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408 A.D.: great barbarian invasions : Vandals (for 3 years), Alains (skirting Atlantic seaside), Visigoths, Saxons, Sueves, Allamans, sparsely populated of 100 000 people, overwhelm 10 millions Gallics. Toulouse is saved by its bishop, St Exupère.

Visigoths :

Visigoths, who conquered Roma in 410, settled in Narbonaise in 413 A.D.. Visigoth king Ataulphe (or Athaulf 409-415) get married at Narbonne in 414 to Placidia (from imperial family, captured in Roma) conquered Aquitan 2nd, an settled at Bordeaux. Fighten by Romans, he took refuge in Spain to be assassinated in 415. His succesor after Sigéric (415), king Visigoth Wallia (415-419), get federated with Romans, and defeated other barbarian tribes (Alains, Vandales, Suèves) which were conquering Spain. In return, he had been given up in 418 a part of Aquitan 2nd, with some mains cities as Toulouse.

419 A.D.: Visigothic kingdom, a federal state of Roman Empire, spread from the French South-West to the whole Spain, with Toulouse as a capital, participates to the dismember of the roman empire. It's a christian people (arien means Arius' disciple, people who rejects Christ divinity ; this doctrine was comdemned in 325 in Nicea council) admiring roman culture. Théodoric 1st (418-451) cho0se Toulouse for capital (probably the 3rd Gaul town), but is killed at Catalaunic Fields in 451 to stop Attila. After the brief Thorismond 1st reign (453), an other of his children, Théodoric II (453-466) receives Narbonne city and get married to Pédauque queen (Pédauque means "goose foot" in oc language), famous queen who was fond of baths, and who could be Ragnalcide. His brother, Evaric or Euric (466-486), conquers Spain and AquitaineI, but is stopped in 457/463 on the Loire river by Childéric, Clovis' father. Novempopulanie and Narbonnaise Gaul (including Arles and Marseille) join in 470 the Visigothic kingdom, clementer. Gothic customs are written (Euric's Code) but mainly he is fighting catholic bishops. In 505, his son Alaric II (484-...), permits at Aire-sur-Adour the latin writing of Alaric's Breviary (written by Anianus), inspirated of oriental Theodose roman code, base of the custom law and wich will be used until Charles le Chauve (about 850). Arien christian Visigoths are beatten by catholic Francs (led by Clovis) in 507 at Vouillé battle (between Poitiers and Tours) and withdraw in Spain. This Visigothic kingdom (in the south west of France) will have lasted one century. Names as Clarens, Jauvens, Maurens mean old visigothic domains, and Gouts, Goudou, Le Gouge gothic garrisons.

Clovis' FRANCS :

507 A.D.: Vouillé battle, where Alaric is killed by Clovis himself. In 508, Clovis take Alaric treasure in Toulouse, and is supported by bishops and the catholic people (since the en of the last roman emperor in 476, the authority fall to bishops). Goth king Théodoric send then from Italy an ostrogoth army wich recapture Provence and Narbonaise areas, except Toulouse. Narbonaise become a vassel duchy of the spanish wisigotic kindom, for 3 centuries. In 511 : dead of Clovis. Cloaire, a child of Clovis, crosses Pyrenees in 543 and 562. But Aquitan stays divided butween several ducs and counts (as Gontran, Chilpéric). Escapade of an adventurer, Gondowald (killed by Burgondes in 586).

Vasconie and Aquitan Duchy :

In 561, the alliance of the Basques and the Aquitans people beat off Franc people ; creation of Vasconie "principat" (=principality) until the Garonne river. In 581, a franc army is sent by Childéric. In 602, Francs conquier Vasconie wich become a Duchy ("Gascon" word is coming from "Vascon"), apparently submitted in 635.

From 543 to 599, plage of High Middle Age ; demographic decrease, regression, rarity of schools (held by priests and monks).

613: Clotaire II, the sun of Chilpéric, unifies Aquitan. In 628, his sun, (C)Aribert (the brother of Dagobert king) become Toulouse king, and get married to the Gascon duc's daughter, and become vice-king of Aquitan. His children, Boggis and Bertrand, agree to reign on Aquitan, wich become a duchy in 632 (until 768). In 635, a franc army is beatten in Soule (Basque country). Aegina, a saxon, the Aquitan duc, dies in 638. Aquitan keep a relative independance with the Mérovingiens and the "lazy" kings. Coming back from Narbonne city.

668 : Lupus or Loup, supposed Boggis' sun, become duc (or prince) of Aquitan, to become independant of franc kingdom. In 672 about, the authority of Childéric II on Aquitan is recognise by Castres-sur-Gironde council. In 714 (?) Eudes succeeds Loup, duc of Gascogne (killed in 676 ? Félix succeeds ?). He tries to be opposed, exept for 713 saracens' invasion, to the barbarian Francs of Charles Martel (Palace Mayor). Defeated in 724, he is assassinated in 735. Hunaud or Hunald, his sun, reconised as a duc by Charles Martel, is beatten by Pepin le Bref (the sun of Charles Martel). The Aquitan people, feld up behind the Dordogne river, are attacked through the Septimanie in 767. Waïffre (or Guaïfer or Galifet) duc, the Hunaud sun, is treacherously assassinated in the Perigord in 768. End of the first hereditary (poitevins) aquitan ducs' ancestry. Lupus II keep his duc title.

