Burgundians: Map & History
The Burgundians were a Germanic people of the Roman imperial era, who established the powerful Kingdom of the Burgundians within the Roman empire in what is now western Switzerland and south-eastern France.
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The Burgundians were a Germanic people of the Roman imperial era, who established the powerful Kingdom of the Burgundians within the Roman empire in what is now western Switzerland and south-eastern France. Burgundian rule of the kingdom ended when it was incorporated into the Frankish empire in 534, but they are the source of later names related to the nearby region now known as Burgundy, including medieval entities such as the Duchy of Burgundy. In earlier periods, Burgundians were also reported by Roman sources to have lived in regions now within Germany and Poland, and there are probably connections between these and the later Burgundian kingdom.
Modern Countries Once Part of Burgundians
At its mapped extent, Burgundians covered territory in 1 present-day country. The period shown is when the mapped borders include that country, and the note says how much of it.
Largest Present-Day Cities in Its Territory
Each opens on the live map inside Burgundians's borders of that time.
Derived by testing mapped cities against this polity's dated territorial polygons, so the list is indicative and follows the borders in the source dataset.
Burgundians in Depth
History
Burgundians, or at least one or more peoples with the same name, were first described by early Roman writers as living in present-day Poland. In the 1st century AD, Pliny the Elder said there were five types of Germanic peoples (germanorum genera quinque) and the first of these he listed were the Vandili. This group included Burgodiones, Varinnae, Charini, and the Gutones. Pliny gives no exact location but the Gutones and Varini are known from other sources to have lived near the Baltic coast. The Gutones lived near the mouth of the Vistula and are believed to be important contributors to later Gothic culture in the Ukraine region. Modern scholars therefore typically see Pliny's Burgodiones as speakers of East Germanic languages similar to Gothic.
Medieval Scandinavian origins myth
The medieval hagiography of Sigismund of Burgundy (died 524), which was probably written in the 8th century, claimed that the Burgundians of southern France originated, before they lived in southern Germany, on the northern island called "Scanadavia" (sic). According to this account, the emperor Tiberius, who reigned 14-37 AD, settled them in Germany. This passage was also copied into the second hagiography of the Burgundian Saint Gangulphus. The apparent sources of this story have been discussed by modern scholars.
The idea that the Burgundians descended from people stationed in Roman frontier forts in southern Germany was already mentioned by Ammianus in the 4th century, but he did not make any claims about when they were settled, or about how the Burgundians got their name.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Burgundians (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Burgundians: Key Facts
| Capitals | Worms, Lyon |
|---|---|
| Founded | 411 CE |
| Dissolved | 534 CE |
Preceded by
Facts from Wikidata Q13590051 (CC0).
Burgundians Map Over Time
Dated world maps on which Burgundians appears, with the other states of the time.
Burgundians Timeline
Key historical inflections from foundation to peak territorial expansion
Expansion to peak recorded area of 100,279 km² in 285 CE.
Burgundians: Frequently Asked Questions
When did Burgundians exist?
Burgundians is dated to 154 CE – 409 CE, in the Classical Antiquity era.
What was the capital of Burgundians?
The capital of Burgundians was Worms.
How large was Burgundians at its peak?
At its peak in 285 AD Burgundians covered about 100,279 km².
How did the map of Burgundians change over time?
Burgundians appears on 2 dated world maps in the atlas, from 200 CE to 300 CE. Each shows its borders in that year next to the other states of the time.