|
|
The Sicambri, a powerful tribe
migrating formerly along the Danube and the Rhine, were dwelling along the
eastern banks on the Lower Rhine in the time of Caesar. Regarding the Migration
Period, however, these people also were dispersed to such an extent
that Gregory of Tours might have remembered merely a 'migratory legend'
somehow related to that part of land which was called Salia some
hundred years later:
'Franks originally came from Pannonia and first colonized the banks of the Rhine. Then, they crossed the river, marched through Thongeria, and set up in each country district and each city long-haired kings chosen from the foremost and most noble family of their race ...'. |
A Germanic chief called Meroveus, forwarded
as grandfather of Clovis, is believed to have been recorded in 417 for
rendering heroic service to the Romans. At that time, as merited high-ranking
mercenary, he was obviously rewarded with the leadership of Salia (nowadays
pertaining to Dutch and Belgian territory) with that Gaulish region
Toxandria we are calling now North and South Brabant. However,
there is no further creditable historical information that Meroveus was
of Sicambrian descent.
Emil Rückert, PhD, historian and literary scholar of 19th century, made this statement about name giving to the Merovingians: |
|
Eugen Ewig, Prof of Medieval History (emeritus),
considers the very first region of the Salians rolling out to the region
of Overyssel (the former Sal-land), that is
marked today by Dutch towns Deventer and Kampen. Regarding archaeological
exploration of Frisian and Lower Saxon lands, as the historian remarks
in his book Die Merowinger und das Frankenreich, the Franks holding
Salland were also settling in the northern German lands up to the
middle course of Weser river until 365/370. At that time martial Saxon
tribes began to extend their territory from the north-east to the
upper Lippe river, where to find nowadays German towns Minden and
Lippstadt. A few decades later, at the beginning of 5th century
by archaeological indication,
the Franks had to withdraw from the so-called Münsterland region,
moving then to lands on the left side of the lower Rhine. |
Lovensteyn of 1630, painted by C.J.Visscher.
The castle was (re-?)built between 1357 and 1368 by Lord Diederick van Horne who was (nick-)named Loef (Lion). In 1385 Albrecht van Beieren took over possession of the castle and appointed his trustee Brunstijn van Herwijnen as the castle's keeper. |
![]() |
|
This colourized old photo of Loevestein Castle was made on the eastern bank of the Waal,
approximately 2 miles (3 km) from the Merwede's mouth. |
![]() |
|
The Thidrek saga and the Old Swedish Didriks chronicle will contribute a
(con-)temporarily appearing ruler called King Nidung to the Salian-Toxandrian
region whom the author has regarded to substantiate Fredegaire's version of the
Merovingian genesis in his publication quoted and linked above. Since the medieval scribes
of these manuscripts have localized that mighty ruler in Frankish Hesbaye as
well as in Jutland –
mentioning him there as sovereign of Thy –, the lands around the Limfjord
on the ancient 'Amber Route' of considerable strategic importance, might be worth the
effort to scrutinise there the roots of Meroveus I.
At present, there are at least two locations of interest whose
former spelling and tradition seem to indicate themselves as name
spending godfather: The isle of Mors with known word forms of 'Morø...'
and, close to the east, Cap Salling. Thus, referring to Fredegaire's insinuation,
we may wonder about Emil Rückert's successive order of Merovingian
onomastics and question furthermore: Was there already any recurrently related
Nordic homeland of the invading Salian founder, the name spending godfather
of that dynasty which the Dutch Merwede and its contemporarily
surrounding region spelled Salland or Salia seem to remember? |
![]() |
Extract from the Ortelius
Map of Jutland by M. Jordano. |