Clovis, king of the Franks, unified much of Gaul and founded the power of the Merovingian dynasty. Son of Childeric I, he defeated Syagrius, the Alemanni and the Visigoths, and was baptised at Reims—an alliance with the Catholic Church that shaped the kingdom.
Conquests
Soissons (486) ended the last Roman enclave in northern Gaul. Tradition links Tolbiac to victory over the Alemanni; in 507 he defeated the Visigoths at Vouillé and took much of Aquitaine.
Baptism
Under the influence of Queen Clotilde, Clovis was baptised by Remigius of Reims. Choosing Catholic Christianity aligned the Franks with the Gallo-Roman majority.
Legacy
At his death in 511 the kingdom was divided among his sons, but the Frankish monarchy endured through the Merovingians and later the Carolingians.