by Jean-Jacques COURTEY, Doctor in Economic Geography, Ph. D
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This uchronic narration could at once remind you of memories, and at the same time confuse you because of some historical elements out of the shadows we decided to add !
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Present time is strange : it seems we have come back to old time, to the Merovingian one to be more precise. Before France came to existence, there was once a little kingdom in Tournai (Belgium), where a small king was reigning after the death of his father, Childéric I (c. 436 - 481 or 482). It doesn't appear in chronicles that Clovis I (c. 466 - 511) was using a crystal ball like his father. But in fact, nobody knows ! Let's recall that his dad after having totally lost once his kingdom of Tournai, was unexpectedly able to recover it because of the strategic use of his discrete talents of Seer !
Clovis was certainly a thaumaturge King, but not the same type as his father. He cleverly seized the opportunity of Roman definite decline to build his own power. The main remain of Clovis I is to have passed from a tribal mentality (Salian Franks) to a nation one (all Franks) ! He was believing in Odin, Thor, and Freya ! But the new nation he built from Belgium Second to what became Neustria (the ancient kingdom of Syagrius) and more widely Francia was transmutated by a new powerful belief coming from his wife since 493, Princess Clotilda (c. 474 - 545) : she was the niece of Gondebaud, King of Burgunds, and a strong Roman Catholic !
In 486, Clovis I defeated the Gallo-Roman kingdom of Syagrius (c. 430 - 487) near Soissons, which became so famous for the story of its memorable vase afterwards. Syagrius himself fled away and took refuge at Alaric II (c. 460 - 507), King of Wisigoths. But the latter emprisonned and delivered him in 487 to Clovis I ; then, Syagrius was executed in his previous capital, Soissons, as the last Gallo-Roman King. In 496,King Clovis had also to fight in a very uncertain battle against the Alamans in Tolbiac (Zülpich, Germany nowadays). Having promised Clotilda to make himself Christian if he was able to win the battle with her God's help, he was baptized in Reims by Saint Rémi on Christmas day...with 3000 of his men ! So then King Clovis became "the eldest son of the Church", before France was nicknamed "the eldest daughter of the Church" till nowadays. And he chose Paris to be his capital, not Soissons (Syagrius' capital) !
Eleven years later (507), he forced the road to Aquitania and defeated King Alaric II in Vouillé (near one of my aunts' domain), not far from Poitiers. Alaric II (arian Christian) died during the battle and his famous treasure disappeared mysteriously...before becoming almost mythical in present times. To make an interesting aside, this treasure is often confused nowadays with the one of Cathars (Manicheans rather influenced by Gnostics and arian Christians), or even the one of the abbot Bérenger Saunière (1852 - 1917) from Rennes-le-Château. After the great defeat of Vouillé, Wisigoths were forced to retreat to Spain in the debacle...for a while ! So then, Clovis was able to conquer Aquitania (as wide as present New Aquitania) as well, by extending greatly his kingdom !
As an epilogue, at the end of his life Clovis I left a surprising kingdom starting from Aquilon (North), but expanding thereafter from West to East, as well as South : he was at the very origin of Francia Occidentalis (now France), and Francia Orientalis (Germany). The divisions of his realm after his death in 511 are due to the fact he left four sons : his big kingdom was divided by inheritage between them. The principle of primogeniture didn't exist among Merovingians. It only came to existence from the Capetians, a long time after. And in between, there was another dynasty partly proceeding by marriages from Merovingians. At that time, being Mayor of the Palace was the most envied and powerful position. And it provoked definitively the first dynastic change, from Merovingians to Carolingians, with Pépin the Brief (meaning Pépin "the Small", 714 - 768) !
The new France of 2022 is not so different from the France of the beginnings now on. With the return of tribal thinking, it is reapproching what it used to be. This time travel can bring us back at the time of Wamba (c. 633 - c. 688). This last great Wisigoth King (arian Christian) who was forced to become King by his people : he was crowned in Toledo (Spain) on September 21st, 672. King Wamba (most likely a nickname meaning "the Belly") once dominated Septimania - present Occitania very roughly. And he was able to reign on the South of France from Toulouse area to Nîmes. If his French realm didn't survive for long his final abdication, it certainly passed into the hands of his Saracen allies thereafter till another famous battle, near Poitiers again (in 732). This historical battle was won by the Frank Mayor of the Palace, Charles Martel (Karl Martell in German, c. 688 - 741), father of Pépin the Brief, and grandfather of Charlemagne (c. 742 - 814) !
Again, it is not clearly known if the once famous Bathilda (c. 630 - 680), who was bought to Danish pirates as a Slave by Erchinoald (580 - 658 or 661), Mayor of the Palace of Neustria, was in fact originally an Anglo-Saxon Princess ? But she changed totally her status - or recovered it - when she happened to finally marry King Clovis II "the Lazy" (633 - 657). She would have deserved to be far more remembered because of what she accomplished during the life of her husband, and continued as Queen Regent after his death. As a matter of fact, under her strong influence and rule, Slavery was totally forbidden in the Frank kingdom...so far before the unsuccessful project of King Louis XVI (1754 - 1793 ?), which is the the real and well hidden reason of his dramatic fall, provoked by the very discrete but influential Colonists "Party" !
One doesn't know exactly when toads - often confused with frogs - were replaced by marsh iris and then by lilies, to symbolize French Monarchy since King Clovis I. It may be connected to the fact this King converted to Catholic religion by following his wife Clotilda (from Christmas 496). Toads can be found in marshes beside iris (the first Merovingian flowers), and lilies (the second Merovingian flowers) are associated to Mary the Virgin, who is so important for her miracles on the impossible in Catholicism. Strangely, lilies were also a symbol of power, faith, and rebirth for Pharaohs ! And unexpectedly, the "Agenda 2030" of the World Economic Forum of Davos (Switzerland) is symbolized by a multicolored Crown surmonted by a Lily ! The "Great Reset" announced could be a resurrection one then !
