Alsace was colonized by the Romans from 58 BP to the Vth century. The region was then invaded by the Alamans, who were eventually defeated by Clovis, king of the Franks, in Tolbiac (now Zülpich, near Bonn in Germany) in 496 or 506.
During the Merovingian period (VI-VIIIth centuries), Alsace was a duchy, and became a country during the Carolingian period. The name of Alsace appeared in the VIIth century with duke Erichon, father of Sainte Odile, the patron saint of Alsace. The division in Upper- and Lower-Alsace, initially known as the counties of Sundgau and Nordgau, respectively, was probably based on the Roman dioceses of Basle and Strasbourg.