Salian

people

Also known as: Salian Frank

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July 13, 2026

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The Salian people were a division of the Franks, a Germanic-speaking group who migrated into the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century CE. Early in the 4th century, they lived along the Ijssel River. The Franks, including the Salian branch, established a powerful Christian kingdom in what is now France, Belgium, and western Germany.12

The Salian Franks gained control of lands west of the Rhine River in the 4th century. By 480 CE, they had solidified their presence in northeastern Gaul, leading to the decline of Roman rule in the region. Under their leader Clovis I, the Salian Franks united various Frankish tribes and expanded their territory, eventually forming a unified kingdom in northern Gaul. The Salic Law, a code of the Salian Franks, was issued around 507-511 CE and provides insights into early Germanic life and society.13

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Batavi
In the 4th century the Salian Franks displaced the Batavi.
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In the 4th century the Salian Franks displaced the Batavi.
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Frank
…divided into three groups: the Salians, the Ripuarians, and the Chatti, or Hessians. These branches were related to each other by language and custom, but politically they were independent tribes. In the mid-3rd century the Franks tried unsuccessfully to expand westward across the Rhine into Roman-held Gaul. In the mid-4th…
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…divided into three groups: the Salians, the Ripuarians, and the Chatti, or Hessians. These branches were related to each other by language and custom, but politically they were independent tribes. In the mid-3rd century the Franks tried unsuccessfully to expand westward across the Rhine into Roman-held Gaul. In the mid-4th…
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history of the Low Countries
Frankish rule
During the 6th century, Salian Franks had settled in the region between the Loire River in present-day France and the Coal Forest in the south of present-day Belgium. From the late 6th century, Ripuarian Franks pushed from the Rhineland westward to the Schelde. Their immigration strengthened the Germanic faction…
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During the 6th century, Salian Franks had settled in the region between the Loire River in present-day France and the Coal Forest in the south of present-day Belgium. From the late 6th century, Ripuarian Franks pushed from the Rhineland westward to the Schelde. Their immigration strengthened the Germanic faction…
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