Gregory of Tours: Clovis becomes a Christian.

Some 4 years ago I published a post about Clotilde’s attempt to converse her husband Clovis (Latin Chlodovechus) to Roman Christianity (Gregory of Tours II, 29). I was reminded of that episode when I recently visited the magnificent cathedral of Rheims. About halfway the pavement is a marble with the inscription that Clovis was baptised at that very spot. Of course not in the cathedral as it is nowadays, but in one of its predecessors. I will continue the store with chapter 30.

The conversion of Clovis I (466- 511) to the Roman branch of Christianity and not to Arianism can hardly be underestimated. Clovis was a Frankish king, who united the various Frankish factions and petty kingdoms under his rule and so was the first king of France. It is however important to keep in mind that he was Germanic as were of course the Franks and that other Germanic kingdoms also existed at that time in France. Actually these Germanic tribes never had a majority, but were the ruling classes over a Gallo-Romanic population.

Though his wife tried to convert him, it was not after a battle he won against all odds, that Clovis left the religion of his forefathers and became a Christian. This event looks suspiciously like the conversion of Constantine and I think Gregory of Tours did some theologically inspired rewriting of history. There is also some Germanic flavour in the way Clovis adopts his new faith: demanding rather than submitting, despite Gregory’s pious treatment.

The exact date of this battle and hence of his conversion is a matter of dispute as the sources don’t agree, but Gregory gives 496.

Note the spelling!

Gregory of Tours, Historiae II, 30. Bellum contra Alamannus.

Regina vero non cessabat praedicare, ut Deum verum cognusceret et idola neglegerit. Sed nullo modo ad haec credenda poterat commoveri, donec tandem aliquando bellum contra Alamannos conmoveretur, in quo conpulsus est confiteri necessitate, quod prius voluntate negaverat. Factum est autem, ut confligente utroque exercitu vehementer caederentur, atque exercitus Chlodovechi valde ad internitionem ruere coepit. Quod ille videns, elevatis ad caelum oculis, conpunctus corde, commotus in lacrimis, ait: 'Iesu Christi, quem Chrotchildis praedicat esse filium Dei vivi, qui dare auxilium laborantibus victuriamque in te sperantibus tribuere diceris, tuae opis gloriam devotus efflagito, ut, si mihi victuriam super hos hostes indulseris et expertus fuero illam virtutem, quam de te populus tuo nomine dicatus probasse se praedicat, credam tibi et in nomine tuo baptizer. Invocavi enim deos meos, sed, ut experior, elongati sunt ab auxilio meo; unde credo, eos nullius esse potestatis praeditos, qui sibi oboedientibus non occurrunt. Te nunc invoco, tibi credere desidero, tantum ut eruar ab adversariis meis.‘ Cumque haec dicerit, Alamanni terga vertentes, in fugam labi coeperunt. Cumque regem suum cernirent interemptum, Chlodovechi se ditionibus subdunt, dicentes: 'Ne amplius, quaesumus, pereat populus, iam tui sumus'. Ad ille, prohibito bello, cohortato populo cum pace regressus, narravit reginae, qualiter per invocationem nominis Christi victuriam meruit obtenire. [Actum anno 15. regni sui.]

regina: Clothilde

cognusceret (= cognosceret): subject is Clovis (for u instead of o see also victuriam)

idola: the Germanic gods

tandem: finally

Alamannos: the Alamanni were a Germanic tribe, who after trey were defeated by Clovis were incorporated into his empire.

bellum conmoveretur: a war arose

confiteor confessus: to confess

factum est: it happened

confligo conflixi conflictum: to fight

caedo cecidi caesum: to slay, slaughter. Caederuntur `they were being slaughtered

internitio = internecio, -onis (f.): destruction, massacre

ruo rui ratus: to fall down

valde: very much

conpunctus: vexed, troubled

auxilium: help aid

laborantibus: note that laboro is not just `to work’, but ‘`to exert oneself’

diceris: you are said, `people say of you’

opis: gen. of ops, àid’,  but this nominative form does not occur in Classical Latin.

devotus efflagito: I humbly ask (the glory of your aid)

ut…credam tibi

indulgeo indulsi indultum: to favour, grant

experior expertus: to experience

dico (-are!): to dedicate

probo (-are): to experience

baptizer: passive subjunctive first person

elongatus: far away

praeditus: gifted, furnished

eruo erui erutum: to rescue

labor lapsus: to slide, move

cerno crevi certum: to perceive, see (cernirent = cernerent, subject Allemanni)

interimo interemi interemptum: to kill

ditio = dicio, -onis (f.): dominion, power

amplius: further

quaeso: to try (quaesumus = quaesimus)

prohibeo prohibui prohibitum: to stop

qualiter: how, in which way

mereo merui meritum: to deserve

Translation by Earnest Brehaut (1916)

The queen did not cease to urge him to recognize the true God and cease worshipping idols. But he could not be influenced in any way to this belief, until at last a war arose with the Alamanni, in which he was driven by necessity to confess what before he had of his free will denied. It came about that as the two armies were fighting fiercely, there was much slaughter, and Clovis's army began to be in danger of destruction. He saw it and raised his eyes to heaven, and with remorse in his heart he burst into tears and cried: "Jesus Christ, whom Clotilda asserts to be the son of the living God, who art said to give aid to those in distress, and to bestow victory on those who hope in thee, I beseech the glory of thy aid, with the vow that if thou wilt grant me victory over these enemies, and I shall know that power which she says that people dedicated in thy name have had from thee, I will believe in thee and be baptized in thy name. For I have invoked my own gods but, as I find, they have withdrawn from aiding me; and therefore I believe that they possess no power, since they do not help those who obey them. I now call upon thee, I desire to believe thee only let me be rescued from my adversaries." And when he said thus, the Alamanni turned their backs, and began to disperse in flight. And when they saw that their king was killed, they submitted to the dominion of Clovis, saying: "Let not the people perish further, we pray; we are yours now." And he stopped the fighting, and after encouraging his men, retired in peace and told the queen how he had had merit to win the victory by calling on the name of Christ. This happened in the fifteenth year of his reign.