The "long-haired kings" became the first dynasty in the history of France. The Merovingians from pagan times until their fall wore long hair - a mandatory attribute of the monarch. Their subjects believed that the kings had a special magical power that personified the well-being of the entire Frankish people. Cutting off hair in those days directly meant the loss of all power. An example of the latter is Chlodoald, who later became known as Saint Claude.
The Merovingians are a whole period in the history of medieval France. Representatives of the dynasty significantly expanded the Frankish state, united the tribes under one crown. How long did the Merovingian dynasty rule in France? What were the most prominent represented by a noble family?
The mythical roots of the French dynasty
In the Middle Ages, many considered the first ruler of the Franks from the dynasty of "long-haired kings" of the semi-mythical Pharamond. In laterAt times, historians nevertheless came to the conclusion that such a Frankish ruler did not exist at all. In addition, Pharamond, the son of Mrakomir, descended from unknown Trojans who moved to Gaul, and the ancestors of the Merovingians were more often called the last Trojan king Priam or the hero of the Trojan war Aeneas, who came from the royal family of Dardani.
Origin of a noble name
According to the widespread version, which was confirmed by some historians, one of the ancestors of the French Merovingians was the legendary leader Merovei. He was the son or relative of Chlodion the Long-Haired (although, according to one legend, he was born to the wife of Chlodion from a sea monster) and ruled the Franks in 447-458. It is to him that the French kings owe their noble name. However, some researchers cannot confirm the fact of the actual existence of Chlodion, the Merovingians themselves did not doubt its reality and their origin.
Brief historical background
How long did the Merovingian dynasty rule in France? The clan traces its history back to Childeric, who ruled in 457-481. A brief overview of the reign of the Merovingian dynasty follows, then - more about each of the kings.
Childeric, the son of the semi-legendary Merovei, is considered by most modern historians to be the first historical leader of the Franks. It was under his reign that the territory of the Frankish state began to expand for the first time. However, the true founder of the kingdom is still considered the son of Childeric Clovis, who annexed the north of Gaul, expanding his possessions to the upper Rhine. He is the first amongrepresentatives of the dynasty was baptized, published the Salic Truth and made Paris the capital.
After Clovis, the kingdom was divided by his four sons: Chlothar became king of Soissons, Chlodomir of Orleans, Theodrich of Reims, Childebert of Paris. The fragmentation of the Frankish kingdom did not prevent the descendants of Clovis from resisting the Burgundians. The bloodless annexation of Provence dates back to the same time.
In the middle of the sixth century, Chlothar I united all of France for a short time (from 558 to 561), but after his death, the kingdom was split into three parts: Austrasia, Neustria and Burgundy. Aquitaine in the southwest was considered the common territory of all the kings of France.
The tradition of dividing the kingdom between sons was characteristic of all German peoples. All male children had to get their share, so in those days the lands were constantly divided. The desire to unite large territories under their rule eventually led to fratricidal wars. For example, after the death of Chlodomir, two of his heirs, united, killed the rest and divided France among themselves. But in the Middle Ages, blood feuds were widespread, so the struggle for land very quickly led to new conflicts and secret conspiracies.
An example of the latter is the forty-year war between the wives of the kings of Neustria and Austrasia. The son of Queen Neustria, who enlisted the support of the clergy, landowning magnates and counts, managed to unite three kingdoms under his rule, overthrowing and brutallyexecuting the Queen of Austrasia. After the death of the king, the land was inherited by his sons - Charibert and Dragobert. The latter's reign was especially successful. Dragobert managed to strengthen the monarchy and pursue a successful policy of conquest. He briefly captured Brittany, managed to annex Spain, Italy and the Slavic lands.
Despite the strengthening of the dominion of kings, more and more power in all three kingdoms was received by mayordoms. They acted as representatives of the monarchs before the nobility, managed the income and expenses of the royal court, and commanded the guards. The period of the actual reign of the majordoms is usually called the time of "lazy kings".
And yet the Merovingian dynasty in France was able to gain a foothold for some more time. The son of Dragobert Sigebert III was completely revered by his subjects as a saint, so Majordom Grimoald the Elder, guilty of attempting a coup d'état and seizing power, was then publicly executed.
The fall of the Merovingian dynasty dragged on for a century. Mayordoms more than once tried to actually remove the representatives of the first dynasty of kings from power, but many did not dare to take the throne. Pepin the Short, son of Charles Martel, after enlisting the support of the Pope, was proclaimed ruler of the Frankish kingdom. The last representative of the Merovingian dynasty in France, he had his hair cut and imprisoned in a monastery. This ended the reign of the dynasty, the Carolingians came to power.
