Kingdom of the Burgundians (Foederati)

This article is about the specific polity Kingdom of the Burgundians (Foederati) and therefore only includes events related to its territory and not to its possessions or colonies. If you are interested in the possession, this is the link to the article about the nation which includes all possessions as well as all the different incarnations of the nation.

If you are looking for the page with the statistics about this polity you can find it here:All Statistics

During the decline of the Western Roman Empire, the Germanic Tribe of the Burgundians settled in central and southern France, as well as western Switzerland. Initially foederati (bound by a treaty) of the Romans, with the Fall of the Western Roman Empire the Kingdom became completely independent. The modern region of Burgundy in Europe derives its name from the Tribe.

Establishment

January 444: Once the Vandal threat was contained, Roman general Flavius Aetius was then able to turn his attention to the north, where he allowed the surviving Burgundians to settle within the limes between the rivers Saone and Rhone, in the region called Sapaudia, founding a new allied Burgundian kingdom that could control the growing menace of the Huns (443).

Chronology

Interactive Chronologies with maps are available in the section Changes Navigation

1. Creation of the Kingdom of the Burgundians

The Romans allowed the Burgundians to establish themsleves in the region of Sapaudia.

2. Majorian´s conquest of Gallia and Hispania

The Burgundians expanded their Kingdom southwards.

November 456: In 456, upon the death of the emperor of Gallic origin Avitus, the Burgundians took advantage of the imperial weakness to expand southwards, even reaching the point of taking Lyon, which opened the gates to the invaders.

November 458: With the help of his new foederati, Majorian then penetrated the Rhone valley, conquering it both by force and diplomacy: in fact he defeated the Burgundians and retook Lyon after a siege, condemning the city to pay a large war indemnity.

3. Assassination of Majorian

Western Roman Emoperor Majorian was assassinated and overthrown by Ricimer.

September 461: After Roman emperor Majorian's withdrawal from Spain, no other Roman official is attested in the sources in the Iberian Peninsula, making it clear that after 460 Spain was no longer part of the Empire. The Visigoths and the Bugundi took back the territories lost in 458.

September 461: When Western Roman emperor Majorian was killed on the orders of Ricimer in 461, general Aegidius maintained his own rule in the remnants of Roman Gaul that came to be known as the Domain or Kingdom of Soissons.

4. Expansion of the Burgundians

After the fall of the Roman Empire in 476, Burgundian King Gundobad conquered parts of Gaul.

September 476: After the fall of the Roman Empire in 476, King Gundobad allied with the mighty Frankish king Clovis I against the threat of Ostrogoth Theoderic the Great. He was thereby able to secure the Burgundian acquisitions, and compiling the Lex Burgundionum, an Ancient Germanic law code. Later, when Rome was no longer able to afford protection to the inhabitants of Gaul, the Sequani became merged in the newly formed Kingdom of Burgundy.

5. Fall of the Western Roman Empire

In 476, the Germanic barbarian king Odoacer deposed the last emperor of the Western Roman Empire in Italy, Romulus Augustulus, and the Senate sent the imperial insignia to the Eastern Roman Emperor Zeno.

January 487: With the end of the Western Roman Empire, the Kingdom of the Burgundians became completely independent.