The Gepid Campaign and the Frankish Civil War (566-69):
In the early months of 566, Germanus Is campaign against the Gepids was ready. With work on the fortifications he had ordered all around the Empire proceeding at a breakneck pace, Germanus I was confident that this would be the last time he would have to worry about the Danube frontier. Once the Danube fortifications were complete, Germanus I hoped that it would be several generations before the Danube frontier was seriously threatened. On April 15th, 566, Germanus I and his army marched north.
The army of Germanus I was comprised of 12,000 soldiers. With many soldiers working on fortifications, and Germanus I promising peace and prosperity, he dared not bring more. The Eastern Roman army was to be led by Germanus Is eldest son Justin. Germanus I, well knowing the power the army wielded in the Imperial succession, was getting his son known in the East Roman army before he passed. A civil war at this point could endanger the entire Eastern Roman Empire.
Joining the Eastern Romans on the campaign was around 15,000 Lombard allies, led by King Audouin's son and successor Albion, recalled from Spania by his father. The Lombards joined for the promise of loot and a large part of the Gepids territory, in exchange for an official alliance with the Eastern Roman Empire. Germanus I was very happy when they accepted. Not only would the combined attack be able to crush the Gepids far more totally, but a Lombard controlled kingdom covering much of the length of the Danube would be a extremely useful buffer state to any hordes that may desire the riches of the Eastern Roman Empire. Even better was that Alboin was leading it. Audouin's only son, Alboin had become begun to become Romanized during his time in Spania, and by all accounts had begun to respect the Romans after campaigning with them in Spania.
The first target was the small areas that were controlled by the Gepids south of the Danube1. Most importantly were the former Roman strongholds of Sirmium and Singidunum. These lands Germanus I desired quite badly. Once taken they could be re fortified, and help secure the Danube frontier. This would mean attacking the main Gepid force early in the campaign, due to their capital being located at Sirium. Once Singidunum and Sirmium fell, Germanus I would stop the East Roman Soldiers, leaving all the territory north of the Danube to be taken by the Lombards.
On March 25th, 566 the Eastern Roman army marched into Gepid Territory. By April 22nd, Sirmium was besieged by the joint Eastern Roman-Lombard force. Curiously, no Gepid forces were encountered. Several months passed with no signs of the Gepid army. On August 15th, Sirmium was assaulted and fell, its defences having been severely neglected by the Gepids. Justin, practically in disbelief at the lack of Gepid resistance, nonetheless moved to besiege Singidunum. After encountering no large armed force at Singidunum, Justin allowed the Lombards to go north of the Danube, to began conquering the territory they had been promised. Several weeks later, the Lombards sent word to Justin. Apparently, some horsemen known as the Avars2 had invaded the Gepids territory. Upon facing the Avars, the Gepids were defeated, their army nearly annihilated. These Avars were reputed to be terrifying horseman, not unlike the Huns that brought the Roman Empire to its knees. When Justin informed Germanus I of these horseman, he immediately sent an envoy to them, along with a sizable amount of gold as a gift. The last thing he wanted was such a people to begin raiding into the empire.
Several months later, Justin returned to Constantinople in triumph. The Roman Empire had seized the key cities of Sirmium and Singidunum, and their Lombard allies had conquered a large portion of the Gepid kingdom, with the rest being conquered by the Avars3. The campaign had done much to raise Justin in the eyes of the people, and the army had been won over by his use of the Lombards to assault Sirmium, saving a great many Eastern Roman soldiers lives. With the mood in the Eastern Roman Empire being one of hope and pride, in the West Gaul was covered in blood.
With the death of Childebert I, the Frankish realm immediately erupted into chaos. His only heirs were two unmarried daughters, meaning whoever married one would gain control over a huge portion of the Frankish realm. The years 566-67 are largely skimmed over by modern historians, the fact being they were too chaotic to even attempt to follow. What was clear that in 566 the daughters were both forcibly married off the several nobles, each being murdered or defeated by the last. By 567, King Childeric of Burgundy and King Guntram of Soissons had married Chrodoberga and Chrodesindis, respectively. This was not to last however, as both were murdered before 567. In early 568 the conflict had degenerated into full out open war between the remaining factions. All parties, realizing that marrying one of the daughters would mean nothing as their claims would simply be ignored, decided that victory in the battlefield was the solution. Consequently, as the daughters were no longer of value,both them and the 3 children they had had between them too various two nobles and a king, were dead by March.
In 568, history begins to have a more solid account of the Frankish Civil War. King Charibert, the eldest son Chlothar I, from his capital at Metz, controlled almost all of the land between the Rhine and the Seine, south until the Alps. Chram, former Duke of Aquitaine4, had declared himself King and ruled a realm from Bordeaux to Tours. King Sigebert, the third born son of Chlothar, controlled Toulouse, Provence, and much of Burgundy. Finally, a noble from Bourges had declared himself king and ruled from Paris, crowning himself Chlothar II. He controlled the northern coast, and a long but slender central reason stretching south to Clermont.
