ALAMANNI. – Also called Alemanni or Suebi, they were one of the great Germanic tribes that later formed the kingdom of the Eastern Franks and Germany. During the 3rd century they moved from the middle Elba toward the Main and the Danube. Around the mid-5th century, under pressure from the Burgundians and other peoples, they invaded the entire region between the Vosges, the Lech, and the Danube, as well as all of present-day German-speaking Switzerland. They were governed by their own dukes and were still pagan. From about 496 they lost their independence and came under the rule, first of the Franks, then of the Ostrogoths and Burgundians, and finally under the Frankish kingdom. From that time began their conversion to Christianity, which proceeded very slowly and lasted until the 8th century.
In the region, the bishoprics from the Roman era continued to exist, such as that of Vindonissa (Windisch), which was transferred in the second half of the 6th century to Aventicum (Avenches) and, around 600, to Lausanne; and that of Augusta, later Constance, to which was soon added the see of Basel. The bishops, initially of Roman origin, later bore Germanic names as well. The best-known missionaries are the saints: Columbanus, Gall, Fridolin, Trudbert, Pirmin, etc. Among the centers of evangelization, the monasteries of St. Gall, Disentis, Pfäfers, Reichenau, Säckingen, Trudpert, Weissenburg, etc., are to be noted.
The *Lex Alamannorum* (MGH, *Leges*, III, ed. J. Merkel), in its two versions, the Glottarian (718–719) and the Lantfridan, is a document that demonstrates the penetration of Christianity among the Alemanni; it imposes excommunication on those who dare violate donations made to churches; subjects who take refuge in ecclesiastical sanctuaries are treated with special consideration; the fine for the killing of bishops, priests, deacons, subdeacons, and monks is higher than that for a simple layman. The fine for the killing of a bishop is generally equal to that for the killing of a duke (triple fine); for damages done to churches, it is three times higher than ordinary fines.