The
Alemanni
Alemanni (also Alamanni;[1]
Suebi
Suebi "Swabians"[2]) were a
confederation of Germanic tribes on the upper
Rhine
Rhine river. First
mentioned by
Cassius Dio in the context of the campaign of Caracalla
of 213, the
Alemanni
Alemanni captured the
Agri Decumates
Agri Decumates in 260, and later
expanded into present-day Alsace, and northern Switzerland, leading to
the establishment of the
Old High German
Old High German language in those regions, by
the 8th century named Alamannia.[3]
In 496, the
Alemanni
Alemanni were conquered by Frankish leader Clovis and
incorporated into his dominions. Mentioned as still pagan allies of
the Christian Franks, the
Alemanni
Alemanni were gradually Christianized during
the 7th century. The
Lex Alamannorum is a record of their customary
law during this period. Until the 8th century, Frankish suzerainty
over Alemannia was mostly nominal. But after an uprising by
Theudebald, Duke of Alamannia, Carloman executed the Alamannic
nobility and installed Frankish dukes. During the later and weaker
years of the
Carolingian Empire
Carolingian Empire the Alemannic counts became almost
independent, and a struggle for supremacy took place between them and
the Bishopric of Constance. The chief family in
Alamannia
Alamannia was that of
the counts of Raetia Curiensis, who were sometimes called margraves,
and one of whom, Burchard II, established the Duchy of Swabia, which
was recognized by
Henry the Fowler
Henry the Fowler in 919 and became a stem duchy of
the Holy Roman Empire.
The area settled by the
Alemanni
Alemanni corresponds roughly to the area where
Alemannic German
Alemannic German dialects remain spoken, including German
Swabia
Swabia and
Baden, French Alsace, German-speaking
Switzerland
Switzerland and Austrian
Vorarlberg. Their name has survived into modern times, for example:
The word for
Germany
Germany in French: Allemagne, Spanish: Alemania,
Portuguese: Alemanha, Persian: آلمان Alman, Turkish: Almanya,
Welsh: Yr Almaen and Arabic: ألمانيا Almania all derive from
Alemanni.
Contents
1 Name
2 History
2.1 First explicit mention
2.2
Alemanni
Alemanni and Hermunduri
2.3 Ptolemy's Geography
2.4 Concentration of
Germanic peoples
Germanic peoples under Ariovistus
2.5 Conflicts with the Roman Empire
2.5.1 List of battles between Romans and Alemanni
2.6 Subjugation by the Franks
3 Culture
3.1 Language
3.2 Political organization
3.3 Religion
4 List of Alemannic rulers
4.1 Independent kings
4.2 Dukes under Frankish suzerainty
4.3 Carolingians
5 See also
6 References
7 Literature
8 External links
Name[edit]
According to
Gaius Asinius Quadratus (quoted in the mid-6th century by
Byzantine historian Agathias) their name means "all men". It indicates
that they were a conglomeration drawn from various Germanic tribes.[4]
The Romans and the Greeks called them as such mentioned. This was the
derivation of
Alemanni
Alemanni used by Edward Gibbon, in his Decline and Fall
of the Roman Empire[5] and by the anonymous contributor of notes
assembled from the papers of Nicolas Fréret, published in 1753, who
noted that it was the name used by outsiders for those who called
themselves the Suebi.[6] This etymology has remained the standard
derivation of the term.[7]
Other sources say the name
Alemanni
Alemanni derives from *alahmannen which
means "men of sanctuary" and not "all men" (Sir Francis Palgrave).
Walafrid Strabo, a monk of the
Abbey of St. Gall
Abbey of St. Gall writing in the 9th
century, remarked, in discussing the people of
Switzerland
Switzerland and the
surrounding regions, that only foreigners called them the Alemanni,
but that they gave themselves the name of Suebi.[citation needed]
The name of
Germany
Germany and the German language in several languages is
derived from the name of this early Germanic tribal alliance. For
details, see Names of Germany.
History[edit]
First explicit mention[edit]
Alemannic belt mountings, from a 7th-century grave in the grave field
at Weingarten.
The
Alemanni
Alemanni were first mentioned by
Cassius Dio describing the
campaign of
Caracalla
Caracalla in 213. At that time they apparently dwelt in
the basin of the Main, to the south of the Chatti.[4]
Cassius Dio (78.13.4[clarification needed]) portrays the
Alemanni
Alemanni as
victims of this treacherous emperor.[8] They had asked for his help,
says Dio, but instead he colonized their country, changed their place
names and executed their warriors under a pretext of coming to their
aid. When he became ill, the
Alemanni
Alemanni claimed to have put a hex on him
(78.15.2). Caracalla, it was claimed, tried to counter this influence
by invoking his ancestral spirits.
In retribution
Caracalla
Caracalla then led the
Legio II Traiana Fortis
Legio II Traiana Fortis against
the Alemanni, who lost and were pacified for a time. The legion was as
a result honored with the name Germanica. The 4th-century fictional
Historia Augusta, Life of Antoninus Caracalla, relates (10.5) that
Caracalla
Caracalla then assumed the name Alemannicus, at which Helvius Pertinax
jested that he should really be called Geticus Maximus, because in the
year before he had murdered his brother, Geta.[9]
Through much of his short reign
Caracalla
Caracalla was known for unpredictable
and arbitrary operations launched by surprise after a pretext of peace
negotiations. If he had any reasons of state for such actions they
remained unknown to his contemporaries. Whether or not the Alemanni
had been previously neutral, they were certainly further influenced by
Caracalla
Caracalla to become thereafter notoriously implacable enemies of Rome.
