Famous Men of the Middle Ages · Ch. V, part 2 · Unit 2: The barbarian kingdoms
9. Clovis, part 2: Clotilde, Tolbiac and the vase of Soissons
Goal: Your child can tell the book's account of how Clovis became a Christian, and the story of the broken vase.
You'll need
- The book, open to this chapter
- A map of Europe and the Mediterranean (a free online map or a globe)
- Paper and colored pencils
- Your timeline strip (see the tips at the top)
What's in the book
Chapter V, sections III and IV: Clovis marries Clotilde, a Christian. Nearly beaten by the Alemanni at Tolbiac, he prays to "the God of Clotilde," wins, and is baptized at Rheims on Christmas Day with many of his warriors. The book adds that he still did cruel things, and tells the story of the vase broken by a soldier. Clovis rules from the Pyrenees to the Rhine, makes Paris his capital, and dies in 511.
The lesson, step by step
Set the scene
Find Rheims (Reims), Paris and Cologne on the map. The battle of Tolbiac was near Cologne. Then find the Pyrenees, the mountains between France and Spain.
Read the chapter
Read from section III to the end. It begins:
Not very long after Clovis became king he heard of a beautiful young girl, the niece of Gondebaud, king of Burgundy, and he thought he would like to marry her.
Heads-up: in the vase story Clovis kills the soldier with his battle-axe. The book tells it in one sentence.
Tell it back
Prompts:
- Who was Clotilde, and what did she hope for?
- What happened at the battle of Tolbiac?
- What happened at Rheims on Christmas Day?
- Tell the story of the vase.
How the book tells it
Read Clovis's prayer as the book gives it:
help me in this my hour of need. If thou wilt give me victory now I will believe in thee.
SayThe book says the Franks believed their victory was an answer to the king's prayer. Many of his people became Christians after him. The kings of France were Christians from then on.
Talk it over
The book is honest about Clovis:
Like most of the kings and chiefs of those rude and barbarous times, Clovis often did cruel and wicked things.
Ask: Clovis waited a long time to punish the soldier. What does that tell you about him?
Remember it
Add to the timeline: "511 Clovis dies. Paris is his capital." Say: His family of kings is called the Merovingians, after his grandfather Merovaeus.
Extra (optional)
Draw the scene at Rheims, or the soldier smashing the vase with his axe.
Afterwards
Ask your child to tell the story of the vase of Soissons in their own words.
Tip
When the book talks about prayer and miracles, a calm "This is what Clovis and the Franks believed happened" works for families of any faith.
Answers to the book's problems
Clotilde was the orphaned niece of King Gondebaud and a devout Christian; she hoped Clovis would become a Christian. At Tolbiac the Franks were nearly beaten; Clovis prayed to the God of Clotilde and the battle turned. On Christmas Day he and many warriors were baptized by the bishop of Rheims. A soldier smashed a church vase Clovis wanted to give back; at the next inspection of arms Clovis found fault with the man's weapons and killed him. It shows he could hold a grudge and hide his anger until he could take revenge.
Worked out for this site from the scan. If a number in your copy differs, trust the book.