THE FRANKS IN THE LATE ROMAN IMPERIAL GUARD AND THE FIRST MEROWINGIANS: TREATMENT OF THE INSCRIPTION FROM ITALY (THE CITY OF BRESCIA) AE. 1999. 733
Traditionally, the personality of Meroveus, the king of the Franks and a legendary founder of Merowingian dynasty, is considered in historyography as a dubious and unreliable one. It was caused by little evidence about this person in the historical records. A narrative tradition of the Franks by Gregory of Tour, Fredegar and «The Book of History of the Franks» (Liber Historiae Francorum) preserved very rare evidence of Meroveus. However, a Latin inscription (an epitaph) from the city of Brescia in the north of Italy may give a new previously unstudied details in Meroveus’ life and may open new details of the Frankish-Roman interrelations in the 448/450s-458/460s, i.e. during the supposed time of Meroveus’ ruling over the Franks. This inscription mentions a certain Marovehus, obviously, according to his name, we may assume that Marovehus was a Frank. Therefore, having compared this inscription and the evidence of narrative sources («The Book of History of the Franks», a poem of Sidonius Apollinaris, the works of Zosimus and Ammianus Marcellinus), the author concluded that Marovehus from the inscription was a close relative of Meroveus. Moreover, Marovehus from the inscription served in the elite military detachment of the Late Roman court imperial guard, this detachment was called «the schola gentilium». The author supposes that Marovehus came in this military unit as a result of a treaty between the Franks headed by Meroveus and The Romans signed in the 455/456s, i.e. during the reign of West Roman Emperor Avitus. This treaty established a military alliance berween the Franks and the Romans. According to the treaty, the powerful representatives of Frankish tribal aristocracy, including Marovehus from the inscription, became soldiers in the elite military units of Late Roman imperial guard.