Hey all, hope you enjoy this one. Still got some catching up to do to turn all the audio-only episodes into proper videos. But I think they'll all end up being far more entertaining this way. I am a sucker for context, so we still have quite a bit of ground to cover before we get to the proper start of the Holy Roman Empire. Next episode will be about the Carolingians... and CHARLEMAGNE! (Corrections/clarifications will be added here): -There is a slight but crucial distinction between being "tonsured" (i.e. getting your hair cut off, and usually being confined to a monastery) versus being forced to take up a monastic career, though sometimes the sources make it unclear what actually happened -Unlike the Merovingians, ordinary Franks probably wore their hart short
Small correction on the section titled The scissors or the sword. You state that the scissors represent the option of a monastic life for Theodebald and Gunthar. While this would have been the most likely career for disinherited royalty, as evidenced by the fact their younger brother became an abbot (which you refer to in the video), that is not what the scissors represent. The Frankish hair you speak of at the end of the section could probably be better understood as Merovingian hair, that is of the royal dynasty in opposition to the rest of the population. According to Cameron, the wording of Gregory III.18 makes it unlikely the haircut being referred to is the clerical tonsure. Cameron, A. (1965). How did the Merovingian Kings wear their hair?. Revue belge de philologie et d'histoire, 43(4), 1203-1216.
The Sopranos intro was spot on. Just made my brother and dad watch this today (I had already listened to the podcast). They couldn’t believe how much like Game of Thrones these folks were. I instead said these are the folks Game of Thrones was based on lmao
can we all agree that game of thrones is inspired by many many historical figures, happenings and so forth? there is no one singular inspiration/template
One thing I find very fascinating about the Merovingians is that their visual style looked a lot more like modern-day fictional Vikings than actual Vikings ever did.
@@fdumbass I'm thinking of their drooping handlebar moustaches (most Viking beards were short and neatly trimmed), their long pigtail braids (Vikings seem to have preferred a shaven backhead with an emo-style fringe in front), as well as their iconic leg bindings that are almost ubiquitous in fantasy illustrations these days. Look at the Minnesota Vikings logo, and you get the idea. Actual Vikings did not look like that, but the Merovingians did. Add to that the fact that Merovingian and Carolingian soldiers often wore Roman-style kilts, rather than trousers, in battle, and had rather outlandish helmets.
They look like the archetypal celt: Long hair often in braids, big moustaches, both colourful long pants and sleveless/short sleeved tunics and a cloak. All of this while they still believed in their indigenous Gods before their conversion to Christianity.
That's because most of the depictions used here are from centuries later, mainly the 19th century, where many of these "Germanic" visual tropes, including the modern Viking look, come from to begin with. Pretty much every cliché we have about the Middle Ages comes from the Victorian era.
For anyone interested, I highly suggest watching the yale open course on youtube "Early medieval history 284-1000". It's my favourite lecture series, it delves deep into the quirkiness and strangeness of this period, while also broadening your understanding of this very glossed over part of history.
In CK2, Theodoric Merovingi is the last of their line during the reign of Charlemagne and is cloistered. Sometimes if the Charlemagne ai plays poorly, his nobles can start a civil war to overthrow Charles and put Theo back on the throne
I wish but I think Paradox have said they don’t want to make any earlier start dates, mainly cause there’s very few sources so they have to make up a lot of it.
Thank you so much for unraveling the darkest, most complex parts of medieval European history that my (Catholic) high school and college courses failed miserably to unpack or shed proper light on.
i just discovered your channel, and I'm so happy i did! its not like there's a lack of history YT channels, but it seems overwhelmingly they focus on the "highlights" ie battles, or the same events that have been rehashed for ages! love these long form videos!
I understand that GRRM when writing a game of thrones was heavily inspired by the war of roses in England, but is all European history like this? Because this is so cool.
