Francus

Francus is a legendary figure in medieval Frankish historiography, presented as an eponymous ancestor of the Franks and, in later traditions, as a descendant of the Trojans.

Francus is a legendary figure in medieval Frankish historiography, presented as an eponymous ancestor of the Franks and, in later traditions, as a descendant of the Trojans.

What it is

Francus appears in medieval Frankish origin legends as a founding ancestor of the Franks. Some accounts connect him to Trojan ancestry and to the Merovingian dynasty. The name appears in Latin as *Francus* and in related forms such as *Francio* or *Francion*.

Why it matters

The legend of Francus is part of a broader medieval effort to give the Franks a prestigious Trojan origin, paralleling Roman origin myths. This helped legitimize Frankish identity and royal genealogy by linking them to heroic antiquity.

Key details

Renaissance writers often equated Francus with Astyanax, the son of Hector, who survived the fall of Troy. Medieval texts depict him as a Trojan-descended founder figure, sometimes as a cousin or descendant of Priam, and later as an ancestor of Frankish kings.