What was the name of the Germans who conquered Gaul?

In the school olympiads on the knowledge of the course of the history of the Middle Ages, the question often arises: "How were the Germans who conquered Gaul been called?" Despite its simplicity, many schoolchildren get confused and give incorrect answers. And the whole point is that the historical chronicles point to two moments of the conquest of Gaul, which are divided in time into five centuries.

Gauls and Romans

The first conquest of Gaul was the great commander Julius Caesar at the turn of the old and new era. After the dissolution of the Roman Empire, Gallia maintained its existence as the territory on which the Celtic tribes lived. Germans, conquered Gaul, periodically undertook military campaigns, completely devastating the Gallic settlements. Especially devastating were the raids of the Germans in 275 and 276.

Merovingians

In the year 486 AD E. On the land of Gaul came the belligerent francs. The so-called large Germanic tribe, the leader of which was the great Clovis from the family of the Meroveys. According to his generic name, the dynasty of conquerors Gaul was called Merovingian. The Germans who conquered Gaul made the beginning of the Frankish Empire, which existed on the map of Europe for more than two centuries.

The Conquest of Gaul

After Northern Gaul, the Franks in 507 conquered Aquitaine, and later - and Burgundy. Already fifty years after the beginning of the military invasion, the Germans, who conquered Gaul, settled on its entire territory. Passing through the slave system, characteristic of the Roman Empire, the Franks justified the state, entirely based on early feudal relations.

By the end of the fifth century, the Gauls were at a higher stage of development than the Germanic tribes. The subsequent barbarization of the Gallic lands slowed the development of the Gallic settlements, but could not stop the transformation of the tribal order into more promising feudal relations. The Germans who conquered Gaul usually settled separately from the Gallo-Roman tribes. This preserved their tribal way of life and customs, but could not prevent them from the influence of inevitable historical changes.

All power in the Merovingian Empire was concentrated in the hands of Frankish nobles. This ensured centralized control over the conquered population and guaranteed compliance with new orders. In general, the influence of the Merovingian empire ensured the Gallic lands a relatively rapid transition from slave-owning to feudal relations and had a positive impact on the development of this region.