How long did the Merovingian dynasty rule? The first representative of a noble house ascended the throne in 457year, the last - was imprisoned in a monastery in 751. Therefore, the Merovingians are a dynasty of Frankish kings, holding the reins of government from the second half of the fifth to the middle of the seventh century.
Childeric I: a ruler about whom little is known
Childeric I is the first king of the Merovingian dynasty, whose existence is confirmed by written and material historical sources. Little is known about the years of Helderic's reign, only fragmentary information about some battles and conquests has been preserved. For example, it is known that the future king fought in the battle of Orleans in 453, and later became an ally of the Romans.
During the reign of Childeric I, several religions peacefully coexisted in what is now France. There are no more exact data on the reign of the first real king from the Merovingian dynasty. The ruler died early, at about the age of forty. His grave was discovered in the middle of the seventeenth century near the church of Saint-Bris. In addition to weapons and jewelry, a signet ring with the inscription "King Childeric" was found in the tomb, which clearly proves that the burial belongs to this historical character.
Clovis I: one of the biggest politicians of his time
The main source of data on the life and reign of Clovis I was the Bishop of Tours. Other sources only repeat the information first described in the annals of Tur. Its author himself, Gregory of Tours, definitely knew people who personally knew Clovis I and his wife, remembered the years of his reign.
Clovis became king at the age of fifteen. Then the tribes of the Franks were scattered, and the young man did not inherit the entire kingdom, but only a small part of the lands with the center in Tournai. In the fifth year of his reign, the young king went to war against the weakened State of Syagriya. So he received in his possession the rich region of Gaul with the main city of Paris.
In the tenth year of his reign, Clovis began a war with the Thuringians. He fulfilled allied obligations to the ruler of the Ripuarian Franks. The Franks themselves did not want war, but the Thuringians brutally attacked them. Clovis I quickly defeated the Thuringians, the tribe was finally subdued by the end of the king's reign.
After this victory, the influence of Clovis I among other Germanic kings was so great that the hands of one of his three sisters were repeatedly asked by the rulers of many Germanic tribes. Clovis I himself, who already had an illegitimate son, then married the daughter of the king of the Burgundians.
The chosen one of the king - Clotilde - was a believing Christian and tried to convince her husband to accept this faith too. Clovis treated this with understanding, but did not dare to change his faith. She begged her husband, according to the Christian tradition, to baptize her first child, but her son died suddenly right in baptismal robes. The second son was also christened, he immediately became very ill. The mother prayed fervently for the he alth of the child. Chlodomir eventually recovered, but his father continued to reject Christianity.
After another victory, which the king won by invoking the name of Christ, Clovis nevertheless accepted a new faith. Baptismprovided the king with the support of the clergy and the population. The bishop, who urged the king to leave paganism, turned to him with the words: “Bow what he burned, burn what he worshiped” - this expression became winged.
In the future, Clovis I actively continued the expansion of the state. Also under him was written "Salic Truth" - the first collection of laws. How many years did the Merovingians rule in the person of this king? The founder of the Frankish state Clovis I was in power from 481 (482) to 511, after which the country passed to the heirs. The king died at the age of forty-two, having divided the lands among his four sons.
Four heirs of Clovis I
The eldest son of King Clovis I Theodoric ruled in Metz and Reims. Many historians consider him the illegitimate son of the king, since Theodoric's mother was a concubine. But, probably, she was the daughter of one of the leaders of the Germanic tribes. However, the marriage of the girl with Clovis I was not church, therefore it was considered invalid. Be that as it may, Theodoric received a large share in his father's inheritance, so in the eyes of his contemporaries he was quite a legitimate heir.
Even during the life of his father, the young man came of age and even commanded troops in one of the wars. After the death of Clovis I, he received land along the Rhine, east of the Rhine, along the Meuse, as well as the districts of Chalons, Reims, Basel. During his reign, he conquered some more territories.
Chlodomir - the second son of Clovis I - received territories in the Loire basin (Kingdom of Orleans). The heir of Clovis ruled for a relatively short time (511-524), he was killed in the war with the Burgundians.
Childebert I received Paris and surrounding lands. Together with his brothers, he fought with the Burgundians, in which Chlodomir died. The brothers killed the sons of Chlodomir, and his kingdom was divided among themselves. Childebert I got the areas north of the Loire, Orleans, Bourges and Chartres. The whole life of this king (which was not uncommon in the Middle Ages) was spent in wars and battles.