This mutually antagonistic relationship is perhaps the reason why the
Roman writers persisted in calling the
Alemanni
Alemanni barbari, "savages".
The archaeology, however, shows that they were largely Romanized,
lived in Roman-style houses and used Roman artifacts, the Alemannic
women having adopted the Roman fashion of the tunic even earlier than
the men.
Most of the
Alemanni
Alemanni were probably at the time in fact resident in or
close to the borders of
Germania
Germania Superior. Although Dio is the
earliest writer to mention them,
Ammianus Marcellinus
.jpg/400px-Bust_of_Constantius_II_(Mary_Harrsch).jpg)
Ammianus Marcellinus used the name to
refer to Germans on the
Limes Germanicus
Limes Germanicus in the time of Trajan's
governorship of the province shortly after it was formed, c. 98/99. At
that time the entire frontier was being fortified for the first time.
Trees from the earliest fortifications found in
Germania Inferior
Germania Inferior are
dated by dendrochronology to 99/100 AD.
Ammianus relates (xvii.1.11) that much later the Emperor Julian
undertook a punitive expedition against the Alemanni, who by then were
in Alsace, and crossed the Main (Latin Menus), entering the forest,
where the trails were blocked by felled trees. As winter was upon
them, they reoccupied a "fortification which was founded on the soil
of the
Alemanni
Alemanni that
Trajan
Trajan wished to be called with his own
name".[10]
In this context the use of
Alemanni
Alemanni is possibly an anachronism but it
reveals that Ammianus believed they were the same people, which is
consistent with the location of the
Alemanni
Alemanni of Caracalla's campaigns.
Alemanni
Alemanni and Hermunduri[edit]
The early detailed source, the
Germania
Germania of Tacitus, has sometimes been
interpreted in such a way as to provide yet other historical problems.
In Chapter 42 we read of the Hermunduri, a tribe certainly located in
the region that later became Thuringia.
Tacitus
Tacitus stated that they
traded with Rhaetia, which in
Ptolemy
Ptolemy is located across the Danube
from
Germania
Germania Superior. A logical conclusion to draw is that the
Hermunduri
Hermunduri extended over later
Swabia
Swabia and therefore the Alemanni
originally derived from the Hermunduri.
However, no
Hermunduri
Hermunduri appear in Ptolemy, though after the time of
Ptolemy, the
Hermunduri
Hermunduri joined with the
Marcomanni
Marcomanni in the wars of
166–180 against the empire. A careful reading of
Tacitus
Tacitus provides
one solution. He says that the source of the
Elbe
Elbe is among the
Hermunduri, somewhat to the east of the upper Main. He places them
also between the
Naristi
Naristi (Varisti), whose location at the very edge of
the ancient
Black Forest
Black Forest is well known, and the
Marcomanni
Marcomanni and Quadi.
Moreover, the
Hermunduri
Hermunduri were broken in the
Marcomannic Wars
Marcomannic Wars and made
a separate peace with Rome. The
Alemanni
Alemanni thus were probably not
primarily the Hermunduri, although some elements of them may have been
present in the mix of peoples at that time that became Alemannian.
Ptolemy's Geography[edit]
Before the mention of
Alemanni
Alemanni in the time of Caracalla, you would
search in vain for
Alemanni
Alemanni in the moderately detailed geography of
southern
Germany
Germany in Claudius Ptolemy, written in Greek in the mid-2nd
century; it is likely that at that time, the people who later used
that name were known by other designations.[11]
Nevertheless, some conclusions can be drawn from Ptolemy. Germania
Superior is easily identified. Following up the
Rhine
Rhine one comes to a
town, Mattiacum, which must be at the border of the Roman Germany
(vicinity of Wiesbaden). Upstream from it and between the
Rhine
Rhine and
Abnoba
Abnoba (in the Black Forest) are the Ingriones, Intuergi, Vangiones,
Caritni and Vispi, some of whom were there since the days of the early
empire or before. On the other side of the northern
Black Forest
Black Forest were
the
Chatti
Chatti about where
Hesse
Hesse is today, on the lower Main.
Historic
Swabia
Swabia was eventually replaced by today's Baden-Württemberg,
but it had been the most significant territory of mediaeval Alamannia,
comprising all
Germania Superior
.svg/500px-Roman_Empire_-_Germania_Superior_(125_AD).svg.png)
Germania Superior and territory east to Bavaria. It did
not include the upper Main, but that is where
Caracalla
Caracalla campaigned.
Moreover, the territory of
Germania Superior
Germania Superior was not originally
included among the Alemanni's possessions.
However, if we look for the peoples in the region from the upper Main
in the north, south to the
Danube
Danube and east to the
Czech Republic
Czech Republic where
the
Quadi
Quadi and
Marcomanni
Marcomanni were located,
Ptolemy
Ptolemy does not give any
tribes. There are the
Tubanti just south of the
Chatti
Chatti and at the
other end of what was then the Black Forest, the Varisti, whose
location is known. One possible reason for this distribution is that
the population preferred not to live in the forest except in troubled
times. The region between the forest and the
Danube
Danube on the other hand
included about a dozen settlements, or "cantons".
