VOUILLE
May 507 - v1.0
by Chris Jackson
SYMBOL SET REQUIRED: Master 1


HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

Theodoric began moving towards setting up the Arian monarchies into an
alliance against Clovis' Catholic state which had grown very powerful,
although in correspondence the two kingdoms kept up good relations. In the 
year 507, Clovis at a national assembly in Paris abruptly announced war on 
the Visogoths. A quick and spirited exchange of correspondance between 
Theodoric and the other kingdoms then took place, even with the less 
civilised tribes in Germany such as the Herulians (living in the region from 
Augsburg to Passau since Odoacer's kingdom fell), Warnians (Harz mountains to
the Baltic) and Thuringians (Main River to Elbe River). 

Theodoric's kingdom was considered as a centre of light, culture and 
civilization to other kingdoms. He presented himself as a counseller of
wise old age and suggested to his son-in-law Alaric II to still try to
avoid war; then he suggested to Gundobad a three-nation embassy (Ostrogoth, 
Visigoth, Burgundian) to re-establish peace or all fight Clovis at once, 
arguing Clovis' aggression threatened all of them equally. The pact never 
materialized; Alaric II still stood alone. 

Gregory of Tours records that Clovis was driven by a Catholic desire to 
crush the Arian Visigoths for being heretics. Modern historians see other
motivations for invading. Alaric was suffering financial difficulties and
his kingdom had devalued its coinage (perhaps he was paying a tribute to 
Clovis but had to stop because of this). Also, the Goths who traditionally 
formed the core of the army had migrated south into Spain. It appears likely
that the Visigoths were ripe for conquest and the wide, highly Romanized
territory they possessed was too tempting a prize for CLovis to resist.
With the aid of the son of Sigibert the Lame and Gundobad's Burgundian 
forces, a mass invasion took place all down the Visigoth border.

When the Franks crossed the Loire, they were told by Clovis when they passed
through Tours to only take grass and water from the land for their horses. 
When a soldier  took hay from a peasant and argued hay was grass, he was cut
down with a sword, Clovis declaring "what hope shall we have of victory if 
we offend the blessed Martin?" Another well-known anecdote claims that Clovis
once exclaimed that had he been at the crucifixion heading his army he would 
have avenged Christ's death, painting a picture of Clovis as less than a
paragon of Christian meekness.

It was at Campus Vogladensis (Vouille), 10 miles from Poitiers, that the 
decisive battle was fought with the Visigoths. Alaric II, short of men and 
money, wanted to wait for support, but his overconfident troops thought 
themselves the equals of the Frankish army and pressed for an immediate 
engagement.

The Goths hurled their missile weapons but the Franks rushed them boldly 
throwing their axes and engaging in hand-to-hand. Alaric was killed on the 
battlefield, it is said from Clovis' own hand. Clovis is then said to have 
escaped from two spear-weilding Goths, saved by his speed and coat mail. The
Visigoths abandoned their capital at Toulouse and fled into Spain, doomed to
wage frontier skirmishing from behind the Pyrenees for the next few years. 

Why was there no coalition or support from the other kingdoms? Gundobad 
was the key. He supported Clovis, perhaps because of the events of 500. He 
was increasingly friendly with the Catholics and remained a pagan by 
name only. Theodoric may not even have been aware of this until the eve of 
battle.

Clovis received from Byzantine Emperor Anastasius the title of Roman Consul 
the year after this victory, in 508. At the Church of St. Martin at Tours, 
Clovis appeared in Roman dress with purple tunic and mantle, and diadem on 
his head. Then he mounted his horse and rode out scattering gold and silver 
coins to the streets. Historians are unsure what to make of this strange 
event but believe that, if it happened at all, it was a diplomatic move on 
Anastasius' part.

The Visigoth campaign would be Clovis' last great victory. Frankish territory
was almost doubled, and it came to resemble what looks close to France today,
stretching all the way to the Pyrenees. The victory also gave Clovis the 
power to violently do away with the other small Frankish kings, and become 
the sole ruler of the unified Frankish kingdom from his capital of Paris. 
There was only more region to conquer, a strip of land on the Mediterranean 
coast called Septimania. The intervention of Theodoric saved this region from Frankish
conquest.

