i am attempting to refute the whole hallowed doctrine of the difference between the beginnings of the west-frankish, "french", "principautés territoriales", and the east-frankish, "german," stem-duchies. . . certainly, their names had already appeared during the migrations. yet, their political institutional, and biological structures had more often than not thoroughly changed. i have, moreover, refuted the basic difference between the so-called "älteres stammesfürstentum" [older tribal principalities] and "jüngeres stammesfürstentum" [newer tribal principalities], since i consider the duchies before and after charlemagne to have been basically the same frankish institution. . .