I'd like to note that Charibert I is sometimes believed to have a son named Charibert of Hesbaye, of which the Counts of Hesbaye descend through the male line. These Counts of Hesbaye are believed to be the agnatic ancestors of a Robert III, Count of Worms, who would be the agnatic great-grandfather of a man named Hugh Capet. Of course, this would make the Capetians another (tentative) branch of the Merovingians.
Wow that was one of the best docs I’ve seen on here! I’ve been diving back into ancient history this year so I’ve seen a lot. I felt so much more engaged by this one than I do many others.
Dude i LOVE your videos! Youre a fantastic story teller! I'm always totally invested and interested for the whole video! Im mostly commenting for the interaction because you really deserve way more subscriptions than you have!
Idk how coming across your channel has taken so long, but the day has come and here for it! *stabs the subscribe button like that fated hail Mary javelin*
Great video. Looking into the Merovingians is something I've always wanted to do, but could never find time to wrap my head around all the Dagoberts and Sigoberts. But this video puts it all together nicely.
First video I've seen from you. Absolutely incredible. Great work. I can't wait to listen and watch more of your work! You definitely got a sub from me bro.
It was some real feudal shit. Pepin was a made guy, and there was nothing Childeric III could do about it. He just had to sit there and take it. In all seriousness though, very nice series. I hope you do a series on the Ottonians and maybe the Salians and Hohenstaufens at some point.
Excellent and well presented. You did a fine job of presenting the historical facts without truncating any context or adding unnecessary detail, using the primary sources as your guiding rail. The comparison to the Sopranos I think is a very interesting thing to make, seeing as the 20th century mob is something of a distorted echo and vestige of medieval power structures. While it works to convey something of the truth of the gritty brutality of the era to modern minds, it also isn't entirely a parallel. It generally takes a few generations for Christianity to permeate into a culture after the initial conversion of the tribe, as you yourself point out. As a result, the Merovingians can be somewhat excused for continuing to operate as though they were still pagans, until the time finally came that the transfer of power could generally occur peacefully.
Just discovered this channel and I really enjoy the production and research quality. I think the issue is that you made the stated intention of the video series about the Holy Roman Empire when I feel like the Merovingians is a little too far removed to be related in a timely manner. I know I was a little thrown off starting a video about the HRE only to get a biopic ab Clovis and his ancestors in the mythical pagan forests of Belgica. That is not to say I found myself greatly enjoying it, finding myself extremely interested now in the Merovingian dynasty. It is one way to get people to learn about them but I think they are interesting all on their own. This title grabbing me immediately far more than the previous episode's.
I just love establishing context, and I thought starting much earlier than most HRE narratives might allow for a fresher and more unique perspective into the story.
Despite his historical importance Pepin the 3rd had the most hilarious name. Many italian schoolchildren would giggle when hearing his name "Pipino il Breve" wich in italian sounds like "Little Wiener the Short".
Great video man, deffo a sub from me! Learning the history of the current Danish royal family, that starts around 900, we are taught that the only dynasty that rivalled them in bloody machinations were the Merovingians. Truely a game of cards, chance and scheming womenfolk!
I recently read a book by Nicholas DE Vere, who claims to be of the Merovingian bloodline. It was a very strange book, one of the strangest books I ever read.
The killers were hiding behind a to short curtain? That must have looked hilarious! Imagine entering the room, seeing shuffling shoes with the occasional clank of weapons behind it and your relative standing in front of it. Saying something like: "welcome my trusty comrade and brother in blood. Come closer for a embrace and a privat conversation." 🤣
Amazing work! :D If you’re taking feedback, I recommend using more maps or portraits to make events and names easier to follow. Like in the beginning you shortly mention who of the sons owns what, and then I immediately lose track of it when conquests start haha ^^’ Remember that people like me don’t know the source material as well as you after writing the script. I get it if your production budget doesn’t allow for it though. Can’t wait for the next episode :)
Chlodwig Clovis was crowned in Reims cathedral a place worth to visit. Frankish rulers established a medieval model of feudalism with serfdom and impoverished rural pastoral society to centuries to Europe 😊. Most perfectly practiced by their followers the Normans and later the Habsburgs
Fascisnating how Theudebert's coin you show throughout the video is an almost identical copy of a Roman solidus. His position in the coin is similar to that of the Eastern Roman Emperors, and the inscription is the same, other than the name.
