Battle of Strasbourg (506)
| date | 506 |
|---|---|
| place | near Strasbourg ( Alsace ) |
| output | Victory of the Franks . The rest of the Alemanni flee to Raetia |
| consequences | Partial submission of the northern Alamanni by Clovis I and the connection of the southern Alamanni to the king of the Ostrogoths Theodoric the Great |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
| Commander | |
|
unknown |
|
| Troop strength | |
| unknown | unknown |
| losses | |
|
unknown |
unknown |
The battle of Strasbourg in 506 is a "third" battle postulated by some researchers, which is said to have taken place between the Alamanni and the Franks and which resulted in the submission and incorporation of the northern Alamanni into the Frankish Empire, while the southern Alamanni fell under the Protection of the Ostrogothic King Theodoric the Great .
History sources
The historical sources only give indirect references to a possible third battle between the Alemanni and Franks. A letter from Theodoric the Great from the year 506/7 to the Merovingian king Clovis I speaks of battles that Clovis waged with the Alemanni. In it, Theodoric calls upon his brother-in-law to moderate his anger against the Alamanni and only punish those who are unfaithful and to stop fighting against the rest of the Alamanni. Theodoric placed these under his personal protection. A Panegyricus of Ennodius on Theodoric the Great speaks exaggeratedly of Theodoric's victory over the Alemanni.
Historical background
In the Battle of Zülpich in 496, the Alamanni suffered a heavy defeat against Clovis. As a result, some of the Alamanni seem to have come under the power of the Merovingians. From Theodoric's letter it can be deduced that later these Alemanni broke their contract with Clovis and that this led to persecutions and further fighting between Clovis and the Alamanni. Some researchers suggested that a third battle was fought between the Alamanni and Franks in 506, although the sources do not give a date. What is certain, however, is that further fighting broke out between the years 496 and 506. A location for these fights is nowhere recorded; some researchers have assumed that it was explicitly Strasbourg.
The aftermath of the battle
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Loss of territory
As a result of the lost battles between 496 and 506 against the Franks, the northern Alemannic settlement area, presumably up to the current dialect border between Alemannic and South Franconian , finally came under Franconian rule.
Refuge with Theodoric
Some of the Alamanni evidently fled south to Raetia , where they placed themselves under the protection of the Ostrogoth king Theodoric. He turned to his brother-in-law Clovis I and interceded for the Alamanni, but recognized Clovis' anger as justified. He asked for the main culprits to be punished and recommended moderation in the judgments. Theodoric promised that he would see to it that the Alemanni who were in Raetia also kept quiet for their part. Between the lines, Theodoric made it clear that he was making a claim to the disputed area of Raetia and that the Alemanni would use the Alemanni as leverage against Clovis if Clovis did not recognize his supremacy there.