Burgundian language (Oïl)

The Burgundian language, also known by French names Bourguignon-

morvandiau, Bourguignon, and Morvandiau, is an Oïl language spoken inBurgundy and particularly in
the Morvan area of the region.
The arrival of the Burgundians brought Germanic elements into the Gallo-Romance speech of the
inhabitants. The occupation of the Low Countries by the Dukes of Burgundy also brought Burgundian into
contact with Dutch; e.g., the word for gingerbread couque derives from Old Dutch kooke (cake).
Dialects of the south along the Saône river, such as Brionnais-Charolais, have been influenced by Arpitan
language.
Eugène de Chambure published a Glossaire du Morvan in 1878.[1]

Literature[edit]

Apart from songs dating from the eighteenth century, there is little survivingliterature from before the
nineteenth century. In 1854 the Papal Bull Ineffabilis Deus was translated into the Morvan dialect by the
Abbé Jacques-François Baudiau, and into the Dijon dialect by the Abbé Lereuil. The Abbé Baudiau also
transcribed storytelling.
Folklorists collected vernacular literature from the mid-nineteenth century and by the end of the century a
number of writers were establishing an original literature. Achille Millien (1838–1927) collected songs from
the oral tradition in the Nivernais. Louis de Courmont, nicknamed the “Botrel of the Morvan,” was a
chansonnier who after a career in Paris returned to his native region. A statue was erected to him
in Château-Chinon. Emile Blin wrote a number of stories and monologues aimed at a tourist market; a
collection was published in 1933 under the title Le Patois de Chez Nous. Alfred Guillaume published a large
number of vernacular texts for use on picturesque postcards at the beginning of the twentieth century, and
in 1923 published a book in Burgundian, L’âme du Morvan. More recently, Marinette Janvier published Ma
grelotterie (1974) andAutour d’un teugnon (1989).

Burgundians
The Roman empire under Hadrian (ruled 117—138), showing the location of the Burgundiones Germanic group, then
inhabiting the region between the Viadua (Oder) and Visula (Vistula) rivers (Poland)
The Burgundians (Latin: Burgundiōnes, Burgundī; Old Norse:Burgundar; Old
English: Burgendas; Greek: Βούργουνδοι) were anEast Germanic tribe which may have emigrated from
mainlandScandinavia to the Baltic island of Bornholm, and from there to theVistula basin, in middle modern
Poland. A part of the Burgundian tribes migrated further westward, where they may have participated in the
406 Crossing of the Rhine, after which they settled in theRhine Valley and established the Kingdom of the
Burgundians. Another part of Burgundians stayed in their previous homeland in Oder-Vistula basin and
formed a contingent in Attila's Hunnic army by 451.[1][2]
Their name survives in the regional appellation, Burgundy.

Name[edit]
See also: Bornholm
The name of the Burgundians has since remained connected to the area of modern France that still bears
their name: see the later history of Burgundy. Between the 6th and 20th centuries, however, the boundaries
and political connections of this area have changed frequently; with none of the changes having had
anything to do with the original Burgundians. The nameBurgundians used here and generally used by
English writers to refer to the Burgundiones is a later formation and more precisely refers to the inhabitants
of the territory of Burgundy which was named from the people called Burgundiones. The descendants of the
Burgundians today are found primarily in historical Burgundy and among the west Swiss.

History[edit]
Background[edit]