Just a cool reminder, this is approximately contemporary with Sutton Hoo and Vendel with their amazing helms, mabye as a result of them fighting as mercenaries in these wars?
It was all wars all the time. The gothic wars last forever. Then the Lombards and Visigothic wars against the Byzantines and the Merovingian civil wars. These events all happen within a couple decades of each other.
I never once realised or made any connection between Clovis and Louis but thinking about it Louis in the Latin alphabet which would have originally been used would be Lovis as there was no letter "u" and so a "v" was used, and that now makes me wonder if the modern pronunciation of the name Clovis is just that, "modern", did it used to be pronounced as "Cloowie" back in the day? Of course nobody will ever know and we can only assume for one or the other.
I don't know why it is, but it is so much easier for me to grasp the classical Roman Empire than the Holy Roman Empire. It might be that videos like these are more focused on the people. Idk, but I've gone over this history a few times now and it's hard to solidify in my head this time period other than just imagining a bunch of feuding families acting like barbarians.
9:09 The image of Childebert crying while half-heartedly murdering a handful of tutors and servants as his younger brother stabs their nephews to death is quite the scene. Thugs and gangsters indeed! Thomas Paine was right about the moral inferiority of aristocracy.
I wish you'd be more careful about your sources. Gregory of Tours should be taken very, very carefully. Like you said, he had beef with Chilperic and the kings of Neustria in general. His portrayal of the Merovingians as bloodthirsty and warlike isn't entirely inaccurate, but is filtered through a lot of biases. He's from an old Gallo-Roman senatorial family and his vested interest is showing kings who listen to the Roman clergy as good and those who don't as evil bloodthirsty barbarians. For instance, his depiction of Clovis's victory against the Alamans at Tolbiac (Zülpich) is a copy-paste of Eusebius of Caesarea's account of Constantine at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge: in both cases, a pagan ruler promises to convert if the Christian god grants him victory, wins, and then does. The entire account of Clovis's time is meant to be a contrast to the political situation of his day in the mid-to-late 500s (basically "those were the good old days").
These guys act how i act in crusader kings, good to know im just not a deeply disturbed individual and this is just what happens when you give people all that power.
This is why Crusader Kings is a great role playing game. Just through experiencing game mechanics, you come to understanding the reasoning behind things like corruption, bribery, and fratricide.
Yes. Catholic means universal and the Church saw itself as such for basically its entire history. The term was used by Church Fathers in the earliest days of the Church. Both Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox believe themselves to be inheritors of this Church.
This was a good documentary on a seldom treated subject. I enjoyed it and learned much but I have to protest the treatment of Vasconia as part of the Frankish realm, when it was only conquered in the early 7th century. The Duchy was established in Bourdeaux-Gironde area in 602 (and not a minute before) but would only be conquered all the way to Bilbao (where the archaeology of that time is clearly Frankish and not Gothic, a typical error in mapping) at a later date. Then uprisings forced the Merovingians to recognize not just Vasconia but also Aquitaine (Toulouse and the areas between the Garonne and the Loire, the formerly Gothic lands, not Basque but clearly Romanized) as effectively independent all the way to the Muslim invasion of 714-32, when they finally had to acknowledge Frankish overlorship under Charles Martel. So the Merovingians never really controlled Vasconia (Gascony and Basque Country, except for Bordeaux, which was not really Basque either) except for a brief period in the early 7th century. Claims they had, I presume, but also does Juan Guaidó to the throne of Venezuela, ahem.
Hey all, hope you enjoy this one. Still got some catching up to do to turn all the audio-only episodes into proper videos. But I think they'll all end up being far more entertaining this way.
