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Toxandria is the old name, first mentioned by Plinius, for a region in the Netherlands and
Belgium. The name is probably derived from the word toxon = yew, the wood used for archs. Andreia means courage, so I like to believe it was the land of the valiant archers!
In these ancient times, the many barbarian tribes, given the broad label as Germanic
tribes by the Romans, originated from Scandinavia and had by the 1st century BC spread
through vast areas of today's central and western Europe.
Because of their continuous raids, these tribes subdivided into separate clans and moved
on to other areas. In the middle of the 3rd century, two members of the tribal confederacy
known as the Franks, the Salians and the Ripuarians, began penetrating the Roman frontier
around Moguntiacum but were soon driven back by Emperor Probus. Despite the temporary setback,
the moves against the ever-weakening Roman masters resulted in Emperor Flavius Julianus buying peace
in 358 by handing over Toxandria to the Salians who then became Roman allies and provided
troops for the imperial army.
In the ensuing years, the Toxandrians did not continue to collectively wander from one
place to another as other Germanic tribes, but instead began to expand their territory
outwards. The Romans were soon again under attack with the emergence of the first strong
leader Meroveus, after whom the Merovingian dynasty would be named. Notably his son,
Childeric I, made further agreements that expanded their territory while aiding the Romans
in driving out several invaders from around Aureliani and Civitas Andecavorum.
Childeric's son Clovis I emerged as the dominant force who would, through his military
might, add parts of present day Germany to his kingdom and shape what was to become modern
day France.
Source: Wikipedia & moimême |
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