| Battle of Soissons | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 The captured Syagrius is brought beforeAlaric II, who orders him sent toClovis I | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Salian Franks ofTournai andCambrai | Kingdom of Soissons | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Clovis I Ragnachar Wiomad | Syagrius | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 6,000 | 6,000[1] | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Low | High | ||||||
TheBattle of Soissons was fought in 486 betweenFrankish forces underClovis I and theGallo-Romandomain of Soissons underSyagrius. The battle was a victory for the Franks, and led to the conquest of theRomanrump state ofSoissons, a milestone for the Franks in their attempt to establish themselves as a major regional power.
In the final collapse of theWestern Roman Empire between 476 and 480, Syagrius was the only remaining representative of Roman rule in the area between theLoire and theSomme. Syagrius was the son ofAegidius,[2] Romanmagister militum perGallias from 457 to 461; he preserved his father's rump state, the Domain of Soissons, between theSomme and theLoire, calling himselfdux.
The central location ofSoissons in northernGaul and its largely intactinfrastructure allowed a level of stability in the years of theMigration Period, but also made the area tempting for theirFrankish neighbours to the north-east. The realm of Syagrius was of almost the same size as the Frankish area, though the Franks were divided into small kingdoms, and, on the right bank of theRhine, little touched byRoman culture.
Nevertheless, Clovis I managed to assemble enough Franks to confront Syagrius's forces. Clovis issued a challenge to Syagrius naming the time and place of the battle.[3]Gregory of Tours mentions that oneChararic had brought his forces to the battlefield but then stood aloof, hoping to ally with the winner.[4]
The ensuing battle was a decisive victory for Clovis and his Franks. Syagrius fled to theVisigoths (underAlaric II), but Clovis threatened war and the Visigoths handed Syagrius over for execution.
Consequently, the realm of the Franks almost doubled in size; its border was now on the Loire adjacent to the realm of the Visigoths, who were finally routed at theBattle of Vouillé in 507 and forced to retreat south of thePyrenées.
In due course Clovis marched against Chararic, captured him and his sons, and forced them to acceptordination andtonsures asdeacons. On report of their hope to regain power, he had them executed.[4]