Location of the island of Bornholm

The Burgundians had a tradition of Scandinavian origin which finds support in place-name evidence and
archaeological evidence (Stjerna) and many consider their tradition to be correct (e.g. Musset, p. 62). The
Burgundians are believed to have then emigrated to the Baltic island of Bornholm ("the island of the
Burgundians" inOld Norse). However, by about 250 the population of Bornholm had largely disappeared
from the island. Most cemeteries ceased to be used, and those that were still used had few burials (Stjerna,
in Nerman 1925:176). In Þorsteins saga Víkingssonar (The Saga of Thorstein, Viking's Son), Veseti settled
in an island or holm, which was called Borgund's holm, i.e. Bornholm. Alfred the Great's translation
of Orosius uses the name Burgenda land. The poet and early mythologist Viktor Rydberg (1828–1895), (Our
Fathers' Godsaga) asserted from an early medieval source, Vita Sigismundi, that themselves retained oral
traditions about their Scandinavian origin.
Early Roman sources such as Tacitus and Pliny the Elder knew little concerning the Germanic peoples east
of the Elbe river, or on the Baltic Sea. Pliny (IV.28) however mentions them among the Vandilic or Eastern
Germanic Germani peoples, including also the Goths. By the end of the 4th century the Burgundians
appeared in the Vistula basin, in central modern Poland. Claudius Ptolemy lists them as living between the
Suevus (probably the Oder) and Vistula rivers, north of the Lugii, and south of the coast dwelling
tribes. Jordanes later reported that during the 3rd century, the Burgundians living in the Vistula basin were
almost annihilated by Fastida, king of the Gepids, whose kingdom was at the mouth of the Vistula.
In the late 3rd century, the Burgundians appear on the east bank of the Rhine, confronting Roman
Gaul. Zosimus (1.68) reports them being defeated by the emperor Probus in 278 in Gaul. At this time they
were led by a Vandal king. A few years later, Claudius Mamertinus mentions them along with the Alamanni,
a Suebic people. These two people had moved into theAgri Decumates on the eastern side of the Rhine, an
area today referred to still as Swabia, and were sometimes attacking Roman Gaul together and sometimes
fighting each other. He also mentions that the Goths had previously defeated the Burgundians.
Ammianus Marcellinus, on the other hand, claimed that the Burgundians were descended from Romans.
The Roman sources do not speak of any specific migration from Poland by the Burgundians (although other
Vandal peoples are more clearly mentioned as having moved west in this period), and so there have
historically been some doubts about the link between the eastern and western Burgundians.[3]
In 369/370, the Emperor Valentinian I enlisted the aid of the Burgundians in his war against the Alemanni.
Approximately four decades later, the Burgundians appear again. Following Stilicho's withdrawal of troops to
fight Alaric I theVisigoth in AD 406-408, the northern tribes crossed the Rhine and entered the Empire in
the Völkerwanderung, or Germanic migrations. Among them were the Alans, Vandals, the Suevi, and
possibly some Burgundians. A part of Burgundians migrated westwards and settled as foederati in the
Roman province of Germania Secunda along the Middle Rhine. Another part of Burgundians stayed in their
previous homeland in Oder-Vistula interfluvial and formed a contingent in Attila's Hunnicarmy by 451.[1][2]
Kingdom[edit]
Main article: Kingdom of the Burgundians
Establishment[edit]
In 411, the Burgundian king Gundahar (or Gundicar) set up a puppet emperor, Jovinus, in cooperation
with Goar, king of theAlans. With the authority of the Gallic emperor that he controlled, Gundahar settled on
the left (Roman) bank of the Rhine, between the river Lauter and the Nahe, seizing Worms, Speyer,
and Strassburg. Apparently as part of a truce, the EmperorHonorius later officially "granted" them the land,
(Prosper, a. 386) with its capital at the old Celtic Roman settlement of Borbetomagus (present Worms).
Despite their new status as foederati, Burgundian raids into Roman Upper Gallia Belgica became intolerable
and were ruthlessly brought to an end in 436, when the Roman general Aëtius called in Hun mercenaries
who overwhelmed the Rhineland kingdom in 437. Gundahar was killed in the fighting, reportedly along with
the majority of the Burgundian tribe. (Prosper; Chronica Gallica 452; Hydatius; and Sidonius Apollinaris)
The destruction of Worms and the Burgundian kingdom by the Huns became the subject of heroic legends
that were afterwards incorporated in the Nibelungenlied—on which Wagner based his Ring Cycle—where
King Gunther (Gundahar) and Queen Brünhild hold their court at Worms, and Siegfried comes to woo
Kriemhild. (In Old Norse sources the names areGunnar, Brynhild, and Gudrún as normally rendered in
English.) In fact, the Etzel of the Nibelungenlied is based on Attila the Hun.
Settlement in Savoy[edit]

