ABSTRACT
The Franks and Alemans, who were to possess themselves of northern Gaul in the fifth century, were Roman federates: Stilicho used them to repel Alaric’s invasion of Italy in 401. The society of the Frankish settlers, whose structure would appear to approximate to that of the so-called code of Clovis, hinged upon the tribe, headed by some long-haired king or sub-king: and the family. Like the Anglo-Saxons, the Frankish men wore moustaches, fastened their tunics or cloaks with brooches whose design mingled the animal ornament of south Russia with motifs borrowed from late Roman art. The Franks had, before the invasion, been longer in contact with Romanitas than any other west Germanic tribe, and the conversion of Clovis to Catholic Christianity began a further process of Romanization at the hands of the Catholic bishop. The real contribution of Theudebert to Frankish power, and even to a certain diffusion of Romanitas, was his conquest of south Germany.
