Germanic Tribes: A Captivating Guide to the History of the Franks and Lombards (Barbarian Tribes) Paperback – November 20, 2021

This is European history compelling from beginning to end and the narrative is well written and well researched. Although I am a former world history teacher, I learned a great deal from this work. I wish this book had been available when I was teaching history. It is easy to read and understand and it is interesting. I highly recommend this book bundle to anyone wishing to understand the reasons for the characteristics of the French and the Italians.In Part 1 The fall of the Roman Empire created a power vacuum in Europe, the Germanic tribes began to consolidate their forces into kingdoms. The Franks started in what is now Belgium and expanded from there. This expansion began during the reign of the first king, Clovis.The Franks adopted the organization and the military tactics of the crumbling Roman Empire and used them to subdue rival kings. It's also the story of the political power of the Christian Church had a great influence on the kings and the people. The Church influenced the policy of the king and the king appointed Church officials. The Merovengian dynasty came to an end when Pope Zachary dethroned Childeric III in 751 in favor of Pepin.In Part 2 The Lombards came into Italy because they were driven by other more aggressive peoples. They started in Saxony and migrated into Romania beings driven by the Huns. Then they were driven from Romania into Northern Italy at the time when a power vacuum was created because of the fall of the Roman Empire. They mixed with the culture of Romans and adopted some of their ways such as the organization of government and the Roman Catholic faith.The Lombards grew in influence to rule most of Italy and competed with the Papal States for territory in Central Italy but were unable to keep any because of alliances that the Pope had with the Franks. Charlemagne ultimately subjugated the Lombard dukedoms in the North but he left Lombard dukes in charge so long as they were loyal to him. Their artisans were highly skilled and some of their art still exists and is exhibited in museums today. Truly they were an amazing people and their accomplishments have affected southern Europe.

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Captivating History has published a bundle which examines the history of the Franks and the Lombards, two Germanic tribes.The first publication is the History of the Franks is a quick introduction to the beginning of the modern state of France. The reader will learn of a north/south split caused by a dominance of Roman culture in the south.The publication announces that the political state of France began in the Dark Ages and paralleled the rise of the Christian church. This period followed the collapse of the Roman Empire and created a vacuum of new states and kingdoms. Members of the Merovingian dynasty ruled the Frankish kingdom.Matt Clayton gives details on how the region changed as Roman control declined. The Franks were an amalgamation of small tribes that moved into Roman Gaul and provided voluntary military service to Rome and remained as Rome withdrew.Chapters are devoted to Frankish Kings by citing their reigns and their successors. There is also discussion of the church and culture during the reign of the Franks. The publication ends around the year 750.The second half of the bundle focuses on myths and legends to reveal the Lombards who were a Germanic tribe that migrated from present-day Hungary and parts of Austria to Italy. They are also known as Langobards which translates to long beards.The Lombards did little to record their own history, so we are dependent on the efforts of others who provided histories of the Lombards, hence the myths and legends description. Their self-perception was apparent in the name that they called themselves which translated to "the Wolves."The Lombards, in Italy, served as allies to the Romans against barbarian and Byzantine Greece and reflected the change from a Rome-centered culture to independent city-states that co-existed.This publication is a good read.

A well researched and written story of two very important Germanic tribes, that went on to forge the histories of two nations. The first part is about the great history of the Franks. Formed through shifting alliances of various tribes, the Franks are considered to have begun under Clovis, who unified the tribes. Through many wars and shifting alliances, the Merovingian dynasty was formed. Power structures were quite complex; the author sorts out the many centers of power and how they intersected. The weak Merovingian dynasty eventually gave way to the great Charles Martel and the Carolingians, which ushered in the Franks' rise to greatness. The second half of the book is about the Lombards, who was a more unified group. Originally nomadic, through shifting alliances, and much back-stabbing, they eventually sided with the Byzantine empire, dominance of Italy, and an eventual face-to-face clash with the Franks. A well-written and fascinating book.