Clodion the Long-Haired, King of the Franks

This portrait depicts Clodion the Long-Haired, the early Merovingian leader remembered in late Roman tradition as one of the first Frankish kings to extend authority into northern Gaul. Published by Bernardo Giunti in Venice in 1588 within Cronica breue de i fatti illustri de' re di Francia, the image adopts the chronicle's consistent bust-length format, placing Clodion at the dawn of its visual lineage of French rulers. Though the historical record surrounding him is sparse, he stands in later Merovingian memory as a formative figure whose campaigns beyond the Rhine helped shape the political landscape from which the dynasty emerged. The chronicle positions him as a foundational ancestor, marking the transition from the final years of Roman Gaul to the early development of Frankish kingship.