The Second Burgundian Kingdom between 443 and 476

For reasons not cited in the sources, the Burgundians were granted foederatistatus a second time, and in
443 were resettled by Aëtius in the region ofSapaudia. (Chronica Gallica 452) Though the precise
geography is uncertain,Sapaudia corresponds to the modern-day Savoy, and the Burgundians probably
lived near Lugdunum, known today as Lyon. (Wood 1994, Gregory II, 9) A new kingGundioc or Gunderic,
presumed to be Gundahar's son, appears to have reigned following his father's death. (Drew, p. 1) The
historian Pline[citation needed] tells us that Gonderic reigned the areas of Saône, Dauphiny, Savoie and a part of
Provence. He set up Vienne as the capital of the kingdom of Burgundy. In all, eight Burgundian kings of the
house of Gundahar ruled until the kingdom was overrun by the Franks in 534.
As allies of Rome in its last decades, the Burgundians fought alongside Aëtius and a confederation of
Visigoths and others in the battle against Attila at the Battle of Châlons (also called "The Battle of the
Catalaunian Fields") in 451. The alliance between Burgundians and Visigoths seems to have been strong,
as Gundioc and his brother Chilperic I accompaniedTheodoric II to Spain to fight the Sueves in 455.
(Jordanes, Getica, 231)

Aspirations to the Empire[edit]

Also in 455, an ambiguous reference infidoque tibi Burdundio ductu (Sidonius Apollinaris in Panegyr. Avit.
442.) implicates an unnamed treacherous Burgundian leader in the murder of the emperor Petronius
Maximus in the chaos preceding the sack of Rome by the Vandals. The Patrician Ricimer is also blamed;
this event marks the first indication of the link between the Burgundians and Ricimer, who was probably
Gundioc's brother-in-law and Gundobad's uncle, (John Malalas, 374)
The Burgundians, apparently confident in their growing power, negotiated in 456 a territorial expansion and
power sharing arrangement with the local Roman senators. (Marius of Avenches)
In 457, Ricimer overthrew another emperor, Avitus, raising Majorian to the throne. This new emperor proved
unhelpful to Ricimer and the Burgundians. The year after his ascension, Majorian stripped the Burgundians
of the lands they had acquired two years earlier. After showing further signs of independence, he was
murdered by Ricimer in 461.
Ten years later, in 472, Ricimer–who was by now the son-in-law of the Western Emperor Anthemius–was
plotting with Gundobad to kill his father-in-law; Gundobad beheaded the emperor (apparently personally).
(Chronica Gallica 511; John of Antioch, fr. 209; Jordanes, Getica, 239) Ricimer then appointed Olybrius;
both died, surprisingly of natural causes, within a few months. Gundobad seems then to have succeeded his
uncle as Patrician and king-maker, and raised Glycerius to the throne. (Marius of Avenches; John of
Antioch, fr. 209)
In 474, Burgundian influence over the empire seems to have ended. Glycerius was deposed in favor
of Julius Nepos, and Gundobad returned to Burgundy, presumably at the death of his father Gundioc. At this
time or shortly afterward, the Burgundian kingdom was divided between Gundobad and his brothers,
Godigisel, Chilperic II, and Gundomar I. (Gregory, II, 28)

Consolidation of the Kingdom[edit]

Kingdom of the Burgundians in around 500

According to Gregory of Tours, the years following Gundobad's return to Burgundy saw a bloody
consolidation of power. Gregory states that Gundobad murdered his brother Chilperic, drowning his wife and
exiling their daughters (one of whom was to become the wife of Clovis the Frank, and was reputedly
responsible for his conversion).[4] This is contested by, e.g., Bury, who points out problems in much of
Gregory's chronology for the events.
C.500, when Gundobad and Clovis were at war, Gundobad appears to have been betrayed by his brother
Godegisel, who joined the Franks; together Godegisel's and Clovis' forces "crushed the army of Gundobad."
(Marius a. 500; Gregory, II, 32) Gundobad was temporarily holed up in Avignon, but was able to re-muster
his army and sacked Vienne, where Godegisel and many of his followers were put to death. From this point,
Gundobad appears to have been the sole king of Burgundy. (e.g., Gregory, II, 33) This would imply that his
brother Gundomar was already dead, though there are no specific mentions of the event in the sources.
Either Gundobad and Clovis reconciled their differences, or Gundobad was forced into some sort of
vassalage by Clovis' earlier victory, as the Burgundian king appears to have assisted the Franks in 507 in
their victory over Alaric II the Visigoth.
During the upheaval, sometime between 483-501, Gundobad began to set forth the Lex Gundobada (see
below), issuing roughly the first half, which drew upon the Lex Visigothorum. (Drew, p. 1) Following his
consolidation of power, between 501 and his death in 516, Gundobad issued the second half of his law,
which was more originally Burgundian.