The two nobles who had declared themselves King fought each other for control of one another's lands, with both planning to then destroy the two legitimate kings. Both however proved unable to conquer the other. At the Battle of Tours, Chlothar II managed to crush Chram's army, and seize Tour but was quickly to forced to withdraw when news reached him that Charibert had begun to besiege Paris.
King Charibert, controlling the largest and most compact realm, had sent a relatively small force of 2,000 men to besiege Paris in an attempt to take the city before the false King Chlothar II could sent aid. While this attempt failed as Chlothar II managed to get his army to break the siege of Paris, it nonetheless stopped Chlothar II from seizing Aquitaine, and almost doubling the size of his domain. While the siege of Paris had been going on, Charibert had marched the bulk of his army south, it Burgundy, intent on conquering the realm of his brother, King Sigebert. This would leave Charibert the only legitimate King of the Franks, a fact that he could use to his advantage. In early 569, Charibert and Sigebert met on the field of battle near Lyon. Charibert, with superior numbers and more experience, crushed Sigebert in a short battle. Sigebert, with his army destroyed and well aware of the fate that beheld him if he was defeated, did the only thing he could do, and fled to the court of the Eastern Roman Empire.
Germanus I had been rather curious when the Frankish King came before him. He had been watching the Frankish Civil War rather closely. It was times like these that a state was at its weakest, and there was opportunity for gain. What the King offered intrigued him. In exchange for Eastern Roman aid in the form of gold and weapons to reclaim his territory that he held before the Battle of Lyon, he would cede Provence to the Eastern Roman Empire, and pay the an annual tribute. Although Germanus I knew that the second Sigebert grew more powerful the tribute would stop, Provence was nonetheless a valuable land, connecting Spania and Italia. Eventually, Germanus I agreed to Sigebert's proposal.
With the aid of the Eastern Roman Empire, Sigebert was able to reclaim his territory by the close of 669. He was greatly aided by the fact that the false King Chlothar II had launched an attack into Charibert's territory, knowing that should Sigebert the balance of power would shift too far in Charibert's favor. As 670 came around, the Frankish Realm was decimated, and still divided. A unspoken stalemate had emerged, as none of them dared invade another, as they would be invaded themselves. The Frankish civil war had been a terrible blow to the franks. Many had died for no reason other than power, Provence had been lost to the Eastern Roman Empire, and Brittany and the German region refused to pay tribute to any of the kings.
Sorry, map will wait until this afternoon.
1- Not shown on previous maps, my bad.
2- Same as OTL, invasion a year later due to the Gepids not being crushed by the Lombards.
3- See map.
4- From OTL, lives a bit longer ITTL.
In the early months of 566, Germanus Is campaign against the Gepids was ready. With work on the fortifications he had ordered all around the Empire proceeding at a breakneck pace, Germanus I was confident that this would be the last time he would have to worry about the Danube frontier. Once the Danube fortifications were complete, Germanus I hoped that it would be several generations before the Danube frontier was seriously threatened. On April 15th, 566, Germanus I and his army marched north.
The army of Germanus I was comprised of 12,000 soldiers. With many soldiers working on fortifications, and Germanus I promising peace and prosperity, he dared not bring more. The Eastern Roman army was to be led by Germanus Is eldest son Justin. Germanus I, well knowing the power the army wielded in the Imperial succession, was getting his son known in the East Roman army before he passed. A civil war at this point could endanger the entire Eastern Roman Empire.
Joining the Eastern Romans on the campaign was around 15,000 Lombard allies, led by King Audouin's son and successor Albion, recalled from Spania by his father. The Lombards joined for the promise of loot and a large part of the Gepids territory, in exchange for an official alliance with the Eastern Roman Empire. Germanus I was very happy when they accepted. Not only would the combined attack be able to crush the Gepids far more totally, but a Lombard controlled kingdom covering much of the length of the Danube would be a extremely useful buffer state to any hordes that may desire the riches of the Eastern Roman Empire. Even better was that Alboin was leading it. Audouin's only son, Alboin had become begun to become Romanized during his time in Spania, and by all accounts had begun to respect the Romans after campaigning with them in Spania.
The first target was the small areas that were controlled by the Gepids south of the Danube1. Most importantly were the former Roman strongholds of Sirmium and Singidunum. These lands Germanus I desired quite badly. Once taken they could be re fortified, and help secure the Danube frontier. This would mean attacking the main Gepid force early in the campaign, due to their capital being located at Sirium. Once Singidunum and Sirmium fell, Germanus I would stop the East Roman Soldiers, leaving all the territory north of the Danube to be taken by the Lombards.
On March 25th, 566 the Eastern Roman army marched into Gepid Territory. By April 22nd, Sirmium was besieged by the joint Eastern Roman-Lombard force. Curiously, no Gepid forces were encountered. Several months passed with no signs of the Gepid army. On August 15th, Sirmium was assaulted and fell, its defences having been severely neglected by the Gepids. Justin, practically in disbelief at the lack of Gepid resistance, nonetheless moved to besiege Singidunum. After encountering no large armed force at Singidunum, Justin allowed the Lombards to go north of the Danube, to began conquering the territory they had been promised. Several weeks later, the Lombards sent word to Justin. Apparently, some horsemen known as the Avars2 had invaded the Gepids territory. Upon facing the Avars, the Gepids were defeated, their army nearly annihilated. These Avars were reputed to be terrifying horseman, not unlike the Huns that brought the Roman Empire to its knees. When Justin informed Germanus I of these horseman, he immediately sent an envoy to them, along with a sizable amount of gold as a gift. The last thing he wanted was such a people to begin raiding into the empire.
