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History of the Franks

St Gregory of Tours, tr. Dalton, 1927

Book 2, 35. How Clovis and Alaric Came Face to Face

Now when Alaric, king of the Goths, beheld the manner in which King Clovis kept steadily subduing his neighbours in war, he sent envoys to him with this message: ‘If it please thee, O my brother, I am minded that we two meet by God’s grace.’ Clovis did not refuse, but came to him. They met on an island in the Loire near the village of Amboise in the territory of the city of Tours. There they conversed, ate and drank together, swore mutual friendship, and parted in peace. Many people in Gaul at this time ardently desired to live under the dominion of the Franks.