Ptolemy's view of Germans in the region indicates that the tribal
structure had lost its grip in the
Black Forest
Black Forest region and was
replaced by a canton structure. The tribes stayed in the Roman
province, perhaps because the Romans offered stability. Also,
Caracalla
Caracalla perhaps[citation needed] felt more comfortable about
campaigning in the upper Main because he was not declaring war on any
specific historic tribe, such as the
Chatti
Chatti or Cherusci, against whom
Rome had suffered grievous losses. By Caracalla's time the name
Alemanni
Alemanni was being used by cantons themselves banding together for
purposes of supporting a citizen army (the "war bands").
Concentration of
Germanic peoples
Germanic peoples under Ariovistus[edit]
The term
Suebi
Suebi has a double meaning in the sources. On the one hand
Tacitus'
Germania
Germania tells us (Chapters 38, 39) that they occupy more
than half of Germany, use a distinctive hair style, and are
spiritually centered on the Semnones. On the other hand, the
Suebi
Suebi of
the upper
Danube
Danube are described as though they were a tribe.
The solution to the puzzle as well as explaining the historical
circumstances leading to the choice of the
Agri Decumates
Agri Decumates as a
defensive point and the concentration of Germans there are probably to
be found in the German attack on the Gallic fortified town of Vesontio
in 58 BC. The upper
Rhine
Rhine and
Danube
Danube appear to form a funnel pointing
straight at Vesontio.
Julius Caesar
.jpg/440px-César_(13667960455).jpg)
Julius Caesar in
Gallic Wars
Gallic Wars tells us (1.51) that
Ariovistus had
gathered an army from a wide region of Germany, but especially the
Harudes, Marcomanni, Triboci, Vangiones,
Nemetes
Nemetes and Sedusii. The
Suebi
Suebi were being invited to join. They lived in 100 cantons (4.1) from
which 1000 young men per year were chosen for military service, a
citizen-army by our standards and by comparison with the Roman
professional army.
Ariovistus had become involved in an invasion of Gaul, which the
German wished to settle. Intending to take the strategic town of
Vesontio, he concentrated his forces on the
Rhine
Rhine near Lake Constance,
and when the
Suebi
Suebi arrived, he crossed. The Gauls had called to Rome
for military aid. Caesar occupied the town first and defeated the
Germans before its walls, slaughtering most of the German army as it
tried to flee across the river (1.36ff). He did not pursue the
retreating remnants, leaving what was left of the German army and
their dependents intact on the other side of the Rhine.
The Gauls were ambivalent in their policies toward the Romans. In 53
BC the
Treveri
Treveri broke their alliance and attempted to break free of
Rome. Caesar foresaw that they would now attempt to ally themselves
with the Germans. He crossed the
Rhine
Rhine to forestall that event, a
successful strategy. Remembering their expensive defeat at the Battle
of Vesontio, the Germans withdrew to the Black Forest, concentrating
there a mixed population dominated by Suebi. As they had left their
tribal homes behind, they probably took over all the former Celtic
cantons along the Danube.
Conflicts with the Roman Empire[edit]
The
Limes Germanicus
Limes Germanicus 83 to 260 CE.
v
t
e
Rome against the
Alemanni
Alemanni and the Juthungi
Mediolanum
Lake Benacus
Lingones
Placentia
Fano
Pavia
Vindonissa
Autun
Durocortorum
Brumath
Senonae
Strasbourg
Solicinium
Argentovaria
The
Alemanni
Alemanni were continually engaged in conflicts with the Roman
Empire in the 3rd and 4th centuries. They launched a major invasion of
Gaul
Gaul and northern
Italy
Italy in 268, when the Romans were forced to denude
much of their German frontier of troops in response to a massive
invasion of the
Goths
.jpg/440px-Tomb_of_Theodoric_the_Great_Ravenna_(cropped).jpg)
Goths from the east. Their raids throughout the three
parts of
Gaul
Gaul were traumatic:
Gregory of Tours
Gregory of Tours (died ca 594) mentions
their destructive force at the time of Valerian and Gallienus
(253–260), when the
Alemanni
Alemanni assembled under their "king", whom he
calls Chrocus, who "by the advice, it is said, of his wicked mother,
and overran the whole of the Gauls, and destroyed from their
foundations all the temples which had been built in ancient times. And
coming to Clermont he set on fire, overthrew and destroyed that shrine
which they call Vasso Galatae in the Gallic tongue," martyring many
Christians (Historia Francorum Book I.32–34). Thus 6th-century
Gallo-Romans of Gregory's class, surrounded by the ruins of Roman
temples and public buildings, attributed the destruction they saw to
the plundering raids of the Alemanni.
In the early summer of 268, the Emperor
Gallienus
Gallienus halted their advance
into Italy, but then had to deal with the Goths. When the Gothic
campaign ended in Roman victory at the
Battle of Naissus
Battle of Naissus in September,
Gallienus' successor
Claudius Gothicus
Claudius Gothicus turned north to deal with the
Alemanni, who were swarming over all
Italy
Italy north of the Po River.
After efforts to secure a peaceful withdrawal failed, Claudius forced
the
Alemanni
Alemanni to battle at the
Battle of Lake Benacus
Battle of Lake Benacus in November. The
Alemanni
Alemanni were routed, forced back into Germany, and did not threaten
Roman territory for many years afterwards.
