Francus

Francus, also called Francio, is a mythical figure from Frankish medieval historiography, regarded as the eponymous king of the Franks and a descendant of the Trojans. He was considered the forefather of the Merovingian dynasty, and during the Renaissance was often identified with the Trojan Astyanax, son of Hector, who was saved from the destruction of Troy. Medieval and Renaissance chroniclers modeled the founding of France on the tradition used by Virgil in the Aeneid, which had Rome founded by the Trojan Aeneas. The 7th-century Chronicle of Fredegar contains the oldest mention of the legend linking the Franks to the Trojans, and the Carolingian Liber historiae Francorum added new details. The tradition was elaborated throughout the Middle Ages and taken seriously as genealogy, becoming a form of ethnic consciousness.