 

The Saracens :

712-725 : Fisrt saracens' raid, coming from the South West. Saracens attack Septimanie (still held by Visigoths from Spain) and spread into the South-West but mainly in Provence until the Alps mountains. Narbonne is conquered (719), but Al-Samh's arabs are stopped by duc Eudes' army (helped by some troops from Charles Martel) close to Toulouse in 721 . Carcassone is conquered in 725.

732 : 2nd saracens' raid, coming from the South-West. In 732, 15.000 fighters led by Abd el Rahman go through Roncevaux pass and conquers Bordeaux, but are stopped between Poitiers and Tours by Charles Martel (at the head of a Franc knights army, and helped by the South by duc Eudes' troops) ; armed peace for 3 years.

 

736-759 : 3rd saracens' raid, by the South-East. Saracens' raid in 736, countered in 737 by Francs, who davastate Agde, Béziers, Nîmes. Saracens fold up on the Roussillon in 739 or 750. Narbonne and Carcassonne are conquered by Francs in 759 with Pépin le Bref, the new king.

 

FRANCS of Pépin and Charlemagne :

769 : Charlemagne, Pépin's sun, submit Aquitan and Languedoc. Franciacum (Fronsac toward Dordogne mouth) fortress is built. In 778, leaving Chasseneuil, at the confluence of the Lot and the Garonne rivers, he go to Spain. Coming back in 779, he is taken into an ambush at Roncevaux pass, where is killed Roland count (the Basques attack the rearguard of Charlemagne's army which has just devastated Pamplona). Gascons' chiefs are given up to Charlemagne. Counts are settled in the main towns of Aquitan. Toulouse county, created by Charlemagne in 778, is a wealthy and powerfull state which, in the feodal pyramid, is part of the Aquitan kingdom. Charles le Grand, of a germanic native language, accepts latin language spoken in the West of his kingdom and encourage its teaching by clergy.

782: a sun of Charlemagne, Louis le Pieux or le Débonnaire (= the Stupid), born in Casseneuil cattle in Agenais, become "king" of Aquitan, at 3 years old. In 801, Santxo Otsoa (or Sanche 1st ? or Sanche Lupus, the sun of Lupus?) take again the title of "vascons' prince". In 808, campaign in Gascogne. In 814, Louis succeeds to Charlemagne. In 816 and 818, Gascons' revolts, wich are beatten by Berenger, count of Toulouse. In 824, an army of Louis le Pieux is beatten by basques' troops ; Inigo, count of Bigorre, found then Navarre kingdom. The sun of Louis I, Pépin II, "king" of Aquitan from 817 to 838, but looter, is given up by Gascons people and destitute to the benefit of his uncle Charles le Chauve. Pépin II from 838 to 855, Charles l'Enfant from 855 to 866, and Louis le Bègue from 867 to 877 are "king" of a divided Aquitan with 15 counties about. In 850, Santxo Mitarra, the second sun of Sanche-Loup, frees Vascony duchy of the carolingien protection and set up his capital in Bordeaux. In 852, Pépin II is capturated and given up to Charles le Chauve.

 840 : Charles II le Chauve become the master of Francia Occidentalis ("french spoken"). He is crowned in Orleans in 848 as king of Aquitan ; Toulouse is conquered without fight in 849 by Frédelon count. Revolt of the seniors of Aquitan in 858. Although he place his sun as king of Aquitan in 867, the kingdo is divided in principalities. From 864 to 871, Duc Arnaud, the nephew of Sanche Mitarra, assume the reency, but it's an incertain period with the normans' raids. Mitarra-Sanche (871-886), the sun of Sanche-Mitarra, contains normans.

 

Normans :

844-892 : normans' incursions. For 4 years, Vikings (which have been held back by Charlemagne), based from Ré island, go back the Garonne river up to Toulouse, and the Dordogne rivier. Their fast drakkars give them a terrifying mobility. They loot and ruin "Bourdeu" (Bordeaux) 3 time (in 848 after have taken Guillaume count prisoner, in 861 after to have killed Seguin count). Quite all Gascogne towns (since 845) and Aquitan ones are pillaged. They are beaten by Guillaume Taillefer in Poitiers. Forced back in 892, Normans are chassed away from Bayonne only in 981. Beaten by Guillaume, sun of Sanche III, in 982 ? Some episodic incursions will take place until 1018. And it's mainly on the pretext of defending against Normans than the old gallo-romans walls are built again after 844, versus Charles le Chauve notice, to assure independance to the counts and local lords.

 877 : Kiersy-sur-Oise "capitulaire" (ruling), wich confirms the heredity of the fiefs and lord titles (counts and ducs may pass on goods and titles to their suns). Wealthy Aquitan, looted by Francs people, Saracens people and Normans people, begins the feudal government.