Their most famous battle against Rome took place in Argentoratum
(Strasbourg), in 357, where they were defeated by Julian, later
Emperor of Rome, and their king
Chnodomarius was taken prisoner to
Rome.[4]
On January 2, 366, the
Alemanni
Alemanni yet again crossed the frozen
Rhine
Rhine in
large numbers, to invade the Gallic provinces, this time being
defeated by Valentinian (see Battle of Solicinium). In the great mixed
invasion of 406, the
Alemanni
Alemanni appear to have crossed the
Rhine
Rhine river a
final time, conquering and then settling what is today
Alsace
Alsace and a
large part of the Swiss Plateau.[4] The crossing is described in
Wallace Breem's historical novel Eagle in the Snow. The Chronicle of
Fredegar gives the account. At Alba Augusta (Alba-la-Romaine) the
devastation was so complete, that the Christian bishop retired to
Viviers, but in Gregory's account at Mende in Lozère, also deep in
the heart of Gaul, bishop Privatus was forced to sacrifice to idols in
the very cave where he was later venerated.[citation needed] It is
thought[citation needed] this detail may be a generic literary ploy to
epitomize the horrors of barbarian violence.
List of battles between Romans and Alemanni[edit]
Europe at the fall of the Western
Roman Empire
Roman Empire in 476 AD.
259, Battle of Mediolanum—Emperor
Gallienus
Gallienus defeats the
Alemanni
Alemanni to
rescue Rome
268, Battle of Lake Benacus—Romans under Emperor
Claudius II
Claudius II defeat
the Alemanni.
271
Battle of Placentia—Emperor
Aurelian
Aurelian is defeated by the Alemanni
forces invading Italy
Battle of Fano—
Aurelian
Aurelian defeats the Alemanni, who begin to retreat
from Italy
Battle of Pavia—
Aurelian
Aurelian destroys the retreating
Alemanni
Alemanni army.
298
Battle of Lingones—Caesar
Constantius Chlorus
Constantius Chlorus defeats the Alemanni
Battle of Vindonissa—Constantius again defeats the Alemanni
356, Battle of Reims—Caesar Julian is defeated by the Alemanni
357, Battle of Strasbourg—Julian expels the
Alemanni
Alemanni from the
Rhineland
367, Battle of Solicinium—Romans under Emperor
Valentinian I
Valentinian I defeat
yet another
Alemanni
Alemanni incursion.
378, Battle of Argentovaria—Western Emperor
Gratianus
Gratianus is victorious
over the Alemanni, yet again.
451, Battle of the Catalaunian Fields-Roman General Aetius and his
army of Romans and barbarian allies defeat Attila's army of
Huns
Huns and
other Germanic allies, including the Alemanni.
554, Battle of the Volturnus-Armenian-Roman General
Narses
Narses defeats a
combined force of
Franks
Franks and
Alemanni
Alemanni in southern Italy.
Subjugation by the Franks[edit]
Main article: Alamannia
Alemannia (yellow) and Upper Burgundy (green) around 1000.
The kingdom of
Alamannia
Alamannia between
Strasbourg
Strasbourg and Augsburg lasted until
496, when the
Alemanni
Alemanni were conquered by
Clovis I
Clovis I at the Battle of
Tolbiac. The war of Clovis with the
Alemanni
Alemanni forms the setting for the
conversion of Clovis, briefly treated by Gregory of Tours. (Book
II.31) Subsequently, the
Alemanni
Alemanni formed part of the Frankish
dominions and were governed by a Frankish duke.
In 746, Carloman ended an uprising by summarily executing all
Alemannic nobility at the blood court at Cannstatt, and for the
following century, Alemannia was ruled by Frankish dukes. Following
the treaty of Verdun of 843, Alemannia became a province of the
eastern kingdom of Louis the German, the precursor of the Holy Roman
Empire. The duchy persisted until 1268.
Culture[edit]
Part of the series on
Alsace
Rot un Wiss, traditional flag of Alsace
History
Germania Superior
Germania Superior (Pagus Alsatiae) (83–475)
Alemanni
Alemanni (circa 213–496)
Alamannia
Alamannia (3rd-century–911)
Duchy of
Alsace
Alsace (circa 630–699)
Prince-Bishopric of
Strasbourg
Strasbourg (982–1803)
County of Ferrette (11th-century–14th-century)
Salm (1165−1793)
Landgraviate of
Alsace
Alsace (1186–1646)
Lower Alsace
Upper Alsace
Further Austria
Further Austria (13th-century–1648)
Décapole
.svg/502px-Flag_of_Alsace_(historical).svg.png)
Décapole (1354–1679)
County of
Hanau-Lichtenberg
Hanau-Lichtenberg (1456–1736)
Upper Rhenish Circle
Upper Rhenish Circle (1500-1679)
Imperial Territory of
Alsace-Lorraine
Alsace-Lorraine (1871–1918)
Gau Baden-Elsaß
.svg/250px-Flag_of_the_German_Reich_(1935–1945).svg.png)
Gau Baden-Elsaß (1940–1945)
Alsace
Alsace (1945–2016)
Grand Est
Grand Est (2016–)
Culture
Coat of arms
Flag
Anthem
People
Language
Demographics
Musée alsacien (Hagenau Strasbourg)
Religion
according to
Concordat in Alsace-Moselle
Concordat in Alsace-Moselle (1801):
(including Lorraine)
Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Strasbourg
(Immediately subject to the Holy See)
(Prince-Bishopric of Strasbourg)
(Lorraine: Roman Catholic Diocese of Metz)
Protestantism: Union of Protestant Churches of
Alsace
Alsace and Lorraine:
Lutheranism:
Protestant Church of Augsburg Confession of
Alsace
Alsace and Lorraine
Calvinism:
Protestant Reformed Church of
Alsace
Alsace and Lorraine
Jewish
Jewish consistories:
Strasbourg
Colmar
(Lorraine: Metz)
Law
Local law in Alsace-Moselle
Concordat in Alsace-Moselle
Administrative divisions
Capital: Strasbourg
Bas-Rhin
Bas-Rhin (Unterelsaß)
Arrondissement of Haguenau-Wissembourg
Arrondissement of Molsheim
Arrondissement of Saverne
Arrondissement of Sélestat-Erstein
Arrondissement of Strasbourg
Haut-Rhin
Haut-Rhin (Oberelsaß)
Arrondissement of Altkirch
Arrondissement of Colmar-Ribeauvillé
Arrondissement of Mulhouse
Arrondissement of Thann-Guebwiller
Politics
Alsace
Alsace Regional Council (1982-2015)
Alsace
Alsace independence movement
Alsace
Alsace in the European Union
European Parliament elections
Constituency
Related topics
Politics of France
Politics of Germany
Politics of the European Union
Alsace
Alsace portal
v
t
e
Language[edit]
The traditional distribution area of Western Upper German (Alemannic)
dialect features in the 19th and 20th centuries
The German spoken today over the range of the former
Alemanni
Alemanni is
termed Alemannic German, and is recognised among the subgroups of the
High German languages. Alemannic runic inscriptions such as those on
the
Pforzen buckle
Pforzen buckle are among the earliest testimonies of Old High
German. The
High German consonant shift
High German consonant shift is thought to have originated
around the 5th century either in Alemannia or among the Lombards;
before that the dialect spoken by Alemannic tribes was little
different from that of other West Germanic peoples.[citation needed]
Alemannia lost its distinct jurisdictional identity when Charles
Martel absorbed it into the Frankish empire, early in the 8th century.