I am a sucker for context, so we still have quite a bit of ground to cover before we get to the proper start of the Holy Roman Empire. Next episode will be about the Carolingians... and CHARLEMAGNE!
(Corrections/clarifications will be added here):
-There is a slight but crucial distinction between being "tonsured" (i.e. getting your hair cut off, and usually being confined to a monastery) versus being forced to take up a monastic career, though sometimes the sources make it unclear what actually happened
-Unlike the Merovingians, ordinary Franks probably wore their hart short
Will you be cover all of the Holy Roman Empire till Napoleon destroyed it or just the Medieval era HRE?
@@duncanharrell5009 the entire HRE!
I was going to head into the comments section to ask about Carolingians. This made me happy, thank you
Small correction on the section titled The scissors or the sword. You state that the scissors represent the option of a monastic life for Theodebald and Gunthar. While this would have been the most likely career for disinherited royalty, as evidenced by the fact their younger brother became an abbot (which you refer to in the video), that is not what the scissors represent. The Frankish hair you speak of at the end of the section could probably be better understood as Merovingian hair, that is of the royal dynasty in opposition to the rest of the population. According to Cameron, the wording of Gregory III.18 makes it unlikely the haircut being referred to is the clerical tonsure. Cameron, A. (1965). How did the Merovingian Kings wear their hair?. Revue belge de philologie et d'histoire, 43(4), 1203-1216.
what a quote to start with truly youre a man of culture.
The Sopranos intro was spot on. Just made my brother and dad watch this today (I had already listened to the podcast). They couldn’t believe how much like Game of Thrones these folks were. I instead said these are the folks Game of Thrones was based on lmao
Haha exactly.
They were like the game of thrones? Christ, that show is older than I thought.
Game of Thrones is based off the Tudors.
can we all agree that game of thrones is inspired by many many historical figures, happenings and so forth? there is no one singular inspiration/template
@@arndbrack2339 its primary inspiration is the War of the Roses though
After the “Why Guys Should Think about the HRE” video I was gonna go back and listen to the audio of the series but I like picturebooks so thanks!
More to come!
One thing I find very fascinating about the Merovingians is that their visual style looked a lot more like modern-day fictional Vikings than actual Vikings ever did.
How so? I'm familiar with historical vikings but never dove into Frankish history in terms of equipment or appearance
@@fdumbass I'm thinking of their drooping handlebar moustaches (most Viking beards were short and neatly trimmed), their long pigtail braids (Vikings seem to have preferred a shaven backhead with an emo-style fringe in front), as well as their iconic leg bindings that are almost ubiquitous in fantasy illustrations these days. Look at the Minnesota Vikings logo, and you get the idea. Actual Vikings did not look like that, but the Merovingians did. Add to that the fact that Merovingian and Carolingian soldiers often wore Roman-style kilts, rather than trousers, in battle, and had rather outlandish helmets.
They look like the archetypal celt: Long hair often in braids, big moustaches, both colourful long pants and sleveless/short sleeved tunics and a cloak.
All of this while they still believed in their indigenous Gods before their conversion to Christianity.
I wonder if they had tats like modern prisoners
That's because most of the depictions used here are from centuries later, mainly the 19th century, where many of these "Germanic" visual tropes, including the modern Viking look, come from to begin with. Pretty much every cliché we have about the Middle Ages comes from the Victorian era.
For anyone interested, I highly suggest watching the yale open course on youtube "Early medieval history 284-1000". It's my favourite lecture series, it delves deep into the quirkiness and strangeness of this period, while also broadening your understanding of this very glossed over part of history.
Thanks! The intro thus far looks promising (:
Freedman? Thank you!
@@kimberlybrown5348 Yep!
In CK2, Theodoric Merovingi is the last of their line during the reign of Charlemagne and is cloistered. Sometimes if the Charlemagne ai plays poorly, his nobles can start a civil war to overthrow Charles and put Theo back on the throne
Haha waiting for CKIII to bring back the Carolingian start date.
