page_title: Ledringhem
section_title: Frankish Empire
hierarchical_section_title: Ledringhem / History / Frankish Empire
context_page_description: Ledringhem is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.
  It is situated also in the ancient territory of the County of Flanders, in the Houtland in the Franse Westhoek where French Flemish was still spoken until recently.
  The residents of Ledringhem are called in French Ledringhemois.
context_section_description: In Gaul, the Franks, a fusion of western Germanic tribes whose leaders had been strongly aligned with Rome since the 3rd century, subsequently entered Roman lands more gradually and peacefully during the 5th century, and were generally endured as rulers by the Roman-Gaulish population.
  The Franks became foederati in 358 AD, when Emperor Julian let them keep the areas in northern Gaul, which had been depopulated during the preceding century. Roman soldiers defended the Rhine and had major armies 100 miles (160 km) south and west of the Rhine. Frankish settlers were established in the areas north and east of the Romans and helped with the Roman defense by providing intelligence and a buffer state. The breach of the Rhine borders in the frozen winter of 406 and 407 made an end to the Roman presence at the Rhine when both the Romans and the allied Franks were overrun by a tribal migration en masse of Vandals and Alans.
  They emerged victorious and Belgica Secunda became in the 5th century the center of Clovis' Merovingian kingdom and during the 8th century the heart of the Carolingian Empire.
  The current territory of the village of Ledringhem became part of Francia, the territory held by Franks, in 481. It became part of West Francia in 843, and more accurately part of Neustria.
  From 830 until around 910, the Vikings invaded Flanders. After the destruction caused by Norman and Magyar invasion, the eastern part of the region fell under the eyes of the area's princes.
  In 962, Baldwin III, Count of Flanders, son, co-ruler, and heir of Arnulf I died and Arnulf bequeathed Flanders to Lothair of France. On Arnulf's death in 965, Lothair invaded Flanders and took many cities, but was eventually repulsed by the supporters of Arnulf II. He temporarily remained in control of Arras and Douai.
  Old Dutch was the Frankish dialects spoken and written in the Low Countries during the Early Middle Ages. It evolved from Old Frankish around the 6th century and in turn evolved into Middle Dutch around the 12th century.
caption: Southern part of the Low Countries with bisschopry towns and abbeys c. 7th century. Abbeys were the onset to larger villages and even some towns.