The military organisation of the Teutonic nations was founded on two principles. When a gow, or a confederation of several Bows, determined on war, every freeman was obliged to take up arms for the defence of the commonwealth. But war was sometimes made for the private interest of some powerful noble, who carried it on with his " dienst-gefolge," which was a numerous body when the military renown of the chiefs, or the hope of easy conquests, promised rich rewards to the adventurous band.
We know little about the religion of the ancient Teutonic nations. They worshipped a supreme being under the name of Woden or Odin, but the true character of their religion was the worship of Nature in her different manifestations. Thor, Ilertha, and Freya were personifi cations of the power of heaven, of earth, and of love and procreation. (Scalansaviar: Mi*THOLOGY.
Such was the moral, sodal, and political state of the Teutonic nations when they began their wars with Rome. The Valium Roma num prevented thew from invading the Roman empire during the 1st and 2nd centuries. In the 3d century they often crossed it. In the 4th they conquered • considerable part of the countries on the Danube ; and in the 5th they invaded and conquered all the European provinces of the Roman empire.
Alessanni. [AtEmaxst, In the GEOG. Div., under which head the political history will be found.)—The Lex A temannornia was revised in the time of Dagobert, king of the Franks, and again by Lantfried, the Frankish duke of Alemannia, iu tho beginning of the 8th century. There is no trace of the Roman law in it except in one single case (tit. 30). The Lex Alcmannorurn, as well as all the other earlier codes of the Teutonic nations, are contained in Ferdinand Walter's ' Corpus Juris Germanici.' Siehard published an edition of it in the Loges Ripstariorum, Bajuvariorum, et Alemannorum; 1530, Svo. Besides these collections, the Teutonic laws are in the collections of Herold, Lindenbrog, Eccard, Hciueccius, Gcorgish, Canciani, and Baluzius.
Berranidians. [13URGUNDIANS, KINOS OF TIM, in 13100.
The Burgundian came from north-east Germany, and first assisted the Alermund against the Romans ; but they left Germany as early as the beginning of the 5th century, penetrated into Gaul, and formed the powerful kingdom of Burgundy on both sides of the Jura, which was incorporated with the kingdom of the Franks in 534. The collection of the Burgundian laws, Lex Burgundionum, Gundobada," Gundobarda," Lei Gombette,' was made towards the end of the 5th century, under king Gundobald, who died in Ma, and was augmented (517) by king Siegmund, who died in 523. The legislation of Gundobald goes as far as title 42. The following titles, although they contain laws and regulations of Gundo bald, were added by Siegmund, who completed the code by two "additamenta," containing his own laws. Charlemagne made a third
additamentum, without altering the code itself. The Lex Burgun dionum, which is written in much purer Latin than most of the other Teutonic codes, contains several of the rules of the Roman law concerning donations, and especially testaments (tit. 43 and 60). A separate edition was published at Lyon in 1611.
Pranks. [Fusser., in the CE00. Div., gives the political history of the Franks.)—In the very countries which the Romans traversed on their way to the woods where Yarns was slain, the Usipetes, the Tencteri, the Sicambri, the Brueteri, the Ansibarii, the Marsi, the Tubantes, the Chamavi, and the Chatti—all tribes belonging to the northern, now Saxon branch (Ingaevones) of the Germani—formed a confederation and called themselves Franks, either because they were particularly " free and bold," or on account of their "barbed lances" (framere). The Franks were divided into Franci Saliei, who lived in the Low Countries between the Zuider Zee, the Maass, and the Somme ; and Franci Itipurnii, who were settled along the Rhine between Nymegen and Bonn. Each of them had their code. The Ler Salica was written in very barbarous Latin, under Clovis, between 484 and 498, and was never revised, although it contains some laws by the sons of Clovis, which begin with the 02nd (63rd) title. Except one rule in title 14, about the rape of free persona, and another concerning marriage within the prohibited degrees, this code contains no trace of the Roman law. It is very important for the history of the laws of the Teutonic nations. The ancient Lex Salim is often confounded with the present Salic Law, which regulates the right of succession in several sovereign and noble families in Europe. But this latter Salle law is only a single rule of the Lex Salica, and originally concerned the succession to the tax-free estates of free or noble Franks (terra Salim), which belonged to the male issue, to the exclusion of females. It is contained in title 62, ' Da Alode; 1. 6 : " De terra vero Sullen nulla portio hacreditatis mulicri veuiat : sod ad virilem sexum tots terse haereditas perveniat." This law was not peculiar to the Franci Saliei : it occurs in the greater part of the other ancient Teutonic lava. (Wiarda, ' Oeschiehte uud Aualegung dos Salisehen Gesetzes; ' Heineceitte, Ant. Germ.', p. 265, 285; a separate edition of the Lex Salica was published by l'ithott, l'aris, 1602, Svo.) The Lac Riptaria was collected by Theoderie, the son of Clovis, between 511 and 534. It was several times revised, especially by Dagobert. It resembles the Lex Salica, and contain no traces of the Roman law.