| Frankish War (431–432) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of theFall of the Roman Empire andRoman–Germanic Wars | |||||||
 Northern Gaul | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Western Roman Empire | Franks | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Aetius | Chlodio | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 40,000[1] | 10,000–15,000 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
TheFrankish War of 431–432 was a short war between theFranks and theWestern Roman Empire under EmperorValentinian III. Like the previous Frankish war, theRoman army was led by the Roman generalAetius and the participation ofChlodio, the king of theSalian Franks is uncertain. The war ended in a Roman victory after which both sides agreed to a peace treaty.[2]
The Frankish invasion of Northern Gaul in 431 is in a sense a continuation of theFrankish War of 428 and fits into the pattern of Frankish invasions in the first half of the fifth century. The cause of the war must be sought in the political situation of the Roman Empire at that time.[3] For a large extent, it is the result of events at the beginning of the fifth century. TheCrossing of the Rhine and theWar of Radagaisus in406, and the civil wars that followed had an enormous impact on the fighting power of the Roman army. The battles that were fought cost many lives. The army supplemented its shortages by withdrawing troops from the borders. For theLimitanei, the border guards, this meant a great loss. Auxiliary troops from Franks, Burgundians and Alans largely took over their task.
The loss of readiness of the Roman army became particularly evident on the border, where invasions fromGermania were not vigorously punished. As far as we know, the campaigns were not thorough enough to drive out the attackers.[4] This was a break with the past, when attacks on Roman soil always were followed by retaliatory actions by the army. Peace negotiations only followed after a punitive expedition. Aëtius's actions in the previous Frankish war were also not thorough enough. Although the Romans inflicted heavy losses on the invaders, they did not pursue them across the Rhine for a punitive campaign. Aëtius's operation in northern Gaul seems to have been short-lived and, crucially, it took place on imperial territory. It is reasonable to assume that the situation in northern Gaul soon deteriorated again as a result. The Franks were indeed forced to make peace, but because the Romans lacked resources and manpower, they subsequently left the border guarding to them.
It is unclear which Frankish tribe invaded northern Gaul in 431,Hydatius andProsper provide no information on this.[5] Of the Ripuarian Franks, who were settled east of the Rhine, we know that they attacked the city ofTrier in 410, 413, 420, 435 and 453/461.[6] Of the Salian Franks, we only know that they settled inToxandria within the Roman Empire in 358 and only return to history shortly before the middle of the 5th century, byGregory of Tours, who at the end of the 6th century in his writings citedSulpicius Alexander andRenatus Profuturus Frigeridus, and reports on King Chlodio.
Chlodio may be the other main player in this war. He is the first Merovingian king whose existence is certain. Besides a brief mention in theHistoria Francorum byGregory of Tours, Chlodio is also mentioned in aPanegyric bySidonius Apollinaris. He reports that around 448 EmperorMajorianus (457–461) defended the city ofTours against the Franks and that Aetius fought Chlodio in the open plains ofArtois.[7] AlthoughHydatius does not name a Frankish leader in his account of this event, historians suspect that Chlodio was already active in northern Gaul earlier.[8] According to Gregory of Tours' account, Chlodio held power in the northernmost part of Gaul (Germania II) together with an area further to the northeast.
In early 430, Aetius led the Roman army on acampaign in southern Gaul against marauding Goths. After the Goths were defeated, he marched his army north over the Alps towardsRaetia andNoricum to stop the maraudingIuthungi andBacaudae.[9] About the same time, theVandal War broke out in North Africa in all its fury. Roman troops left Italy to support generalBonifatius. This situation demanded the full attention of the imperial government in Ravenna.
For the Frankish foederati this was a golden opportunity to throw off the Roman yoke and extend their power over the rich area between the Rhine, the Somme, the Meuse and the North Sea. Aetius, who had until recently been responsible for the defence of Gaul, had taken many soldiers from the North to keep his army strong. From Toxandria Chlodio set out south and captured the garrison towns of Tournai and Cambrai.
Aetius successfully completed hiscampaign in the Alps and then marched with the army into northern Gaul. During the winter of 431/2 or in the spring of 432 he fought the Franks. According to Hydatius, Aetius defeated the Franks and concluded a peace treaty with them.[10] After his defeat, Chlodio seems to have shifted his attack target to the areas east of the Rhine, where he succeeded in subduing theThuringians around 439.[11]
The willingness to wage war against invaders in northern Gaul shows that the Romans had no intention of abandoning the Rhineland. However, they lacked sufficient military strength to subdue barbarians sufficiently militarily in the event of treaty violations. As early as 435, Ripuarian Franks plundered the city of Trier. It is unknown whether this attack was punished. This was followed by two Burgundian uprisings, which were suppressed by Aëtius. Chlodio made himself heard again in the period 445-450 when he again pushed west and conquered the Roman-inhabited cities of Turnacum (Doornik) and Cameracum (Cambrai).[12]