Ep. 4: Monarchy and Administration under King Clovis and the Merovingians

The first powerful dynasty in former Roman Gaul was the Merovingians. Under the leadership of King Clovis I, who converted to Christianity with the aid of his wife St. Clotilde, Roman administrative practices were combined with the Germanic folk law to create an enduring legal structure. That structure formed the basis of medieval feudalism that slowly developed, in part, due to Clovis’ efforts to maintain loyalty among the Franks while expanding a budding empire.

Magna Carta Series Bibliography

About the author

The Catholic Esquire is a traditional Catholic who attends the Traditional Latin Mass and holds a Juris Doctor degree, Bachelor of Arts in Economics and is a licensed attorney who has litigated cases for fifteen years. "Esquire" is still a term commonly used to refer to attorneys at law in the United States. It was originally a feudal rank in the Middle Ages just below a knight, which reminds modern Americans that our Western cultural heritage is rooted in a well-ordered society dating back centuries.