Chlodio

Chlodio (also Chlogio ) was the first Merovingian and rex (king) of the Salfranken that could be identified by name . He lived in the second quarter of the 5th century.

Little is known about Chlodio, especially since the sources are not always reliable. Chlodio had his headquarters in Dispargum castrum , which, according to Gregor von Tours, was in the Thuringian territory ( terminum Thoringorum ), but has not been precisely localized to this day (possibly Duisburg (Belgium) east of Brussels or the German Duisburg ). While already the older textual research on an endorsed On the 17th century Disburg in the Belgian Diest pointed (Diestheim), the younger textual criticism Chlodios royal residence but does not understand on Thuringian territory, rather than one on the Belgian Tongeren related distortion of the civitas Tungrorum in Thoringorum .

According to the historian Gregor von Tours , Chlodio was related to Merowech , the father of Childerich von Tournai ; According to the Fredegar Chronicle, Chlodio was Merowech's father, but this is doubtful.

Between 440 and 450 he suffered a defeat at the vicus Helena against the western Roman troops under the army master Flavius ​​Aëtius and the later emperor Majorian in the area of Arras ; the Roman success is mentioned by the contemporary poet Sidonius Apollinaris in an eulogy. However, this setback did not change the expansion of the Franconian sphere of influence in the long term. The Romans (again) recognized the Franks as federates . With Cambrai and Arras they occupied the country up to the Somme . Gregory of Tours praises Chlodio as a leader who was capable and very distinguished among his people. Maybe Tournai was conquered during the time of Chlodio , where Childerich later had his seat of power.

Reinhard Wenskus refers to the Hunnenschlachtlied Hlǫðskviða for the Old Norse reception of Chlodios as the legendary figure Hlǫðr .

literature

• Eugen Ewig : The Franks and Rome (3rd – 5th centuries). An attempt at an overview. In: Rheinische Vierteljahrsblätter . Vol. 71, 2007, pp. 1-42, here p. 33 f.
• Karl Hauck : Norms of life and cult myths in Germanic tribal and ruler genealogies. In: Saeculum . Vol. 6, 1955, pp. 186-223, doi : 10.7788 / saeculum.1955.6.jg.186 .
• Reinhard Wenskus :  Chlodio. In: Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde (RGA). 2nd Edition. Volume 4, Walter de Gruyter, Berlin / New York 1981, ISBN 3-11-006513-4 , pp. 477-478.
• Erich Zöllner : History of the Franks up to the middle of the sixth century. Revised on the basis of the work of Ludwig Schmidt with the assistance of Joachim Werner . CH Beck, Munich 1970, ISBN 3-406-02211-1 .

Remarks

1. ↑ ^{a b c d} Gregory of Tours, Historiae 2.9 ( Latin text online at Wikisource ).
2. ↑ Wenskus initially advocated this controversial localization, cf. Reinhard Wenskus :  Chlodio. In: Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde (RGA). 2nd Edition. Volume 4, Walter de Gruyter, Berlin / New York 1981, ISBN 3-11-006513-4 , p. 477. Most recently he favored the Doesberg district in Lanaken in Flanders , which he considered the main cult site of the goddess Hludana (old north. Hlǫðyn ) the name and sphere of activity Chlodios (old north. Hlǫðr ) brought in connection, see Reinhard Wenskus: Religion arbâtardi. Materials on syncretism in the pre-Christian political theology of the Franks . In: Iconologia Sacra (ed. Hagen Keller, Nikolaus Staubach), Vol. 23, 1994, here p. 182f.
3. ↑ Erich Zöllner argues against the German Duisburg: History of the Franks. Munich 1970, p. 27 f., Note 7. Based on new findings, however, Joseph Milz pleads for Duisburg in New Findings on the History of Duisburg (= Duisburg Research. Vol. 55). Mercator-Verlag, Duisburg 2008, ISBN 978-3-87463-439-7 , and history of the city of Duisburg. Volume 1: From the Beginnings to the End of the Old Kingdom. Wohlfarth et al., Duisburg 2013, ISBN 978-3-87463-522-6 .
4. ^ Johann Ferdinand Huschberg : History of the Alemanni and Franks up to the founding of the Franconian monarchy by King Clovis . Sulzbach 1840, p. 449; German biography at https://www.deutsche-biographie.de/pnd137339836.html#adbcontent
5. ^ Ulrich Nonn : The Franks . Stuttgart 2010, p. 81f.
6. ↑ Gai Sollii Apollinaris Sidonii carmina. In: Christian Lütjohann (ed.): Gai Solii Apollinaris Sidonii Epistulae et carmina (= Monumenta Germaniae Historica . Scriptores. 1: Auctores antiquissimi. Vol. 8). Weidmann, Berlin 1887, pp. 173-264, here p. 193, V, 210-230 .
7. ↑ See Erich Zöllner: History of the Franks. Munich 1970, p. 28, note 2 and p. 42.
8. ↑ Reinhard Wenskus: The 'Hunnish' Siegfried . In: Heiko Uecker (Ed.) Studies on Old Germanic. Festschrift for Heinrich Beck , Berlin / New York 1994 ( supplementary volumes to the Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde 11), pp. 686–721, here pp. 717f.

predecessor	Office	successor
Faramund (allegedly)	King of the Sal Franks around 425–450	Merowech