Amalaric, grandson of Theodoric, was a child, but he was the legitimate heir
to the Visigoths. Amalaric was thus rushed to Spain to claim the title. But a
bastard son Gesalic was in early manhood, and with the support of a faction 
of Visigoths, he decided to make his own bid. But when Gesalic lost Narbonne 
to Gundobad in 508, and when many Visigoths perished, he fled to Barcelona 
where he would remain a shadow ruler for four years.

Meanwhile, only Arles, the former Roman capitol of Gaul, was holding out 
under Saint Caesarius from the Frank and Burgundian siege. This brave defence
allowed Theodoric to come to its aid. Commanded by Tulum, on June 24, 508 the
Ostrogoth army invaded to relieve the siege. A bitter battle was fought for
possession of the covered bridge of Arles over the Rhone and courageous Tulum
recieved many honourable wounds during its capture and recapture. But the 
Franks and Burgundians still kept up the siege.

In 509 another Ostrogoth army under Duke Mammo crossed the Alps near Briancon
and descended into the valley of the Durance. Plundering as they went, a 
large Burgundian army was detatched against them near Dauphine.

In early 510 the Ostrogoth Count Ibbas routed the Burgundians and Franks.
The figure of 30,000 killed Franks seems excessive, but it was a victory
great enough to lift the siege and end the war a few months later. Clovis
maintained Aquitaine up to the Pyrenees, and Languedoc up to the Cevennes,
including Toulouse.

Gundobad got nothing for his efforts, losing some towns like Avignon on his
southern frontier, gaining only the less-important city of Viviers 
(Alba Augusta). Cooped up between two powerful neighbours he was able to die
peacefully in 516, and Theodoric's son-in-law Sigismund took over. Sigismund
finally made it official, formally establishing Catholicism in Burgundy. 
Theodoric gained Provence and enough of Languedoc to get access to 
Spain. It is here that Ibbas and the Ostrogoths now went to Spain to cut
up the feeble rule of Gesalic. He fled Barcelona and went to Carthage,
to the court of Thrasamund the Vandal (Theodoric's brother-in-law). 
Thrasamund, maybe seeing Gesalic as a brave young Visigoth with a place in
the kingdom, gave Gesalic money and let him go back to Gaul, but had to 
appease Theodoric with gifts when he became angry with him for doing this. 
Theodoric returned them.

Gesalic wandered around a while longer. After making trouble in Gaul he had 
to go back to Spain, then Ibbas beat him 12 miles from Barcelona in 511.
Fleeing to Burgundy, he was captured a little north of the Durance and put
to death.

That left Amalaric. He was brought up in Spain but, apparently with his 
people's consent, allowed his grandfather to assume control of Spain. Thus 
Theodoric became King of Spain and Italy. Only the northwest corner held by 
Suevi was not under his dominion. Amalaric's guardian Theudis wielded most of
the power there.

Clovis largely left the conquered Visigoth region to itself and retired to 
Paris where he could monitor threatening regions to the east more closely.
There he died on November 27, 511 at the age of 45. His military
conquests laid the groundwork for Catholicism to dominate the West instead of
Arianism, and for France to be the dominant power of the early medieval 
period.


SOURCES

"Clovis". Encyclopedia Britannica, volume 3, p. 401. Chicago University Press, 
     1995.

Gregory of Tours. "History of the Franks". New York: Octagon Books, 1965.


Hodgkin, Thomas. "Italy and Her Invaders, Volume 3". London: Russell and Russell,
     (1880-89), 1967.

Hodgkin, Thomas. "Theodoric the Goth". London: GP Putnam's Sons, 1891.


James, Edward."The Franks". New York: Basil Blackwell, Ltd., 1988. 
 
James, Edward. "The Origins of France - From Clovis to the Capetians 500-1000".
     London: MacMillan Education, Ltd., 1982.

Laffin, John. "Brassey's Battles". Washington: Brassey's, 1995.

Wood, Ian. "The Merovingian Kingdoms 450-751." New York: Longman Group UK Ltd., 1994.


BATTLE NOTES

A nice wide open battlefield to allow lots of movement (see if you can get 
Alaric and Clovis to engage each other directly). The Visigoths have higher
morale and armour, but the Franks have better leadership and can do more 
damage with both missile and hand-to-hand weapons.

Chris Jackson, January 18, 2000
chrisbjackson@hotmail.com