Several months later, Justin returned to Constantinople in triumph. The Roman Empire had seized the key cities of Sirmium and Singidunum, and their Lombard allies had conquered a large portion of the Gepid kingdom, with the rest being conquered by the Avars3. The campaign had done much to raise Justin in the eyes of the people, and the army had been won over by his use of the Lombards to assault Sirmium, saving a great many Eastern Roman soldiers lives. With the mood in the Eastern Roman Empire being one of hope and pride, in the West Gaul was covered in blood.
With the death of Childebert I, the Frankish realm immediately erupted into chaos. His only heirs were two unmarried daughters, meaning whoever married one would gain control over a huge portion of the Frankish realm. The years 566-67 are largely skimmed over by modern historians, the fact being they were too chaotic to even attempt to follow. What was clear that in 566 the daughters were both forcibly married off the several nobles, each being murdered or defeated by the last. By 567, King Childeric of Burgundy and King Guntram of Soissons had married Chrodoberga and Chrodesindis, respectively. This was not to last however, as both were murdered before 567. In early 568 the conflict had degenerated into full out open war between the remaining factions. All parties, realizing that marrying one of the daughters would mean nothing as their claims would simply be ignored, decided that victory in the battlefield was the solution. Consequently, as the daughters were no longer of value,both them and the 3 children they had had between them too various two nobles and a king, were dead by March.
In 568, history begins to have a more solid account of the Frankish Civil War. King Charibert, the eldest son Chlothar I, from his capital at Metz, controlled almost all of the land between the Rhine and the Seine, south until the Alps. Chram, former Duke of Aquitaine4, had declared himself King and ruled a realm from Bordeaux to Tours. King Sigebert, the third born son of Chlothar, controlled Toulouse, Provence, and much of Burgundy. Finally, a noble from Bourges had declared himself king and ruled from Paris, crowning himself Chlothar II. He controlled the northern coast, and a long but slender central reason stretching south to Clermont.
The two nobles who had declared themselves King fought each other for control of one another's lands, with both planning to then destroy the two legitimate kings. Both however proved unable to conquer the other. At the Battle of Tours, Chlothar II managed to crush Chram's army, and seize Tour but was quickly to forced to withdraw when news reached him that Charibert had begun to besiege Paris.
King Charibert, controlling the largest and most compact realm, had sent a relatively small force of 2,000 men to besiege Paris in an attempt to take the city before the false King Chlothar II could sent aid. While this attempt failed as Chlothar II managed to get his army to break the siege of Paris, it nonetheless stopped Chlothar II from seizing Aquitaine, and almost doubling the size of his domain. While the siege of Paris had been going on, Charibert had marched the bulk of his army south, it Burgundy, intent on conquering the realm of his brother, King Sigebert. This would leave Charibert the only legitimate King of the Franks, a fact that he could use to his advantage. In early 569, Charibert and Sigebert met on the field of battle near Lyon. Charibert, with superior numbers and more experience, crushed Sigebert in a short battle. Sigebert, with his army destroyed and well aware of the fate that beheld him if he was defeated, did the only thing he could do, and fled to the court of the Eastern Roman Empire.
Germanus I had been rather curious when the Frankish King came before him. He had been watching the Frankish Civil War rather closely. It was times like these that a state was at its weakest, and there was opportunity for gain. What the King offered intrigued him. In exchange for Eastern Roman aid in the form of gold and weapons to reclaim his territory that he held before the Battle of Lyon, he would cede Provence to the Eastern Roman Empire, and pay the an annual tribute. Although Germanus I knew that the second Sigebert grew more powerful the tribute would stop, Provence was nonetheless a valuable land, connecting Spania and Italia. Eventually, Germanus I agreed to Sigebert's proposal.
With the aid of the Eastern Roman Empire, Sigebert was able to reclaim his territory by the close of 669. He was greatly aided by the fact that the false King Chlothar II had launched an attack into Charibert's territory, knowing that should Sigebert the balance of power would shift too far in Charibert's favor. As 670 came around, the Frankish Realm was decimated, and still divided. A unspoken stalemate had emerged, as none of them dared invade another, as they would be invaded themselves. The Frankish civil war had been a terrible blow to the franks. Many had died for no reason other than power, Provence had been lost to the Eastern Roman Empire, and Brittany and the German region refused to pay tribute to any of the kings.
Sorry, map will wait until this afternoon.
1- Not shown on previous maps, my bad.
2- Same as OTL, invasion a year later due to the Gepids not being crushed by the Lombards.
3- See map.
4- From OTL, lives a bit longer ITTL.
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