Clovis

Clovis. 1 City (1990 pop. 50,323), Fresno co., S central Calif., near the foothills of the Sierra Nevada range; inc. 1912. It is a growing trade center in a farm and vineyard area; the population more than tripled from 1970 to 1990. 2 City (1990 pop. 30,954), seat of Curry co., E N.Mex., near the Texas line; inc. 1909. It is a railroad division point, the trade center of a cattle and irrigated farm area (with large stockyards), and the home of Cannon Air Force Base, a tactical air command facility. A state park is nearby. A huge county fair and a rodeo are annual events. The Clovis Complex, an archaeological find near the city, has provided the unearthing of ancient spearhead remnants.

German Chlodweg

(born circa 466—died Nov. 27, 511, Paris, Fr.) Merovingian founder of the Frankish kingdom. The son of Childeric I, king of the Salian Franks, Clovis was still a pagan when he conquered the last Roman ruler in Gaul at Soissons (486). He extended his rule as far south as Paris by 494. His wife, Clotilda, was a Catholic princess later recognized as a saint. She sought to convert Clovis to her faith. According to Gregory of Tours, during a faltering campaign against the Alamanni in 496, Clovis invoked his wife's god and saw defeat turned to victory. He was baptized at Reims two years later, and he credited St. Martin of Tours for his victory over the Visigoths. Although he was the first Germanic king to accept Catholic Christianity, Clovis expressed interest in Arian Christianity before converting to his wife's religion. He promulgated the legal code known as the Lex Salica. He is traditionally regarded as the founder of the French monarchy and the original French champion of the Christian faith.

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Clovis may refer to:

In geography:

• Clovis, California
• Clovis, New Mexico

In royalty:

• Clovis I, the first king of the Franks to unite that entire nation
• Clovis II, king of Neustria and Burgundy
• Clovis III, the king of Austrasia from 675 to 676
• Clovis IV, the sole king of the Franks from 691 until his death

In archaeology:

• Clovis culture, the Paleo Indian culture of North America that first appears in the archaeological record of North America
• Clovis point, the oldest flint tools associated with the North American Clovis culture
• Clovis comet, a hypothetical comet impact event in North America around 12,900 years ago which caused the end of the Clovis culture and the extinction of many large mammals.

In literature:

• Clovis Dardentor, 1896 fiction novel by French writer Jules Verne
• Clovis Sangrail, a character in the short stories of Saki, named because he was "so appallingly frank"

In biography:

• Clovis Cornillac (born 1967), French actor

In video games:

• Clovis, the main antagonist in Blade Runner (game)

In anime:

• Clovis la Britannia, a character in Code Geass