Though his iron-fist rule was the source of his downfall, when he was assassinated not by Roman forces but by Germanic. Still, he gave a voice to the people which showed that they could stand shield-to-shield with the Roman forces and have a chance at victory. As the Visigoths, came down towards the borderlands after fleeing form the Huns, they found the conditions which the Romans enforced to be unacceptable. Under the leadership of Alaric I the Visigoths and other Germanic tribes sacked Rome, the jewel of the Western Roman Empire, in 410. 

The Visigoths held their rightfully gained power, but there was a new power quickly growing between the Rhine and Meuse rivers, the Franks. The Franks had themselves a large amount of territory by 481 when Clovis I united the kingdoms. Centered around the modern day city of Aachen, Germany; The Empire would soon grow to become one of the strongest in all of Europe. 

Grandson of Merovech (the Empire's semi-legendary founder and namesake), Clovis I was hidden beneath a clandestine fog of mystery and the supernatural. It was said that he, and other Merovingian leaders had the ability to cure the sick with their hands, to tame wild animals and other powers. (Sewell, 2006) While we can look at this now in modern times and understand how silly such a claim is, Clovis was able to do something much more unbelievable: unite the Gauls. With a victory at The Battle of Soissons in 486, Clovis conquered the last Roman territory in Gaul and executed its Magister militum Syagrius. (The History Files, 2011) Followed by his victory at the Battle of Vouille, where he killed king Alaric II and pushed the Visigoths south of the Pyrenees. (Medieval Times History, 2011) Clovis' reign importantly involved converting his troops to Roman-Catholicism which he converted to himself to appease his wife. He claimed that during a battle against the Alemanni he invoked the name of Jesus Christ for aid. (Ozment, 2005 pg. 37) Clovis united the Frankish kingdoms, defeated the Thuringians, the Alemanni, the Alsace and the Arian Goths all to gain considerable land mass in present day Germany and Europe.

Charlemagne would continue the Frankish reign, under the Carolingian Dynasty where he extended their land holds to the highest points. The extent of the Frankish Empire can be seen below in blue. (Sewell, 2006) 


From this point, things move forward with great losses and regains. Beginning with the grandchildren of Charlemagne who fought over control of the land when their father died. After the Treaty of Verdun ended their civil war, the once grand empire was split into three. This would start to define the border between what would later become France and Germany. (Koeller, 1999) 

Taking the pieces left, Otto I was crowned King of Germany in 962 in what was considered to be the unofficial start of the Holy Roman Empire. (Velde, 2008) The Empire never took to the grandeur it could have. 