The B?rb?r??n? w?r? ????l? from central ?nd n?rth?rn Eur???. Unf?rtun?t?l? ?b?rb?r??n? is a b????d t?rm. In th? 5th ??ntur? th?? ?nv?d?d th? already d??l?n?ng Roman Em??r? ?nd eventually carved ?t u? b?tw??n th?m. ‘The b?rb?r??n?’ never ?nt?nd?d t? d??tr?? th? R?m?n Empire, th?? wanted to ?h?r? ?n ?t? w??lth but ?t w?? d??l?n?ng ?n?w?? ?nd it soon br?k? d?wn altogether.?

In D???mb?r 406 AD a gr?u? ?f G?rm?n?? tr?b?? ?nt?r?d G?ul and ??ttl?d there. The R?m?n? were un?bl? to stop th?m. At first, th? Germanic ??ttl?r? accepted R?m?n rul?. However ?? th? R?m?n Empire broke d?wn, they gradually f?rm?d independent k?ngd?m?.

Barbarians ?n Fr?n???

By ?b?ut 500 AD b?rb?r??n? called th? Fr?nk? rul?d n?rth?rn France (they g?v? th??r name t? France). From 481 to 511 a m?n called Cl?v?? ruled th?m. He converted to Christianity and his people f?ll?w?d. On?? they ?h?r?d th? same r?l?g??n th?r? was l??? d?ff?r?n?? between th? Fr?nk? ?nd the n?t?v? R?m?n?-G?ll?? people. Slowly th? tw? intermarried ?nd th??r ?ultur?? m?rg?d.

Cl?v?? ?l?? issued a b?d? ?f laws ??ll?d S?l?? Law ?nd ?n 507 AD h? made th? little town of Paris h?? ????t?l. (Towns in G?ul shrank ?n th? 5th ??ntur? w?th th? ??ll???? ?f Roman rul? but th?? d?d n?t d???????r entirely).

Cl?v?? also subdued ??rt? of ??uth?rn Fr?n??. After his d??th ?n 511 ?t th? ?g? of 45 h?? d????nd?nt? continued h?? w?rk ?nd b? the mid-6th century th? Fr?nk? ruled ?ll ?f Fr?n??.

Ch?rl?? M?rt?l h?lt?d th? I?l?m?? advance ?nt? Eur??? at the battle ?f Poitiers ?n 732. He also defeated th? B?v?r??n? ?nd th? S?x?n?. His ??n Ch?rl?m?gn? ??rr??d ?n his work and created a gr??t Eur????n empire. H? ?l?? f?r??d ??g?n Germans t? ‘??nv?rt’ t? Chr??t??n?t?. F?n?ll? ?n 800 AD th? Pope crowned Ch?rl?m?gn? Emperor. Thus Charlemagne ?l??m?d t? b? th? ?u??????r ?f th? ?ld R?m?n Em??r?r?.

Charlemagne was k??n to keep th? church’s ?u???rt ?? h? f?und?d m?n? m?n??t?r??? and h? g?v? g?ft? ?f l?nd to the church. Furthermore und?r Ch?rl?m?gn? th?r? was a r?v?v?l ?f ?rt and learning.

Ch?rl?m?gn? d??d ?n 814. H?? ?u??????r L?u?? th? Pious ?nn?un??d th?t ?ft?r his d??th th? empire would be split ?m?ng his sons. L?u?? d??d in 840 and ?ft?r ??m? f?ght?ng h?? sons m?d? th? tr??t? ?f Verdun in 843. Th?? divided the Fr?nk??h realm into three. Th? w??t?rn ??rt w?? ruled b? Ch?rl?? the Bald fr?m 838 to 877. In t?m? ?t ?v?lv?d into Fr?n??.

From this short history, it?s really hard to attribute the term barbarian to these people. They replaced the Roman Empire and created their own culture and appreciation of the arts within their people. It?s probably true to surmise that anybody who was not Roman in those days of the Empire was classified a ?Barbarian.’