Middle Ages Biographies | Clovis Biography

Born c. 466

Died 511

Frankish king

Americans look to George Washington as the father of their country; but Clovis, who lived more than twelve hundred years before Washington, was the father of the French nation. He was the first significant king of the Franks, a tribe that gave its name to the entire country; and even more important, he was the first notable ruler in Western Europe following the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476. Clovis succeeded in gaining the blessing of the Christian church in Rome, which was eager to ally itself with a new leader after the fall of the empire. He also united the peoples of what is now France and surrounding areas, establishing the foundations of the medieval political order.

Gaul and the Franks

In ancient times, France was known as Gaul, an important province of the Roman Empire. But as Roman power began to fade, the western...