Today, Alemannic is a linguistic term, referring to Alemannic German,
encompassing the dialects of the southern two thirds of
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg (German State), in western
Bavaria
.svg/240px-Flag_of_Bavaria_(striped).svg.png)
Bavaria (German State),
in
Vorarlberg
.svg/240px-Flag_of_Vorarlberg_(state).svg.png)
Vorarlberg (Austrian State),
Swiss German
Swiss German in
Switzerland
Switzerland and the
Alsatian language
Alsatian language of the
Alsace
Alsace (France).
Political organization[edit]
The
Alemanni
Alemanni established a series of territorially defined pagi
(cantons) on the east bank of the Rhine. The exact number and extent
of these pagi is unclear and probably changed over time.
Pagi, usually pairs of pagi combined, formed kingdoms (regna) which,
it is generally believed, were permanent and hereditary. Ammianus
describes
Alemanni
Alemanni rulers with various terms: reges excelsiores ante
alios ("paramount kings"), reges proximi ("neighbouring kings"),
reguli ("petty kings") and regales ("princes"). This may be a formal
hierarchy, or they may be vague, overlapping terms, or a combination
of both.[12] In 357, there appear to have been two paramount kings
(Chnodomar and Westralp) who probably acted as presidents of the
confederation and seven other kings (reges). Their territories were
small and mostly strung along the
Rhine
Rhine (although a few were in the
hinterland).[13] It is possible that the reguli were the rulers of the
two pagi in each kingdom. Underneath the royal class were the nobles
(called optimates by the Romans) and warriors (called armati by the
Romans). The warriors consisted of professional warbands and levies of
free men.[14] Each nobleman could raise an average of c. 50
warriors.[15]
Religion[edit]
Further information: Germanic Christianity, Religion in Switzerland
§ History, Pre-Christian Alpine traditions, and Continental
Germanic mythology
The gold bracteate of
Pliezhausen
Pliezhausen (6th or 7th century) shows typical
iconography of the pagan period. The bracteate depicts the
"horse-stabber underhoof" scene, a supine warrior stabbing a horse
while it runs over him. The scene is adapted from Roman era
gravestones of the region.[16]
The 7th-century Gutenstein scabbard, found near Sigmaringen,
Baden-Württemberg, is a late testimony of pagan ritual in Alemannia,
showing a warrior in ritual wolf costume, holding a ring-spatha.
The
Christianization
Christianization of the
Alemanni
Alemanni took place during Merovingian
times (6th to 8th centuries). We know that in the 6th century, the
Alemanni
Alemanni were predominantly pagan, and in the 8th century, they were
predominantly Christian. The intervening 7th century was a period of
genuine syncretism during which Christian symbolism and doctrine
gradually grew in influence.
Some scholars have speculated that members of the Alemannic elite such
as king
Gibuld
Gibuld due to Visigothic influence may have been converted to
Arianism
Arianism even in the later 5th century.[17]
In the mid-6th century, the Byzantine historian
Agathias
Agathias records, in
the context of the wars of the
Goths
Goths and
Franks
Franks against Byzantium,
that the
Alemanni
Alemanni fighting among the troops of Frankish king
Theudebald
Theudebald were like the
Franks
Franks in all respects except religion, since
they worship certain trees, the waters of rivers, hills and mountain
valleys, in whose honour they sacrifice horses, cattle and countless
other animals by beheading them, and imagine that they are performing
an act of piety thereby.[18]
He also spoke of the particular ruthlessness of the
Alemanni
Alemanni in
destroying Christian sanctuaries and plundering churches while the
genuine
Franks
Franks were respectful towards those sanctuaries. Agathias
expresses his hope that the
Alemanni
Alemanni would assume better manners
through prolonged contact with the Franks, which is by all
appearances, in a manner of speaking, what eventually happened.[19]
Apostles of the
Alemanni
Alemanni were
Columbanus
Columbanus and his disciple Saint Gall.
