Editing Chlothar I (section)

==Customs and inheritance==
Chlothar's father, Clovis I, had converted to [[Nicene Christianity]], but Chlothar, like other Merovingians, did not consider that the Christian doctrine of [[monogamy]] should be expected of royalty: he had five wives, more from political expediency, for the purpose of forming alliances, than for personal motives. Although at the instigation of his queens he gave money for several new ecclesiastical edifices, he was a less than enthusiastic Christian and succeeded in introducing taxes on ecclesiastical property.

Frankish customs of the day allowed for the practice of [[polygamy]], especially among royalty. So it was not uncommon for a king to have multiple wives and several competing heirs upon his death. This was a major deviation from the monogamy of late Roman customs, influenced by the Church. Frankish rulers followed this practice mainly to increase their influence across larger areas of land in the wake of the Roman empire's collapse. The aim was to maintain peace and ensure the preservation of the kingdom by appeasing local leaders.<ref name="rouche1">Rouche, Michel. ''Aquitaine from the Visigoths to the Arabs, 418–781 : naissance d'une région'', Paris, École des hautes études en sciences sociales, Jean Touzot, 1979</ref> In the Germanic tradition succession fell, not to sons, but to younger brothers, uncles, and cousins. But under [[Salic law]], Clovis I instituted the custom of sons being the primary heirs in all respects. However, it was not a system of [[primogeniture]], with the eldest son receiving the vast majority of an inheritance, rather the inheritance was split evenly between all the sons. Therefore, the greater Frankish Kingdom was often splintered into smaller sub-kingdoms.<ref name="rouche1" />