The Franks were considered one of the most powerful Germanic kingdoms after they conquered the Lombards in 774 CE and took control of Italy. When the Franks crossed the borders of the Roman Empire they had not been baptized as Christians yet. When the Franks began to emerge into the Roman Empire in the 4th and 5th century, they turned into two different groups, an eastern group and a western.

The western group was under the leadership of a Merovingian king named Clovis. He lead the western Franks to Catholic Christianity. Clovis had a Catholic wife and he himself ended up worshiping the Christian God and eventually persuaded more than 3,000 of his warriors between 496 and 506 to convert to Catholicism as well. It is said that without the relationship and support of the Franks, the Catholic church would not have survived the political and military difficulties of the sixth and seventh centuries. The Catholic church welcomed this alliance with the Franks because they needed their political and military support during a time when they could have been wiped out by the Franks if they did not cooperate with them. Clovis’ conversion worked in the favor for the Catholic church as well as the Franks in the west.

The selection from Gregory of Tours is about the ruler of the Franks in the west, Clovis and his conversion. Clovis’ wife was Catholic and in this selection we see her trying to persuade Clovis to baptize their children. Clovis’ wife baptizes their first born and he soon after dies. In the selection it says he was baptized and named Ingomer, but died while clothed in the white raiment of his regeneration. From my knowledge being clothed in white is a symbolism of baptism which this would mean that he died still in his baptismal clothes. Clovis is hesitant to baptize his next son and his wife does so anyway. After his sons baptism is Clovis’ conversion and the conversion of his warriors. Looking at this selection in light of Bartlett’s ideas of reading historical documents this document was written by Gregory who was a Catholic bishop, which means that he wrote this as a public document for others to read and be influenced and persuaded by. This would also mean that it was intended for a audience of nonbelievers in the hopes of inspiring them with the kings conversion to convert as well.