@@Empire-Buildersnew bookmarks has the start date if you play with mods
I wish but I think Paradox have said they don’t want to make any earlier start dates, mainly cause there’s very few sources so they have to make up a lot of it.
@@Empire-Builderswaiting for ck3 to be in an actual playable state
@@GlizzyGoblin757It’s very playable- if anything i enjoy it more then CK2 because it’s more skilled based rather then luck
I think I found a gold mine of historical content. I hope you do some vids about the Persian dynasty of kings too
Hope this gets the same amount of success as ep 1 great channel wish you the best
Too kind!
Well done! This channel will be huge soon. I have to say the music with the narration is A+.
Great video and learned significantly more about the Merovingians than I did before Martel and Pepin appear on the history books.
Really an under-appreciated period!
Thank you so much for unraveling the darkest, most complex parts of medieval European history that my (Catholic) high school and college courses failed miserably to unpack or shed proper light on.
🤡🤡🤡
i just discovered your channel, and I'm so happy i did! its not like there's a lack of history YT channels, but it seems overwhelmingly they focus on the "highlights" ie battles, or the same events that have been rehashed for ages! love these long form videos!
Came for the history lesson, subscribed for the Sopranos references
A' salud!
Whattaya hear, whatayya say
You skipped over the full name derivation. Hlodowig ---> Chlodovecus ---> Clovis ---> Louis. (Akin to Germanic "Ludwig".)
Lodewijk in modern Low Franconian
I was surprised to hear Verdi La Forza Del Destino, one of my favourite piece of music ever. Great video, keep it up.
A man of taste
The choive of music throughout is superb. And I second Forza del Destino. Such powerful music, not nearly heard enough!
GREAT intro!! So happy I found this. Thanks for all your hard work!!
I understand that GRRM when writing a game of thrones was heavily inspired by the war of roses in England, but is all European history like this? Because this is so cool.
Yes, it is! The middle ages here were crazy! Read up about the byzantines, they had some really crazy "plots".
I'd like to note that Charibert I is sometimes believed to have a son named Charibert of Hesbaye, of which the Counts of Hesbaye descend through the male line. These Counts of Hesbaye are believed to be the agnatic ancestors of a Robert III, Count of Worms, who would be the agnatic great-grandfather of a man named Hugh Capet.
Of course, this would make the Capetians another (tentative) branch of the Merovingians.
Interesting! Got a source?
@@Empire-BuildersI’m the source
How many years between Charlemagne and Hugh Capet through this line?
Really good stuff. Using the Sopranos is a great way to hook people in.
Wow that was one of the best docs I’ve seen on here! I’ve been diving back into ancient history this year so I’ve seen a lot. I felt so much more engaged by this one than I do many others.
Dude i LOVE your videos! Youre a fantastic story teller! I'm always totally invested and interested for the whole video! Im mostly commenting for the interaction because you really deserve way more subscriptions than you have!
🙏👑
Amazing work!! I'm really glad i discovered your channel. I hope you get the attention you deserve!
Thank you man!
This was amazing, can’t wait for the next part
I have been binge watching your content since yesterday. The quality is amazing. Have my sub and here's to more great documentaries!
Great video, I loved this one as much I loved the last one. You're going to grow in no time!
Idk how coming across your channel has taken so long, but the day has come and here for it!
*stabs the subscribe button like that fated hail Mary javelin*
Great video. Looking into the Merovingians is something I've always wanted to do, but could never find time to wrap my head around all the Dagoberts and Sigoberts. But this video puts it all together nicely.
Loved watching it, and LOVED the music - Funeral of Queen Mary? The combo is excellent. Great work.
Really loved the video. Great stuff dude.
This was a well written and presented show. Bravo.
I look forward to many more from this channel.
Barry Lyndon score is an automatic like. Sopranos quotation would merit a second if I could. Well made video, hope to see more.
Incredible find absolutely love this channel
First video I've seen from you. Absolutely incredible.
