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The Burgundians were a Germanic people originating from Scandinavia whose original homeland was on the southern shores of the Baltic Sea. By the 1st century CE, they had migrated to the lower Vistula River valley. Serving as auxiliaries in the Roman army, they established a kingdom that, by the early 5th century, extended to the west bank of the Rhine River.1

In the latter half of the 5th century, as the Roman Empire's influence waned, the Burgundians gradually expanded their control across the RhƓne and SaƓne river valleys. Their kingdom reached its peak under King Gundobad, who enacted written laws for both Burgundians and their Gallo-Roman subjects. This kingdom persisted until 534 CE when it was absorbed by the Franks.2

Later, the kingdom of Burgundy was re-established under the Merovingian dynasty and eventually expanded to include territories beyond the former Burgundian lands. This separate kingdom existed until the 8th century when it was subjugated by Frankish Austrasia.2

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