kingdom · France and the Low Countries

Kingdom of Cambrai

470 CE – 509 CE (approx.) · capital Cambrai

Small Frankish kingdom around Cambrai, ruled by Clovis' kinsman Ragnachar until Clovis eliminated him.

Origins

Cambrai was taken by the Salian king Chlodio in the mid 5th century, and by the 480s it was the seat of a separate Frankish king, Ragnachar, a relative of Clovis. Known almost only from Gregory of Tours.

Rule and society

Ragnachar joined Clovis against Syagrius and the Domain of Soissons in 486. Gregory portrays him as a debauched ruler who lost the loyalty of his warriors.

Decline and legacy

Around 509 Clovis bribed Ragnachar's followers with armlets of gilded bronze passed off as gold, defeated him and killed him and his brother Richar with his own axe. Cambrai was absorbed into the Kingdom of the Franks.

Few sources survive for this state; details are uncertain.

Connections (1)

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Kingdom of Cambrai. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-cambrai
MLA
“Kingdom of Cambrai.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-cambrai. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Kingdom of Cambrai.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-cambrai.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Kingdom of Cambrai’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-cambrai (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