Alemanni

The Alemanni were a confederation of Germanic tribes that inhabited the upper Rhine region during late antiquity and the early Middle Ages. The name, Latin Alamanni, appears in Roman sources from the 3rd century and is generally interpreted as meaning “all men.”

They settled in what is now southwestern Germany, Alsace, northern Switzerland, and parts of western Austria, with their historical core along the upper Rhine. This area became the heartland of Alemannic power and identity as Roman influence waned.

They are first described as hostile to Rome in the 3rd century, and they repeatedly crossed the Rhine to raid Gaul and northern Italy. The Battle of Argentoratum (Strasbourg) in 357 was a major clash with the Roman Empire, resulting in a Roman victory. In the 5th century their power declined as Germanic kingdoms reorganized; by the 6th century the Franks had incorporated Alamannia into their realm, and it became a duchy within East Francia.

The Alemanni spoke Alemannic dialects, which contributed to modern Alemannic German varieties such as Swabian, Alsatian, and Swiss German. Christianization followed in the 7th–8th centuries, with missionary activity and the establishment of early bishoprics. The name and cultural region survive in the Alemannic-speaking areas of present-day Germany, France, and Switzerland.