With a strong influence from the Romans, and a need for social order, the kings of the Burgundians adopted a written code of law "the Burgundian Code. The code, adopted in the late fifth and early sixth centuries, is a reflection of the Burgundians strict attachment to God, separation of social groups, and unjust treatment of women.
Impossible to miss, the relationship between God and state is present throughout the entirety of the Code. Even its "First Constitution- begins with, "In the name of God in the second year of the reign of our lord the most glorious king Gundobad, this book concerning laws past and present, and to be preserved throughout all future time- ("First Constitution,"" 106) This relationship between God and state is important for two reasons: First, it illustrates that the Burgundians are a religious people; secondly, it reveals the source of power for the Burgundian rulers. The Code is so embedded with religious undertones, either the Burgundian kings were truly devout, or they were using God to help them establish power "or both. Most likely the Burgundian king's power stemmed from the Burundians devotion to God, and their need for that union. Nonetheless it is important to recognize the importance that religion plays in the lives of the Burgundians, for it is intertwined in its very law.
The code also carries a strong sense of social group separation. Almost each set of laws differs for what social group or sex the Burgundian is. For example, if someone is murdered, the murderer is required "to pay to the relatives of the person killed half his wergeld according to the status of the person: that is, if he shall have killed a noble of the highest class (optimas nobilis), we decree that the payment be set at one hundred fifty solidi, i.e., half his wergeld; if a person of middle class (mediocris), one hundred solidi; if a person of the lowest class (minor persona), seventy-five solidi.
Despite her military successes, Joan is captured by the Burgundians, who sell her to their allies, the English. ... Joan also cuts her hair to reduce the disparity between her and the rest of the men in her army, a very rebellious act against society's codes for the appearance of women. ...