Great work. I can't wait to listen and watch more of your work! You definitely got a sub from me bro.
Thank you man, means a lot!
@@Empire-Builders Np. Good work deserves to be rewarded. Thanks for responding. 👍
babe wake up, new empire builders vid just dropped
🤠
We all know none of us have girlfriends here
@@quetzalcoatlzI have a smoking hot gf that gives me the Gluck on demand
@@quetzalcoatlzif they want to call their plastic dolls babe that's fully up to them. :)
What an original comment...bellend
Thanks for this intriguing history 🙏🏻🙏🏻
This still is one of the best things I've ever seen on youtube...
Excellent soundtrack for this-- Kubrick would be pleased. Looking forward to the next one. Simon
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it.
Awesome video. Loved it and subscribed. You did a great job telling of history.
Wonderful content yet again!
Thank you! 🙏
Awesome video 🙌🙌🙌👏👏👏
This is out of character for me. Great job. Great video.
Wow I really like this channel, good history content
It was some real feudal shit. Pepin was a made guy, and there was nothing Childeric III could do about it. He just had to sit there and take it.
In all seriousness though, very nice series. I hope you do a series on the Ottonians and maybe the Salians and Hohenstaufens at some point.
Carolingians are coming next, then Ottonians after!
These are great, keep going!
Sure will!
Great video. Loved the use of Sopranos. Sopranovingians indeed. 😁
Amazing man keep the hard work like how the Holy Roman Empire kept the culture of Europe until the modern period
🙏
The pictures are a great add. Gonna rewatch soon.
Thanks a lot dude!
Excellent and well presented. You did a fine job of presenting the historical facts without truncating any context or adding unnecessary detail, using the primary sources as your guiding rail. The comparison to the Sopranos I think is a very interesting thing to make, seeing as the 20th century mob is something of a distorted echo and vestige of medieval power structures. While it works to convey something of the truth of the gritty brutality of the era to modern minds, it also isn't entirely a parallel. It generally takes a few generations for Christianity to permeate into a culture after the initial conversion of the tribe, as you yourself point out. As a result, the Merovingians can be somewhat excused for continuing to operate as though they were still pagans, until the time finally came that the transfer of power could generally occur peacefully.
Just discovered this channel and I really enjoy the production and research quality. I think the issue is that you made the stated intention of the video series about the Holy Roman Empire when I feel like the Merovingians is a little too far removed to be related in a timely manner. I know I was a little thrown off starting a video about the HRE only to get a biopic ab Clovis and his ancestors in the mythical pagan forests of Belgica. That is not to say I found myself greatly enjoying it, finding myself extremely interested now in the Merovingian dynasty. It is one way to get people to learn about them but I think they are interesting all on their own. This title grabbing me immediately far more than the previous episode's.
I just love establishing context, and I thought starting much earlier than most HRE narratives might allow for a fresher and more unique perspective into the story.
Despite his historical importance Pepin the 3rd had the most hilarious name. Many italian schoolchildren would giggle when hearing his name "Pipino il Breve" wich in italian sounds like "Little Wiener the Short".
You just plugged a huge gap in my mind 👍👏👏
Dude A+ you will be getting alot more subs soon i bet
🙏👑
Great videos!
I absolutely love this channel and series. Thank you so much for your dedication!
PS needs more lizst and rachmaninoff
Great video
Great video man, deffo a sub from me! Learning the history of the current Danish royal family, that starts around 900, we are taught that the only dynasty that rivalled them in bloody machinations were the Merovingians. Truely a game of cards, chance and scheming womenfolk!
Super interesting man!
Anyone of a certain age might get a chuckle from the section with Ravel's Bolero in the background (ask your parents or grandparents).
the brunhilda fredegund blood feud is fucking crazy, you could pay the best screenwriters and they'd still never come up with such viciousness.
I recently read a book by Nicholas DE Vere, who claims to be of the Merovingian bloodline. It was a very strange book, one of the strangest books I ever read.
