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.
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