Burgundians

The Burgundians were part of the East-Germanic tribes from the Mare Suebicum, later called the Baltic Sea . Burgundians lived at the Vistula river and with the onslaught of Slavs coming into Germania , they were pushed with many other Germanic tribes to the west . Burgundians next lived in the Brandenburg-Berlin (main area of the main tribe of the Suebi , the Semnonen) area and gradually were pushed to the Rhineland. Tacitus in 98 AD in his "Agricola" and "Germania" recorded all Eastern Germanic tribes including the Burgundians, Semnonen, Gothonen, Goths ,etc under the collective name of Suebi- Sweben.

A large group went as soldiers into Roman service . They settled in Lugdunensis.

Their main area of settlement became the Rhineland area around the city of Worms in Germany. They were spread over southwestern Gaul; that is, Northern Italy, Western Switerland, Eastern France.

One of the earliest Germanic Law Codes (Burgunderrecht) ,was recorded by Gundobad?, who died in 516. This recorded the Germanic laws based on tribal customs. King Sigismund (died 523/4 wrote down the "Prima Contitutio". Another law code is the "Lex Romana Burgundionum".

A daughter of a Burgundian king was married to Theodoric the Great of the Goths.

Since they did live together with Franks, Goths , Swabians etc, it is difficult to tell different place names and language apart.

A record of the Burgundians remains with the "Niebelungen Lied".

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