Alot people are related to them. I can trace my ancestry to them.
The killers were hiding behind a to short curtain? That must have looked hilarious!
Imagine entering the room, seeing shuffling shoes with the occasional clank of weapons behind it and your relative standing in front of it.
Saying something like:
"welcome my trusty comrade and brother in blood. Come closer for a embrace and a privat conversation." 🤣
🤣🤣
Amazing work! :D
If you’re taking feedback, I recommend using more maps or portraits to make events and names easier to follow. Like in the beginning you shortly mention who of the sons owns what, and then I immediately lose track of it when conquests start haha ^^’ Remember that people like me don’t know the source material as well as you after writing the script. I get it if your production budget doesn’t allow for it though.
Can’t wait for the next episode :)
Thank you for the feedback, noted!
I want an 100 hour version of the intro with the music and imagery
You’re going so hard with these videos please keep it up. A gen Z Dan Carlin?
Onwards! 🙏
Instant sub for sopranos scenes
The opening alone, got to subscribe. Ha
"What goes around comes around"
Fredagund: hold my poison...
Haha, true. Figures like Fredegund defy the notion of karma
Great content keep it up
57:35 This is one of my favorite scenes in the entire show.
Just stumbled across this account and I absolutely loved the passed videos, please tell me something is in the works for the Carolingiens !!
Coming soon :)
@@Empire-Builders can’t wait!!
Great Doc man, Tres bien! lol
Chlodwig Clovis was crowned in Reims cathedral a place worth to visit. Frankish rulers established a medieval model of feudalism with serfdom and impoverished rural pastoral society to centuries to Europe 😊. Most perfectly practiced by their followers the Normans and later the Habsburgs
Correction: The Native Gallois (French) and the HRE.
Omg Tony soprano? I've got a nerd crush on this channel. My kids named after Meadow lolol
Subscribed. 👌🏾
👑🌎
The French when cost of living goes up 0.003%:
"Double date or blood feud?"
"We'll take blood feud"
"Likewise"
Fascisnating how Theudebert's coin you show throughout the video is an almost identical copy of a Roman solidus. His position in the coin is similar to that of the Eastern Roman Emperors, and the inscription is the same, other than the name.
Hey brotha, keep up the amazing work. Love your editing.
Thank you, I sure will
Just a cool reminder, this is approximately contemporary with Sutton Hoo and Vendel with their amazing helms, mabye as a result of them fighting as mercenaries in these wars?
It was all wars all the time.
The gothic wars last forever.
Then the Lombards and Visigothic wars against the Byzantines and the Merovingian civil wars. These events all happen within a couple decades of each other.
After all these wars could you imagine the 1st guy who died just from old age people would have been like "THAT can happen???"
I never once realised or made any connection between Clovis and Louis but thinking about it Louis in the Latin alphabet which would have originally been used would be Lovis as there was no letter "u" and so a "v" was used, and that now makes me wonder if the modern pronunciation of the name Clovis is just that, "modern", did it used to be pronounced as "Cloowie" back in the day? Of course nobody will ever know and we can only assume for one or the other.
Interesting…
@Empire-Builders
Absolutely, thanks for enlightening me on the name, sadly we shall have to live with never knowing about any of that.
And the letter "o" most often transcribes the "ou" [u] sound.
It was more pronounced as "chlodowech"...they were germanics and not french.
I don't know why it is, but it is so much easier for me to grasp the classical Roman Empire than the Holy Roman Empire. It might be that videos like these are more focused on the people. Idk, but I've gone over this history a few times now and it's hard to solidify in my head this time period other than just imagining a bunch of feuding families acting like barbarians.
They strike one as an alien people, with alien ways. Kind of like proto-vikings, all part of the same big and bold Germanic family.
9:09 The image of Childebert crying while half-heartedly murdering a handful of tutors and servants as his younger brother stabs their nephews to death is quite the scene. Thugs and gangsters indeed! Thomas Paine was right about the moral inferiority of aristocracy.