How long did the Merovingians, heirs of Clovis I, rule in France? His sons did not long reign in peace and harmony. The younger one managed to briefly unite the state, but at the cost of fratricide and the cruel elimination of their heirs.
The youngest son of Clovis I and Clotilde, Chlothar I managed to annex the southern part of the Burgundian state and Astrasia to the kingdom of Soissons received from his father. Chlothar I lived long enough for his time, he died in the fifty-first year of his reign. After a short unification of the lands, the kingdom was again fragmented between the four sons of Chlothar I.
A time of bloody wars and conspiracies
How long did the Merovingian dynasty rule after that? By the time of the death of Clovis I, the son of the founder of the state, the dynasty had been in power for more than a century. The heirs of Clovis I, according to a long tradition, divided the state into four parts: Charibert I got the Paris basin, part of Aquitaine and Provence, Sigibert I - the eastern part of France with its capital in Reims, Chilperic I - the kingdom of Soissons, Guntramn - Orleans.
It was on this generation that the forty-year war between Fredegonda and Brunhilde, the wives of kings Chilperic I and Sigibert I, began. The complex conflict was both the result of a conspiracy and territorial ambitions. After a long war, at the suggestion of Brunnhilde, the young Sigibert II ascended the throne, but he was quickly replaced by Chlothar II, who ruled for sixteen years.
How long did the Merovingians rule at this time? Despite the fact that bloody wars were constantly waged in the state and secret conspiracies were being prepared, the dynasty was in power. By the death of Chlothar II in 629, the Merovingians had been on the throne for over one hundred and seventy years.
Dragobert's reign I
The next king was Chlothar II's son Dragobert I. During his reign, he was the only king who united the entire Frankish state under his rule. Dragobert I conducted a successful military campaign against the Basques in the southern part of the state, and later went to Gascony. At the same time, at the contact of the territories of the Germanic and Slavic tribes, the Slavic state of Samo was formed. Dragobert I besieged the fortress of the ruler of Samo, but was defeated. Later, the Slavic people began to make periodic raids on neighboring lands.
How long did the Merovingians rule on their own? The last monarch who independently ruled the Frankish state was Dragobert I. He instructed his faithful mayor to guard the widow queen and little Clovis II after his death.
The weakening of the power of the dynasty
The Merovingians are a strong dynasty thatruled France for a long time. But as soon as the mayordoms became close to the throne, the power of the monarchs began to weaken. Clovis II was only five years old when his father died, leaving his son as the ruler of the state, the real power was taken by Major Ega. The grown-up Clovis II himself was a drunkard, a debauchee and a glutton, he paid little attention to state affairs, was ill, periodically lost his memory. The king died at the age of twenty-four, but managed to leave an heir.
Chlothar III became monarch at the age of seven. He ruled under the tutelage of the Queen Mother, who gave real power to Majordom Ebroin. The boy died at the age of sixteen. After his death, the third Theodoric III became king, then Childeric II.
Childeric II managed to remove some of the real power of the mayor, but Bishop Leodegarius came to take his place. A few years later, Childeric was able to independently rule the state, he expelled the bishop and imprisoned him in a monastery, depriving him of all privileges. But a conspiracy was prepared against Childeric - the king, his son and pregnant wife died hunting, and the second son was exiled to a monastery. Then Theodoric III came to power again.
How did the Merovingians rule at that time? The power of the kings weakened, many affairs were in the hands of mayordoms or court bishops. The monarchs themselves changed very quickly, many of them were not at all interested in the state.
The fall of the Merovingians and the establishment of the power of the Carolingians
How many years the Merovingians ruled in France after Dragobert I, how many years they gave real power to theirministers - mayors. The winner of the Battle of Poitiers, Charles Martell, unified the Frankish states in the first third of the eighth century. But still he did not dare to take the throne. The case of Charles Martel was continued by his son, Pepin the Short, who suppressed both external and internal enemies. He decided to destroy the real power of the Merovingians, but waited for the encouragement of the Pope. After negotiations with Pope Zacharias, Pepin became king of the Frankish kingdom. The new ruler cut off the last Merovingian and imprisoned him in a monastery.
The Merovingians are the first royal dynasty in France. The rulers managed to unite the Germanic tribes and significantly expand the lands of the Frankish kingdom.
