/bishop of Rome – Justin I is emperor of the Byzantine Empire (eastern Roman Empire)
520
RULERS & ROYALTY: Hispania (modern-day Spain) is being ruled by the Visigoths (Germanic peoples) – The Merovingian kings are ruling Gaul (modern-day France) – Hormisdas is pope/bishop of Rome – Justin I is emperor of the Byzantine Empire (eastern Roman Empire)
521
RULERS & ROYALTY: Hispania (modern-day Spain) is being ruled by the Visigoths (Germanic peoples) – The Merovingian kings are ruling Gaul (modern-day France) – Hormisdas is pope/bishop of Rome – Justin I is emperor of the Byzantine Empire (eastern Roman Empire)
522
RULERS & ROYALTY: Hispania (modern-day Spain) is being ruled by the Visigoths (Germanic peoples) – The Merovingian kings are ruling Gaul (modern-day France) – Hormisdas is pope/bishop of Rome – Justin I is emperor of the Byzantine Empire (eastern Roman Empire)
523
RULERS & ROYALTY: Hispania (modern-day Spain) is being ruled by the Visigoths (Germanic peoples) – The Merovingian kings are ruling Gaul (modern-day France) – Pope Hormisdas dies, and is succeeded by John I – Justin I is emperor of the Byzantine Empire (eastern Roman Empire)
August 6, Pope Hormisdas dies, and he is succeeded by John I
524
RULERS & ROYALTY: Hispania (modern-day Spain) is being ruled by the Visigoths (Germanic peoples) – The Merovingian kings are ruling Gaul (modern-day France) – John I is pope/bishop of Rome – Justin I is emperor of the Byzantine Empire (eastern Roman Empire)
525
RULERS & ROYALTY: Hispania (modern-day Spain) is being ruled by the Visigoths (Germanic peoples) – The Merovingian kings are ruling Gaul (modern-day France) – John I is pope/bishop of Rome – Justin I is emperor of the Byzantine Empire (eastern Roman Empire)
526
RULERS & ROYALTY: Hispania (modern-day Spain) is being ruled by the Visigoths (Germanic peoples) – The Merovingian kings are ruling Gaul (modern-day France) – Pope John I dies, and he is succeeded by Felix IV – Justin I is emperor of the Byzantine Empire (eastern Roman Empire)
May 18, Pope John I dies and is succeeded by Felix IV
A major earthquake destroys the city of Antioch (the present-day city is in Turkey on the border with Syria); It is estimated that about 250,000 people died (Wikipedia)
527
RULERS & ROYALTY: Hispania (modern-day Spain) is being ruled by the Visigoths (Germanic peoples) – The Merovingian kings are ruling Gaul (modern-day France) – Felix IV is pope/bishop of Rome – Justin I, emperor of the Byzantine Empire (eastern Roman Empire), dies, and is succeeded by Justinian I
August 1, Justin I, emperor of the Byzantine Empire, dies, aged 77, and is succeeded by his nephew, Justinian I
528
RULERS & ROYALTY: Hispania (modern-day Spain) is being ruled by the Visigoths (Germanic peoples) – The Merovingian kings are ruling Gaul (modern-day France) – Felix IV is pope/bishop of Rome – Justinian I is emperor of the Byzantine Empire (eastern Roman Empire)
529
RULERS & ROYALTY: Hispania (modern-day Spain) is being ruled by the Visigoths (Germanic peoples) – The Merovingian kings are ruling Gaul (modern-day France) – Felix IV is pope/bishop of Rome – Justinian I is emperor of the Byzantine Empire (eastern Roman Empire)