Little people are better ? They never murdered anyone ?
@@mrsupremegasconrarely in this immoral manner, “little people” lol. Does you lineage tie you to some inbred from the 15th century perhaps?
@@mrsupremegasconThe point is about the self-justification and hypocrisy of those with power use lol.
Yup companies who rule you are much much better..........
the "e"s at the ends of femme&fatale are silent.
good work ,kid. G.Davis sr21January
YEAH BABY LET'S FUCKING GOOOOOOOOOO
Good content I can learn history so we can play Europa.
Truly the inheritors of the Roman empire.... almost constant civil war :-)
Dude Clovis and his descendants literally lived by Eddie Guerreros code of Lie, Cheat and Steal.
And protecting europe from invaders......
I wish you'd be more careful about your sources. Gregory of Tours should be taken very, very carefully. Like you said, he had beef with Chilperic and the kings of Neustria in general. His portrayal of the Merovingians as bloodthirsty and warlike isn't entirely inaccurate, but is filtered through a lot of biases. He's from an old Gallo-Roman senatorial family and his vested interest is showing kings who listen to the Roman clergy as good and those who don't as evil bloodthirsty barbarians.
For instance, his depiction of Clovis's victory against the Alamans at Tolbiac (Zülpich) is a copy-paste of Eusebius of Caesarea's account of Constantine at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge: in both cases, a pagan ruler promises to convert if the Christian god grants him victory, wins, and then does. The entire account of Clovis's time is meant to be a contrast to the political situation of his day in the mid-to-late 500s (basically "those were the good old days").
Exactly, but you are expecting too much from a american......
What happened to Clovis, the strong, silent type?
🤣
Clovis is a BADASS
Exactly, a legend
Charles Martel: All my life I had to fight!
Hard times like yah!
These guys act how i act in crusader kings, good to know im just not a deeply disturbed individual and this is just what happens when you give people all that power.
Lmao, not always though. The early Carolingians weren't as vicious (to each other).
This is why Crusader Kings is a great role playing game. Just through experiencing game mechanics, you come to understanding the reasoning behind things like corruption, bribery, and fratricide.
What a great opening by Tony then Ludwig Van
So Fredegund was basically Cersei Lannister and Lady MacBeth rolled in one.
Carolingians next?
Yes siree
Thanks franks for the RH negative blood.
Most europeans decent from franks
Is it accurate to use the term catholic in a context before the Great Schism?
The secondary sources I used do so, probably in part to make the past more palpable - hence my reasoning for doing so as well!
Yes. Catholic means universal and the Church saw itself as such for basically its entire history. The term was used by Church Fathers in the earliest days of the Church. Both Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox believe themselves to be inheritors of this Church.
This was a good documentary on a seldom treated subject. I enjoyed it and learned much but I have to protest the treatment of Vasconia as part of the Frankish realm, when it was only conquered in the early 7th century. The Duchy was established in Bourdeaux-Gironde area in 602 (and not a minute before) but would only be conquered all the way to Bilbao (where the archaeology of that time is clearly Frankish and not Gothic, a typical error in mapping) at a later date. Then uprisings forced the Merovingians to recognize not just Vasconia but also Aquitaine (Toulouse and the areas between the Garonne and the Loire, the formerly Gothic lands, not Basque but clearly Romanized) as effectively independent all the way to the Muslim invasion of 714-32, when they finally had to acknowledge Frankish overlorship under Charles Martel.
So the Merovingians never really controlled Vasconia (Gascony and Basque Country, except for Bordeaux, which was not really Basque either) except for a brief period in the early 7th century. Claims they had, I presume, but also does Juan Guaidó to the throne of Venezuela, ahem.
Well now I'm sucked in this plays to all of my biases. 😊 Je viens pas de France mais Allô a tout le monde francophones.
your name is french lmao
@@smal750 Yes but not born and raised in France so technically not French.
Ironically Senator Sanatorium was right