Salian Franks: Map & History
The Salian Franks, or Salians, sometimes referred to by the Latin word Salii or Sali, were a Frankish people who lived in what is now the Netherlands in the 4th century.
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The Salian Franks, or Salians, sometimes referred to by the Latin word Salii or Sali, were a Frankish people who lived in what is now the Netherlands in the 4th century. They are only mentioned under this name in historical records relating to one period when they came into conflict with Roman forces led by Julian the Apostate around 358 AD, when he was ruling Gaul as Caesar under his cousin the emperor Constantius II. In modern times scholars have also traditionally used the term "Salians" to refer to the much later Franks who became the rulers of much of present day northern France in the 5th century - at first under the leadership of Chlodio, and later under the leadership of the Merovingian dynasty — seeing them as the descendants of the original Salians.
Modern Countries Once Part of Salian Franks
At its mapped extent, Salian Franks covered territory in 5 present-day countries. The period shown is when the mapped borders include that country, and the note says how much of it.
- Belgium439–509 CE · most
- Switzerland500–509 CE · a large part
- France439–509 CE · a large part
- Netherlands358–509 CE · a small part
- Germany500–509 CE · a small part
States and Provinces
Largest Present-Day Cities in Its Territory
Each opens on the live map inside Salian Franks'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.
Salian Franks in Depth
Culture
Apart from some isolated fragments, there is no record of the Salian Frankish language but it is presumed to be ancestral to the modern family of Low Franconian dialects, which are represented today by Dutch dialects, and Afrikaans. There are some early runic scripts been found in the Netherlands which might represent an early Frankish language, one of which is the Rune inscription of Bergakker. This inscription has led to much discussion among linguists. It is assumed that the inscription dates from around 425-450.
Before the Merovingian takeover, the Salian tribes apparently constituted a loose confederacy that only occasionally banded together, for example to negotiate with Roman authority.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Salian Franks (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Salian Franks Map Over Time
Dated world maps on which Salian Franks appears, with the other states of the time.
Salian Franks Timeline
Key historical inflections from foundation to peak territorial expansion
Expansion to peak recorded area of 277,830 km² in 504 CE.
Salian Franks: Frequently Asked Questions
When did Salian Franks exist?
Salian Franks is dated to 358 CE – 509 CE, in the Classical Antiquity era.
How large was Salian Franks at its peak?
At its peak in 504 AD Salian Franks covered about 277,830 km².
How did the map of Salian Franks change over time?
Salian Franks appears on 2 dated world maps in the atlas, from 400 CE to 500 CE. Each shows its borders in that year next to the other states of the time.