Kingdom of Soissons

The Kingdom or Domain of Soissons[2] was a rump state

of the Western Roman Empire in northern Gaul, between Kingdom of the Romans
the Somme and the Seine, that lasted for some 25 years Domain of Soissons
during Late Antiquity. The rulers of the rump state, notably
its final ruler Syagrius, were referred to as "kings of the Regnum Romanorum
Romans" (Latin: rex Romanorum) by the Germanic peoples 457–486
surrounding Soissons, with the polity itself being identified
as the Regnum Romanorum, "Kingdom of the Romans",
by the Gallo-Roman historian Gregory of Tours. Whether
this title was used by Syagrius himself or was applied to him
by the barbarians surrounding his realm in a similar way to
how they referred to their own leaders as kings is
unknown.[3] "Kingdom (or Domain) of Soissons" is a later,
historiographical term for the state.

The Kingdom of Soissons began when Emperor Majorian

(457–461) appointed Aegidius as magister militum of
Roman Gaul. When Majorian was killed on the orders of
Ricimer in 461, Aegidius maintained his own rule in the
remnants of Roman Gaul. In the chaos of contemporary
Gaul, he maintained his power against Franks to his east
and Visigoths to his south; his relations to the Romano- The Kingdom of Soissons in 476.[1]
British of Brittany may have been friendly. Status Rump state of
the Western
Aegidius died in 464 or 465. His son Syagrius succeeded to Roman Empire
the rule. In 486, Syagrius lost the Battle of Soissons to the Capital Noviodunum
Frankish king Clovis I and the domain was thereafter under (modern-day
the control of the Franks. Soissons)
Common languages Latin, Gaulish
Religion Christianity,
Contents Gallo-Roman
paganism and
History Germanic
Army paganism

See also Government Roman rump

state
References
Ruler  
Notes • 457–464 Aegidius
• 464–486 Syagrius
Historical era Late Antiquity
History
• Established 457
The Kingdom of Soissons originated in the reign of the • Disestablished 486
Western Emperor Majorian (457–461). Majorian appointed Area
Aegidius to be magister militum of the Gallic provinces. • Total 50,000[note 1] km2
 The remaining (19,000 sq mi)
Roman territory in Population
Gaul in the
• Estimate 360,000
northwest was • Density 7.2/km2
connected with the (18.6/sq mi)
Roman possessions
in the Auvergne, Currency Roman currency
Domain of Syagrius (North-West)
within the Western Roman Empire Provence and
Preceded by Succeeded
(blue) Languedoc which
by
connected these to
Italy. During Western Neustria
Majorian's reign, that corridor was annexed by the Roman Empire
Germanic tribes now occupying Gaul, thus effectively
cutting off Aegidius and his citizens from the Empire.[4] Majorian and Aegidius had recovered the Roman
position in most of Gaul, but with the death of Majorian in 461 the Roman position in the center and south
deteriorated. These provinces were annexed by the Visigoths and Burgundians in the years 462-477, which
left the remaining Roman territories in Gaul isolated.

Aegidius was allied with the Alans, and with Childeric I, king of the Salian Franks of Tournai, and helped
them defeat the Visigoths at Orléans in 463. According to Gregory of Tours, Aegidius even ruled the
Franks during Childeric's banishment, but Childeric later returned from exile. It is possible that the Groans
of the Britons, referring to a Romano-British request for military assistance after the Roman departure from
Britain, may have been addressed to Aegidius.

Aegidius continued to govern until his death in 464. His comes, Paulus of Angers, was killed shortly
afterwards, possibly on the same campaign. At that point Aegidius's son, Syagrius, took his place as ruler.
Syagrius governed using the title of dux (a provincial military commander), but the neighboring Germanic
tribes referred to him as "King of the Romans"; hence one of the nicknames of his enclave.[5] In 476, under
the rule of Syagrius, the Kingdom of Soissons failed to accept the new rule of Odoacer who had dethroned
the Western Emperor earlier that year. While both Syagrius and Odoacer sent messengers to the Eastern
Roman Empire, the Eastern emperor Zeno chose to offer legitimacy to Odoacer instead of Syagrius. The
Kingdom of Soissons cut all ties with Italy and had no further recorded contact with the Eastern Roman
Empire. Even after 476, Syagrius continued to maintain that he was merely governing a Roman province.
The Domain of Soissons was in fact an independent region.[4]

