Lètes

Etymology

Lètes drift of the Germanic term " Laeten" meaning " laissés" , in fact those which one let live. It designates the members of indeed certain tribes saved by the Roman army after their defeat. The Latin term ( plural Latus Laeti ) appears for the first time into 297 after reprisals against a raid Alamans, but the statute existed already front.

A depreciated statute

It corresponds indeed in the Roman law to the condition of Déditice, the deprivation of very civic right, which places directly under the capacity of the emperor. The subjected barbarians were disarmed and moved of force towards the grounds of the empire, which they were to cultivate. The men moreover were compelled with the obligatory military service. They became thus subjects of the empire, but placed directly under military domination, contrary to the Gallo-Romans who could resort to the civil administration.

From the Roman point of view, this operation made it possible to revalorize the grounds forsaken by their traditional populations (it is the case in Dacie, Pannonia and in Illyrie after 375, for example) and to cure the problems of recruitment of the army while structurally moving away a threat for the files . From the Germanic point of view, this condition is extremely defamatory: not only they are overcome, but in more one testifies to pity in their connection, then one forces them to become farmers, without these weapons which were the mark of their statute of man in the Germanic tradition. At the time of the military service, they were mowed (the long hair was also the mark of their freedom).

The children of these overcome are also " Lètes" , but it is possible for the men who survive a complete military career to reach the full citizenship.

It is advisable to differentiate Lètes from the federate people like Goths, which them, keep an autonomy (the foedus is a contract of equal footing, not a tender).

Identity

In a general way they are not to take as a Community group (in which case, to read federate Peuple) but on the individual level as of the colonists who are reimplanted on the grounds which theirs are assigned. They do not lose to them Germanic culture inevitably, and their adhesion with the Latin Culture and its cultural Rayonnement is relative, which probably leads them to change allegiance once the Gothic armies cross the provinces (to read Gothic Guerres, Bataille of Turkey-red cotton and gesture of Alaric).

Lètes are present on many borders of the empire, but in Belgium second (between the Rhine and the Ardennes) they play a part without equivalent. Saliens are indeed déditices , and they seem to accept this statute better than many other cruel tribes, at the point to make a element-key of their identity of it, which will have original institutional consequences. For more details on Lètes francs, to see this article.

Defeats

The East and Western Empires will see at the 5th century of the defeats vis-a-vis the armies united of barbarians (masses of Goths moving after 376 in the east, invasion by the cold Rhine into 406, sudden appearance of the Empire hunnic in Europe leading the imperial authorities to take 20 of it; 000 like Auxiliary). It is on the other hand not very probable that the Empire individually entrusted grounds to Lètes among Huns, taking into account the difference in sedentary/wandering lifestyle.

contingent of warriors

Thus appears the situation of a treated with a war leader of barbarian people, which this time exceed the individual framework of Lètes. After negotiation of the give-and-take are fixed. The chief reigns at the same time on his people since he guided his displacement, and on the territory on which the Empire confines it in the exchange of the suspension of the combat (quotas of warriors Alains will thus have several quarterings throughout their tour, and Attila will try to twice rejoin them by Orleans, then in Auvergne at the time of his incursion as a Gaulle).

sedentarized people

At the end of the 5th century, the grounds of the Western Empire are in majority (except a tiny room) under the obedience of whole people which transform Potentat S badly defined into first kingdoms structured. The fœdus was not broken, since the contracting party disappeared by the intrigues of Odoacre: the Roman authority is surbedded in the west.

Continuation of the phenomenon around Byzance

The Byzantine empire will continue the principle of reception of the people arising to its doors on its ground (to read medieval Croatian State), in a late context of the Great invasions (after the 6th century). This will contribute to the installation of the mosaic of people in Balkans (remote origin of the Balkanisation). On the other hand, Byzance will not be able to treat thus nor with the Avars or the Magyars. The Persian Sassanides and the Arab Empire will form the essence of confrontation mobilizing the Byzantine army, and obliging it to compose with the other people in his back-yard.

Lètes in Gaulle

For the infantry ( praesentales pediti ), the Préfet S ( Praefectus laetorum ) direct their troops, like the regular units, under the general command of the Magister militum.

In Gaulle Lyons

Teutons, in Carnunta in Senoniae Lugdunensis.
Batavori and Svevori gentiles, in Baiocas and Constantiae in Lugdunensis secundae.
Suèves gentiles , ....... and Ceromannos in Lugdunensis tertiae.
Frank with Redonas in Lugdensis tertiae.

In Gaulle Aquitaine

of other gentiles Svevorum, Arumbernos in Aquitanicae primae.

In Gaulle Belgium

Lingonenses per diversa dispersorum in Belgicae primae.
Acti in Epuso in Belgicae primae.
Nerviens in Fanomantis in Belgicae secundae.
Batavian with Nemetacenses, Atrabatis in Belgicae secundae.
of other Batavian, in Contraginnenses, Noviomago in Belgicae secundae.
gentiles not specified in Remo and Silvanectas in Belgicae secundae.
Lagenses and Tungri in Germaniae secundae.

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