Fall[edit]

Burgundy as part of the Frankish Empire between 534 and 843

The Burgundians were extending their power over southeastern Gaul; that is, northern Italy, western
Switzerland, and southeastern France. In 493 Clovis, king of the Franks, married the Burgundian
princess Clotilda (daughter of Chilperic), who converted him to the Catholic faith.
At first allied with Clovis' Franks against the Visigoths in the early 6th century, the Burgundians were
eventually conquered at Autun by the Franks in 532 after a first attempt in the Battle of Vézeronce. The
Burgundian kingdom was made part of theMerovingian kingdoms, and the Burgundians themselves were by
and large absorbed as well.

Language[edit]
Burgundian

Region Gaul

Extinct 6th century

Language family Indo-European

 Germanic
 East Germanic

 Burgundian

Language codes

ISO 639-3 None (mis)

 Linguist list qlb

Glottolog None

The Burgundian language belonged to the East Germanic language group. It appears to have become
extinct during the late sixth century.[5]
Little is known of the language. Some proper names of Burgundians are recorded, and some words used in
the area in modern times are thought to be derived from the ancient Burgundian language,[5] but it is often
difficult to distinguish these from Germanic words of other origin, and in any case the modern form of the
words is rarely suitable to infer much about the form in the old language.

Culture[edit]
Religion[edit]
Somewhere in the east the Burgundians had converted to the Arian form of Christianity from their
native Germanic polytheism. Their Arianism proved a source of suspicion and distrust between the
Burgundians and the Catholic Western Roman Empire. Divisions were evidently healed or healing circa AD
500, however, asGundobad, one of the last Burgundian kings, maintained a close personal friendship
with Avitus, the bishop of Vienne. Moreover, Gundobad's son and successor, Sigismund, was himself a
Catholic, and there is evidence that many of the Burgundian people had converted by this time as well,
including several female members of the ruling family.
Law[edit]
The Burgundians left three legal codes, among the earliest from any of the Germanic tribes.
The Liber Constitutionum sive Lex Gundobada (The Book of the Constitution following the Law of
Gundobad), also known as the Lex Burgundionum, or more simply the Lex Gundobada or the Liber, was
issued in several parts between 483 and 516, principally by Gundobad, but also by his son, Sigismund.
(Drew, p. 6–7) It was a record of Burgundian customary law and is typical of the many Germanic law codes
from this period. In particular, the Liber borrowed from the Lex Visigothorum (Drew, p. 6) and influenced the
later Lex Ribuaria. (Rivers, p. 9) The Liber is one of the primary sources for contemporary Burgundian life,
as well as the history of its kings.
Like many of the Germanic tribes, the Burgundians' legal traditions allowed the application of separate laws
for separate ethnicities. Thus, in addition to the Lex Gundobada, Gundobad also issued (or codified) a set of
laws for Roman subjects of the Burgundian kingdom, the Lex Romana Burgundionum (The Roman Law of
the Burgundians).
In addition to the above codes, Gundobad's son Sigismund later published the Prima Constitutio.
 Bury, J.B. The Invasion of Europe by the Barbarians.London: Macmillan and Co., 1928.
 Dalton, O.M. The History of the Franks, by Gregory of Tours. Oxford: The Clarendon Press, 1927.
 Drew, Katherine Fischer. The Burgundian Code.Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press,
1972.
 Gordon, C.D. The Age of Attila. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1961.
 Guichard, Rene, Essai sur l'histoire du peuple burgonde, de Bornholm (Burgundarholm) vers la
Bourgogne et les Bourguignons, 1965, published by A. et J. Picard et Cie.
 Murray, Alexander Callander. From Roman to Merovingian Gaul. Broadview Press, 2000.
 Musset, Lucien. The Germanic Invasions: The Making of Europe AD 400-600. University Park,
Pennsylvania: The Pennsylvania State University Press, 1975.