Public opinion reflects new stance
Clotaire I, one of Clovis' sons, managed to reunite Francia by outliving his brothers, and seizing their territory after they died. He even had his nephews murdered as children, to prevent their claim to their fathers' lands. However, upon his death, Clotaire I left the Merovingian kingdom to his four sons, again leading to division.
The son of Chilperic I with his third wife was Clotaire II. He would carry on the family tradition of feuding.
One legend describes the Merovingians as being descended from the Quinotaur, a type of sea beast. This story from Germanic mythology was taken to show that the royal dynasty had supernatural origin.
Clovis II was the son of Dagobert I. He succeeded him to became the first of what are known as the roi fainéant, or "lazy kings."
Childebert II ruled over Austrasia (which included Provence, which was under Merovingian rule at the time). His father was assassinated when he was only five years old, and he was adopted by both Chilperic I of Paris and Burgundian king Guntrum. Childebert and his wife were poisoned in 596 CE.
Clovis realized he would find it difficult to rule Gaul without the clergy's help. He married a Nicene Christian wife, later being baptized himself. This set him apart from the Visigoth and Vandal kings of the time.
During the Roman Empire and the Early Middle Ages, a Western European people known as the Franks extended their power and influence from the Lower Rhine region to in and around present-day France.
Between 561 CE and 567 CE, the internal struggles in the family led to new political configurations, as land was partitioned. For example, Austrasia was created from the Rhine, Moselle, and Meuse districts, which had formerly been the Kingdom of Reims.
On the death of Clovis, his kingdom was partitioned between his four sons, Theuderic, Chlodomer, Childebert, and Clotaire.
Gregory of Tours, a Roman historian, recorded much of what is still known about the Merovingians. According to him, Charibert I was one of the most dissolute of them. He kept four wives, which led to his excommunication.
The Lex Salica did not allow for the concept of new law; it was concerned with upholding tradition. It was not universal law, i.e. based on equity and applicable to all. Instead, it was applied to each man depending on his origin.
One of the few Merovingians who practiced monogamy, Clotaire II unified the Franks once more and renewed a treaty of friendship between the Frankish kings and the kings of the Lombards (present-day northern Italy).
During this time, the kings became dominated by the secular palace mayors. "There was nothing left the King to do but to be content with his name of King, his flowing hair, and long beard, to sit on his throne and play the ruler," one record states.
Traditionally, Frankish tribal leaders wore their hair long, while warriors wore theirs short. The Merovingians continued the long hair tradition, earning them the title of the "long hair kings" among their contemporaries.
Clovis was the first king of the Franks to unite all the Frankish tribes under one ruler. There were several, small petty Frankish kingdoms in existence in the 5th century, which under his rulership were brought together. For this reason, he's often viewed as the first Merovingian king.
This tradition would lead to disunity between the new political units of the Kingdoms of Rheims, Orléans, Paris, and Soissons until the end of the Merovingian dynasty in 751 CE.
Under the reign of Clovis, Salic Frank law was codified for the first time. It incorporated aspects of Christianity, as well as Salic legal and Roman tradition.
The Merovingian kingdom was in an almost constant state of war, usually civil, from 511 CE onwards. Effective rulership was diminished, in sharp contrast to the first century of Merovingian rule, which established the Frankish state as the most stable and important in Western Europe.
Building on the legacy of the Merovingian's dynasty, the Carolingians came to be the most important ruling dynasty in Western Europe.
Eventually, the Merovingians were supplanted by the Carolingian dynasty as kings of Francia. The Frankish realm was divided between east and west, with those to the west becoming known as the French.
Today in Luxeuil-les-Bains, The Ecclesia is an architectural showcase housing the Philippe Kahn Gallery and the Saint-Martin archaeological site with Merovingian tombs on display.
Sources: (Britannica) (World History Encyclopedia) (New World Encyclopedia) (World History)
Clovis was just 15 years old when he succeeded his father. He led troops to victory at the Battle of Tolbiac against the Alemanni in 496 CE, and later defeated the Visigoths of Toulouse in 507 CE.
Mayor of the Palace in Austrasia in 680, Pepin II, known as Pepin of Herstal, embarked on numerous wars to further the expansion of his power. Pepin's statesmanship was notable as it reduced Merovingian royal authority, and his victories in battle drew acceptance of the undisputed right to rule for his family.
Pepin the Short's oldest son with Bertrada of Laon, Charlemagne, would lead the expansion of the Carolingian dynasty. In 800 CE, Charlemagne was crowned emperor by Pope Leo III, the first emperor recognized as ruling Western Europe since the fall of the Romans.
However, this could have been a way to explain the surname, which means "sea-bull." There is no evidence that the Merovingians ever made the claim to be descended from God, as some other monarchies in Europe did.
A figure of Merovingian myth, Merovech is claimed to be the ancestor of the Merovingian dynasty. If he did exist, there is debate about whether his father is a sea creature or a Frankish king named Chlodio.
From the victory in the Battle of Tertry forward, the Pepin clan became senior figures in Francia. It paved the way for Pepin's heirs to see the beginning of the Carolingian dynasty.
The last of the Merovingian kings was Childeric III, who was deposed in 751. Pepin the Short, the grandson of Pepin of Herstal, became the first Carolingian king.
Dagobert I later came to be known as the last king to wield Merovingian power. Only 36 when he died, he would go down as one of the greatest Merovingian kings. He became immortalized in a nursery rhyme, Le bon roi Dagobert ('The Good King Dagobert').
The Merovingians, in contemporary fiction, have been portrayed as coming from a sacred bloodline. But who were they, really? This ancient family started out as Salian Frank rulers, who had to provide the Romans with military service. Helping to defend the empire from Barbarian invasions, they also were allowed to collect power from within the existing Roman power structure. From roughly 481 CE to 751 CE, the Merovingians rose to dynastic levels of power, despite in-fighting and feuding, before becoming known as the "do nothing kings."
Intrigued? Click on to learn about this fascinating family.
What was the Merovingian dynasty?
France's earliest monarchs
LIFESTYLE France
The Merovingians, in contemporary fiction, have been portrayed as coming from a sacred bloodline. But who were they, really? This ancient family started out as Salian Frank rulers, who had to provide the Romans with military service. Helping to defend the empire from Barbarian invasions, they also were allowed to collect power from within the existing Roman power structure. From roughly 481 CE to 751 CE, the Merovingians rose to dynastic levels of power, despite in-fighting and feuding, before becoming known as the "do nothing kings."
Intrigued? Click on to learn about this fascinating family.