Jonas of Bobbio records that
Columbanus
Columbanus was active in Bregenz, where
he disrupted a beer sacrifice to Wodan. Despite these activities, for
some time, the
Alemanni
Alemanni seem to have continued their pagan cult
activities, with only superficial or syncretistic Christian elements.
In particular, there is no change in burial practice, and tumulus
warrior graves continued to be erected throughout
Merovingian
Merovingian times.
Syncretism
Syncretism of traditional Germanic animal-style with Christian
symbolism is also present in artwork, but Christian symbolism becomes
more and more prevalent during the 7th century. Unlike the later
Christianization
Christianization of the
Saxons
Saxons and of the Slavs, the
Alemanni
Alemanni seem to
have adopted Christianity gradually, and voluntarily, spread in
emulation of the
Merovingian
Merovingian elite.
From c. the 520s to the 620s, there was a surge of Alemannic Elder
Futhark inscriptions. About 70 specimens have survived, roughly half
of them on fibulae, others on belt buckles (see Pforzen buckle,
Bülach fibula) and other jewelry and weapon parts. Use of runes
subsides with the advance of Christianity. The Nordendorf fibula
(early 7th century) clearly records pagan theonyms,
logaþorewodanwigiþonar read as "
Wodan
.jpg/440px-Georg_von_Rosen_-_Oden_som_vandringsman,_1886_(Odin,_the_Wanderer).jpg)
Wodan and Donar are
magicians/sorcerers", but this may be interpreted as either a pagan
invocation of the powers of these deities, or a Christian protective
charm against them.[20] A runic inscription on a fibula found at Bad
Ems reflects Christian pious sentiment (and is also explicitly marked
with a Christian cross), reading god fura dih deofile ᛭ ("God
for/before you, Theophilus!", or alternatively "God before you,
Devil!"). Dated to between AD 660 and 690, it marks the end of the
native Alemannic tradition of runic literacy.
Bad Ems
Bad Ems is in
Rhineland-Palatinate, on the northwestern boundary of Alemannic
settlement, where Frankish influence would have been strongest.[21]
The establishment of the bishopric of
Konstanz
Konstanz cannot be dated exactly
and was possibly undertaken by
Columbanus
Columbanus himself (before 612). In any
case, it existed by 635, when
Gunzo appointed John of Grab bishop.
Constance was a missionary bishopric in newly converted lands, and did
not look back on late Roman church history unlike the Raetian
bishopric of
Chur
.jpg/530px-Chur_2008_(1).jpg)
Chur (established 451) and
Basel
Basel (an episcopal seat from
740, and which continued the line of Bishops of Augusta Raurica, see
Bishop of Basel). The establishment of the church as an institution
recognized by worldly rulers is also visible in legal history. In the
early 7th century
Pactus Alamannorum hardly ever mentions the special
privileges of the church, while Lantfrid's
Lex Alamannorum of 720 has
an entire chapter reserved for ecclesial matters alone.
List of Alemannic rulers[edit]
Further information: Annales Alamannici
Independent kings[edit]
Further information:
Alamannia
Alamannia § Tribal_kingdoms
Chrocus 306
Mederich (father of Agenarich, brother to Chnodomar)
Chnodomarius 350, 357
Vestralp 357, 359
Ur 357, 359
Agenarich (Serapio) 357
Suomar 357, 358
Hortar 357, 359
Gundomad 354 (co-regent of Vadomar)
Ursicin]] 357, 359
Macrian 368–371
Rando 368
Hariobaud 4th century
Vadomar vor 354–360
Vithicab 360–368
Priarius ?–378
Gibuld
Gibuld (Gebavult) c. 470
Dukes under Frankish suzerainty[edit]
Further information:
Alamannia
Alamannia § Merovingian_duchy
Butilin 539–554
Leuthari I, before 552–554
Haming 539–554
four dukes in the
Diocese of Avenches
Diocese of Avenches 548–573:[22]
Lantachar d. 548
Magnachar 555–565
Vaefar 565–573
Theodefrid 573
Leutfred 570–587, deposed by Childebert II
Uncilin 587–607
Gunzo 613
Chrodobert 630
Gundoin, Duke of Alsace, fl. 630s
Leuthari II 642
Boniface, Duke of Alsace, until c. 662
Adalrich, Duke of Alsace, c. 662–after 683
Adalbert, Duke of Alsace, after 683–723
Gotfrid until 709
Willehari 709–712 (in Ortenau)
Lantfrid
Lantfrid 709–730
Theudebald
Theudebald 709–744
Liutfrid, Duke of Alsace, 723–after 742
Carolingians[edit]
Further information:
Alamannia
Alamannia § Carolingian_rule
Further information: Duchy of Swabia
The
Alemanni
Alemanni were under direct Carolingian rule during 746 (Council of
Cannstatt) to 892. Intermittently, junior members of the Carolingian
dynasties were appointed regulus or subregulus of Alemannia while at
other times, Alemannia was under the direct administration of the
Carolingian kings (after 843 kings of East Francia).