Childeric died about 481, and his son Clovis I became the Frankish king. Clovis made continual war
against Syagrius, and in the end took over all his territory. Syagrius lost the final Battle of Soissons in 486;
many historians consider this Clovis' greatest victory.[6] Syagrius fled to the Visigothic king Alaric II, but
the Franks threatened war if Syagrius were not surrendered to them. Syagrius was sent back to Clovis, who
had him executed in 486 or 487.[4][5][7]

Clovis I ruled the Franks until his death in 511. When he died, the Frankish realm was divided into four
kingdoms, one for each of his sons. Clothar I received a portion centred in Soissons, where he had been
born a decade after Syagrius' death. Clothar survived all his brothers and their families - in one case by
murdering the sons of a deceased brother - and eventually reunited the realm in 555.[5]

When Clothar died in 561, the Frankish realm was divided into three kingdoms, one for each son. The
portions centred around Soissons and Paris eventually developed into the kingdom of Neustria, which
remained one of the key divisions of the Frankish realm.

Army
When Aegidius was appointed magister militum of Gaul by
Emperor Majorian, he took control of the remaining Roman troops
in Gaul. According to Eastern Roman writer Priscus, Aegidius and
Syagrius both commanded "large forces".[4] At one point, Aegidius
and/or Syagrius even threatened the Western Roman Empire with
an invasion of Italy if the empire did not grant their requests. Their
forces also offered effective resistance to the power of the Visigoth
Kingdom, to the south and west of Soissons. There are however no
figures available that make it possible to come to a judgement on
the total strength of their troops.

The Kingdom of Soissons was a

remnant of the Roman Empire within
Gaul surrounded by newly
established Germanic kingdoms.
   Kingdom of Soissons
   Early Francia
   Alamannia
   Burgundia
   Visigothic Kingdom
   Brittany (Celtic)

Domain of Soissons in detail

See also
Vase of Soissons
References
1. Bachrach, Bernard S. (1972). Merovingian Military Organization, 481-751 (https://books.goo
gle.com/books?id=jbz9IyOvfPoC). U of Minnesota Press. p. 3. ISBN 9780816657001. "By
481 the two peoples competing for predominance in this territory were the Visigoths in
southwestern Gaul and the Burgundians in the southeast. Among the lesser groups
contending for power were the Armorici (a loose confederation of Gallo-Romans, Britons,
Alans, and erstwhile imperial soldiers with their families), who lived in the area between the
Seine and the Loire. To the north, between the Seine and the Somme, was Syagrius's
Roman kingdom of Soissons and to the east along the upper Rhine were settlements of
Alamans. North of these was a small band of Thuringians. The remainder of the Rhineland
and the area to the west were ruled by Frankish reguli or chieftains, who, with their
warbands, were settled around Tournai, Cambrai, Cologne, and the other cities of the
region."
2. MacGeorge, Penny (2002). Late Roman Warlords (https://books.google.com/books?id=qJt_
mPtdo7YC&pg=PA111). Oxford University Press. pp. 111–113. ISBN 0-19-925244-0.
Retrieved September 23, 2013.
3. S. Fanning, "Emperors and empires in fifth-century Gaul", in John Drinkwater and Hugh
Elton, Fifth-Century Gaul: A Crisis of Identity? (Cambridge: University Press, 1992), pp. 288-
297
4. Penny MacGeorge (5 December 2002). Late Roman Warlords (https://books.google.com/bo
oks?id=7iNqpYo9Qd0C&q=kingdom+of+Soissons+Syagrius&pg=PA111). ISBN 978-0-19-
925244-2. Retrieved 2009-04-20.
5. George Muir Bussey, Thomas Gaspey and Théodose Burette (1850). A History of France
and of the French People (https://books.google.com/books?id=Z4gGAAAAQAAJ&q=Domai
n+of+Soissons+Syagrius&pg=PA52). Retrieved 2009-04-20.
6. Michael Frassetto (2003). Encyclopedia of barbarian Europe (https://books.google.com/book
s?id=yW-GfElbafQC&q=kingdom+of+Soissons+Syagrius&pg=PA126). ISBN 978-1-57607-
263-9. Retrieved 2009-04-20.
7. Lucien Bély and Angela Moyon (2001). The History of France (https://books.google.com/boo
ks?id=Ltzav890zpIC&q=kingdom+of+Soissons+Syagrius+Paulus&pg=PA16). ISBN 978-2-
87747-563-1. Retrieved 2009-04-20.

Notes
1. Calculated with Google Maps according to the referenced map.

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