Clovis thus founded the Merovingian dy nasty, so called from one of their earlier chief tains, Merovig, and before the end of the cen tury ruled from the Rhine to the Bay of Biscay, except Brittany, all of what is now North France and the Netherlands, while to the southeast the Burgundian', another German people, ruled the country round Lyons and the Visigoths held the southwestern France and Spain. These barbarian folk, however, instead of clinging to their own language and laws, almost without exception adopted the customs and the language of the Romans. This makes it clear that they must have been comparatively few in number, but their bravery enabled them to impose themselves as the ruling class though they were soon absorbed into the populations among whom they dwelt. Their Teutonic brothers left beyond the Rhine, kept their own language, but the Franks adopted the conver sational bats of the time and then gradually modified it more, as also happened in other southern countries, until the modern Romance languages came into existence. Even their own special laws came to be written in the Latin language for use itt the established courts along side the Roman Law.
The work of Clovis is the most far-reathing of the time. That of Theodoric was destined to destruction within a generation but the kings dom of the Franks was under successive dynas ties to remain a power in Europe and to be the great bulwark against further Germanic inva sion of the South, even as late as the 20th century. It was extremely difficult even for Christianity to modify the nature of these rude Germanic peoples, and their barbaric traits were constantly manifesting themselves in the bitter internal dissensions which occurred for several centuries and in the cruelties which they pra& tised. Recent discoveries reveal, however, that in the arts and crafts they did some very beautiful work in the Merovingian period, specimens of which fortunately have been un earthed in our time. Gradually the spirit' of Christianity refined their natures, but without overcoming the vigorous racial peculiarities which made their presence in the decadent Roman Empire so important for the renewal of civilization that was destined to come.
The women of the 5th century played a much more important r6le than would usually be thought possible at the beginning of what used to be called the Dark Ages, Indeed, a period of comparative peaCe and opportunity for progress in the Eastern Empire was 'due mainly to a great woman ruler. When Arcadius, the son of Theodosius the Great, to whom the Eastern Empire had fallen by his father's will, died in 408, he left the empire to, his son, Theodosius II, who was only seven years' old: Arcadius' reign of 30 years had been one long series of disturbances after another. Rebellion
within the empire was due to tyrannical inva sions of the rights of the people, palace quar rels, incursions of barbarians from without. The outlook was not bright for the boy emperor. Fortunately his sister Pulcheria, much older than he, was a strong character and maintained her brother's rights. In 414 she was proclaimed Augusta and became Regent. She fulfilled her duties as a ruler with magnificent adminik trative ability and selected generals wholCom, pelted the Huns to • retire from ThriCe and.'the Scirians, a people scarcely less to be' feaied than the Huns, were entirely subdued. The Illyrian towns were better protected thin tliey ever had been before under the 1Eastern Empire.- • .
'With all this administrative ability, Puleheria was a woman of strong piety yet of a very' simple, retiring disposition, and her sister being much like her, the imperial palace took on the appearance almost of a convent. She had no ambition to continue in power, and when Theo dosius was 20 years of age she turned over the government to him and helped to arrange for him the marriage with Athaneas, daughter of the Athenian philosopher Leontius, who at baptism took the name of Eudoxia or Eudokia. Theodosius continued to depend on her how ever, and Pulcheria's talent for administration materially helped the Empire in stormy times. Pope Leo the Great who had turned aside the wrath of Attila and of Gaiseric from Rome, looked upon her as his ablest coadjutor for the conservation of Christianity. He wrote to her that the suppression of the dangerous Nestorian and Eutychian heresies were due largely to her. In the midst of all this, Puicheria somehow found the time to spend many hours in personal service to' the 'poor. She came to be looked upon according to an expression of the time as ea tender sister of those who needed hap.* Saint John Chrytostom, the famous Bishop of Constantinople, consecrated 398, had at the beginning the 5th century erected a hospital at Constantinople and made a magnificent be ginning. of the organization of social work *inch had been rudely interrupted by his ban-• ishment. Pnleheria 'took up this work, founded a series of hospitals' and of shelters' for' the poor kospitum et donsicilics (Old Chronicle). Her example of piety and' charity had much to do with miti gating.the asperities of the religious division which in the • East' at this. time was so prone to take on a character of bitter intolerance and cruel persecution. No she is venerated as a saint by the Greek and the other Oriental. and 'by the Latins.