Childeric III
_-_Childéric_III_roy_de_France_(754).jpg/440px-Jean_Dassier_(1676-1763)_-_Childéric_III_roy_de_France_(754).jpg)
Childeric III (King of the
Franks
Franks 743–751)
Carloman 744–747
Drogo 747–748
Pepin the Short
Pepin the Short 748–768 (King of the
Franks
Franks 751–768)
Carloman I
Carloman I (King of the
Franks
Franks 768–771)
Charlemagne
Charlemagne (King of the
Franks
Franks 768–814)
Hnabi Ahalolfing, grandson of Gotfrid, is mentioned as an Alamannic
duke during the reign of Charlemagne
Louis the Pious
Louis the Pious (King of the
Franks
Franks 814–840)
Charles the Bald
Charles the Bald 829–840 (King of the
Franks
Franks 840–843, King of West
Francia 843–877)
Louis the German
Louis the German 843–864 (King of
Bavaria
Bavaria 817–843, King of East
Francia 843–876)
Charles the Fat
Charles the Fat 864–880 (King of West Francia 884–887)
Hugh, Duke of Alsace, 867–885
Louis the Younger
Louis the Younger 880–882 (King of
Bavaria
Bavaria 880-882)
Arnulf of Carinthia
.jpg)
Arnulf of Carinthia (King of
East Francia
East Francia 887–899)
Charles the Fat
Charles the Fat 882–888 (King of West Francia 884–887)
Bernard 888–892
Louis the Child
.svg/200px-Wappen_Deutsches_Reich_-_Reichswappen_(Grosses).svg.png)
Louis the Child (King of
East Francia
East Francia 889–911)
Burchard I
Hunfriding 909–911
Further information: Duke of Swabia
From the later 8th century, Alemannic dynasties were able to establish
themselves once again. Variously called counts, or margraves, or
dukes, these native dynasties during the later years of Carolingian
rule managed to establish themselves as de-facto independent,
establishing the "younger stem duchy" of Alemannia/
Swabia
Swabia by the early
10th century. The rivalry between the Hunfridings and Ahalolfings was
decided in favour of
Burchard II
Hunfriding in the Battle of
Winterthur of 919.
See also[edit]
Ancient Germanic culture portal
Annales Alamannici
List of confederations of Germanic tribes
References[edit]
^ The spelling with "e" is used in Encyc. Brit. 9th. ed., (c. 1880),
Everyman's Encyc. 1967, Everyman's Smaller Classical Dictionary, 1910.
The current edition of Britannica spells with "e", as does Columbia
and Edward Gibbon, Vol. 3, Chapter XXXVIII. The Latinized spelling
with a is current in older literature (so in the 1911 Britannica), but
remains in use e.g. in Wood (2003), Drinkwater (2007).
^ The
Alemanni
Alemanni were alternatively known as
Suebi
Suebi from about the 5th
century, and that name became prevalent in the high medieval period,
eponymous of the Duchy of Swabia. The name is taken from that of the
Suebi
Suebi mentioned by Julius Caesar, and although these older
Suebi
Suebi did
likely contribute to the ethnogenesis of the Alemanni, there is no
direct connection to the contemporary Kingdom of the
Suebi
Suebi in Galicia.
^ in pago Almanniae 762, in pago Alemannorum 797, urbs Constantia in
ducatu Alemanniae 797; in ducatu Alemannico, in pago Linzgowe 873.
From the 9th century,
Alamannia
Alamannia is increasingly used of the Alsace
specifically, while the Alamannic territory in generally is
increasingly called Suebia; by the 12th century, the name Suebia had
mostly replaced Alamannia. S. Hirzel, Forschungen zur Deutschen
Landeskunde 6 (1888), p. 299.
^ a b c d One or more of the preceding
sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public
domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Alamanni". Encyclopædia
Britannica. 1 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
p. 468. Endnote: See
Dio Cassius lxvii. ff.
Ammianus Marcellinus, passim
Gregory of Tours, Historia Francorum, book ii.
C. Zeuss, Die Deutschen und die Nachbarstämme (Munich, 1837), pp. 303
ff.
O. Bremer in H. Paul, Grundriss der germanischen Philologie (2nd ed.,
Strassburg, 1900), vol. iii. pp. 930 ff.
^ Edward Gibbon. "Chapter 10". Ccel.org. Retrieved 2012-01-02.
^ Histoire de l'Académie Royale des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres,
avec les Mémoires de Littérature tirés des Registres de cette
Académie, depuis l'année MDCCXLIV jusques et compris l'année
MDCCXLVI, vol. XVIII, (Paris 1753) pp. 49–71. Excerpts are on-line
at ELIOHS.
^ It is cited in most etymological dictionaries, such as the American
Heritage Dictionary (large edition) under the root, *man- Archived
2006-05-19 at the Wayback Machine..
^ "Cassius Dio: Roman History". University of Chicago.
^ "Historia Augusta: The Life of Antoninus Caracalla". University of
Chicago.
^ munimentum quod in Alamannorum solo conditum Traianus suo nomine
voluit appellari.
^ Ptolemy's description has some limitations. Upper
Germany
Germany and Lower
Germany
Germany are mentioned by name, but only as specific districts of
Gallia Belgica (2.8), the border between them was an unidentified
river, the Obruncus. The region is repeated again under Germany, but
this time he does not list Roman boundaries.
Germania
Germania Superior, the
Agri Decumates
Agri Decumates and the limes are not to be found there, even though
they certainly existed at the time. "
Germania
Germania Magna" is found within
the Rhine, Danube, Vistula and shores of the "Oceanus Germanicus".
Most of the tribes are missing or listed without name. The Main is not
there, nor Lake Constance. The
Danube
Danube runs from the Alps. The Rhine
does not bend to the south next to Swabia. Ptolemy's
Germania
Germania is like
a surreal image of itself, accurate only if you follow certain known
lines, but the overall shape is greatly distorted.
^ Drinkwater (2007) 118, 120
^ Drinkwater (2007) 223 (map)
^ Speidel (2004)
^ Drinkwater (2007) 120
^ Michael Speidel, Ancient Germanic warriors: warrior styles from
Trajan's column to Icelandic sagas, Routledge, 2004,
ISBN 978-0415311991, p. 162. Harald Kleinschmidt, People on the
move: attitudes toward and perceptions of migration in medieval and
modern Europe, Greenwood Publishing Group, 2003, ISBN, 9780275974176,
p. 66.
^ Schubert, Hans (1909). Das älteste germanische Christentum oder der
Sogenannte "Arianismus" der Germanen. Tübingen: J.C.B. Mohr. pg.32.
Cf. also Bossert, G. "Alemanni" in: Jackson, S.M. (Ed.). New
Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, Vol. 1, pg. 114:
"[the Alamannic] prince, Gibuld, was an Arian, probably converted by
Goths".
^ trans. Joseph D. Frendo (1975). Books.google.com. 1975.
ISBN 9783110033571. Retrieved 2012-01-02.
^ R. Keydell, Agathiae Myrinaei historiarum libri quinque Corpus
Fontium Historiae Byzantinae. Series Berolinensis 2. Berlin: De
Gruyter, 1967, p. 18f. 7. Νόμιμα δὲ αὐτοῖς [τῶν
Ἀλαμανῶν ἔθνος] εἰσι μέν που καὶ
πάτρια, τὸ δέ γε ἐν κοινῷ ἐπικρατοῦν
τε καὶ ἄρχον τῇ Φραγγικῇ ἕπονται
πολιτείᾳ, μόνα δέ γε τὰ ἐς (5) θεὸν
αὐτοῖς οὐ ταὐτὰ ξυνδοκεῖ. δένδρα τε
γάρ τινα ἱλάσκονται καὶ ῥεῖθρα
ποταμῶν καὶ λόφους καὶ φάραγγας, καὶ
τούτοις, ὥσπερ ὅσια δρῶντες, ἵππους
τε καὶ βόας καὶ ἄλλα ἄττα μυρία
καρατομοῦντες ἐπιθειάζουσιν. 2 ἀλλὰ
γὰρ ἡ τῶν Φράγγων αὐτοὺς ἐπιμιξία,
εnὖ ποιοῦσα, καὶ ἐς τόδε μετακοσμεῖ
καὶ ἤδη ἐφέλκεται τοὺς
εὐφρονεστέρους, οὐ πολλοῦ δὲ οἶμαι
(10) χρόνου καὶ ἅπασιν ἐκνικήσει. 3 τὸ
γὰρ τῆς δόξης παράλογόν τε καὶ
ἔμπληκτον καὶ αὐτοῖς οἶμαι τοῖς
χρωμένοις, εἰ μὴ πάμπαν εἶεν
ἠλίθιοι, γνώριμόν τέ ἐστι καὶ
εὐφώρατον καὶ οἶον ἀποσβῆναι
ῥᾳδίως. ἐλεεῖσθαι μὲν οὖν μᾶλλον ἢ
χαλεπαίνεσθαι δίκαιοι ἂν εἶεν καὶ
πλείστης μεταλαγχάνειν συγγνώμης
ἅπαντες, ὅσοι δὴ τοῦ ἀληθοῦς
ἁμαρτάνουσιν. οὐ γὰρ (15) δήπου
ἑκόντες εἶναι ἀλῶνται καὶ
ὀλισθαίνουσιν, ἀλλὰ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ
ἐφιέμενοι, ἔπειτα σφαλέντες τῇ
κρίσει τὸ λοιπὸν ἔχονται τῶν
δοκηθέντων ἀπρίξ, ὁποῖα ἄττα καὶ
τύχοιεν ὄντα. 4 τήν γε μὴν τῶν θυσιῶν
ὠμότητα καὶ κακοδαιμονίαν οὐκ οἶδα
εἰ οἷόν τε λόγῳ ἀκέσασθαι, εἴτε
ἄλσεσιν ἐπιτελοῖντο ὥσπερ ἀμέλει
παρὰ βαρβάροις, εἴτε τοῖς πάλαι
νενομισμέ-(20)νοις θεοῖς, ὁποῖα αἱ
τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἐθέλουσιν ἁγιστεῖαι.
^ Düwel, Klaus (1982). "Runen und Interpretatio Christiana: Zur
Religioneschichtlichen Stellung der Bügelfidel von Nordendorf I". In
Kamp, Norbert; Wollasch, Joachim. Tradition als Historische Kraft.
Walter de Gruyter. pp. 78–86. ISBN 311-008237-3.
^ Wolfgang Jungandreas, 'God fura dih, deofile †' in: Zeitschrift
für deutsches Altertum und deutsche Literatur, 101, 1972, pp.
84–85.
^ According to the Chronicon of Marius of Avenches. Geuenich, Dieter.
Geschichte der Alemannen. Verlag Kohlhammer: Stuttgart, 2004.
Literature[edit]
Drinkwater, J. F. (2007) The Alamanni and Rome (213–496)
Ian Wood (ed.),
Franks
Franks and Alamanni in the
Merovingian
Merovingian Period: An
Ethnographic Perspective (Studies in Historical Archaeoethnology),
Boydell & Brewer Ltd, 2003, ISBN 1-84383-035-3.
Melchior Goldast, Rerum Alamannicarum scriptores (1606, 2nd ed.
Senckenburg 1730)
External links[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Archaeology of Alemannia.
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