Frank Kingdoms

One indicates by the term kingdoms Francs the various kingdoms which followed one another or cohabited on the territory of current the France, of current the Belgium and part of current the Germany after the disappearance of the Roman Empire of Occident, and the conquest of these territories by people - the Francs - during the 5th century. They will perdureront during all the Early middle ages, of the V {{E}} at the 9th century.

Kingdoms of the francs

The Francs were at the time Roman one of many the Germanic people installed on Right Bank of the the Rhine, outside the borders of the Empire. In the 3rd century, they had taken part in the great invasion of 256 - 257, at the sides of other Germanic people which entered the Roman Empire to plunder. They took part in many other raids later on.

First of all installed between the Rhine and the Ardennes as a Lètes, Saliens extend gradually on the territory from old the Gaulle. In 376, the Francs ripuaires (of Right Bank) passed the the Rhine in the area of Cologne, where they settled to form the Royaume of Cologne.

In 406, the Francs are in first line to defend the the Rhine against the invasion of the Vandales. A half century later, they are combined of the Roman general Aetius against the Huns at the time of the Bataille of the fields Catalauniques, close to Troyes.

The extension taken by their kingdom in Gaulle Belgium is visible in 450 on the chart of the hunnic Empire (the article confers) , before Clovis does not extend it in Belgium second following the separation of the columns of the Ripuaires and the Saliens.

The period of the frank kingdoms, in the plural, corresponds to that of the dynasty mérovingienne, which reigned on these territories starting from Clovis Ier, first king of the Francs, of 481 with 511. It unifies these kingdoms by carrying out his parents reigning at other places of Belgium second in 486: Ragnacaire (Cambric) and his/her brothers Richaire and Rigomer, the king Chararic.

The kingdoms mérovingiens

Austrasie

See also: Austrasie

During the period mérovingienne, the Austrasie is one of the frank kingdoms appeared with died of Clovis (511), when the territory of this one was divided between its sons. It covered the North-East of the current France, the basins of the Meuse and the the Moselle, to the basins means and inferior of the the Rhine. The capital was initially Rheims, then Metz. The inhabitants of Austrasie were the Austrasiens .

It is Théodoric, the oldest son of Clovis Ier, which inherited Austrasie, that it controlled until its death in 534. Thierry, as elder, was largely favoured, and accepted half of the kingdom, his three other brothers sharing other half.

Thierry accepted:

the Kingdom of Metz, which also included/understood Rheims: it was the country of the Francs ripuaires, i.e. old the Royaume of Cologne, because by his/her mother it is related to the former sovereigns Francs Ripuaires. It thus controls Right Bank of the the Rhine and the Alamans.
the valley of the the Moselle;
the territories which will compose future the Champagne;
the Auvergne, which it had conquered for his father in 507.

In 523 - 524, at the time of a forwarding against the Burgondes carried out by the four brothers, at the instigation of their mother Clotilde, Thierry Ier will extend the territory of Austrasie. After the death of his brother Clodomir with the Battle of Vézeronce (524), Thierry collects his heritage made up of the Auxerrois, the Berry and the Sénonais.

In 526, it plunders the Auvergne which had revolted.

In 531, he adds the Thuringe, a territory located at the center of current the Germany, in the north of the Bavaria, his kingdom.

With its death, in 534, it leaves the kingdom to his son Théodebert Ier. From this date, twenty-two kings (see Liste of the kings d' Austrasie ) will follow one another on the throne of Austrasie, until Childéric III, the last frank king of the dynasty of Mérovingiens, which reigned of 743 with 751, after being installed on the throne by Pépin the Brief, after the Interrègne six years which followed the death of Thierry IV.

During these two centuries, Austrasie knew a history animated, conflicts with the Neustrie, of the movements of territory to the liking of the wars and the successions, of the booms, like the reign of Dagobert Ier, which reigned initially on only Austrasie of 623 with 629, before becoming King of the Francs of 629 with 639, after having succeeded in unifying the whole of the frank kingdoms. The capacity passed gradually to the mayors of the palate, which ended up driving out the dynasty founded by Clovis, to install of it a news, the Carolingian dynasty.

Cradle of the Carolingian dynasty , Austrasie disappears with the last king mérovingien (751), to be integrated in the large frank kingdom which Pépin the Brief and Charlemagne joined together.

Neustrie

See also: Neustrie

The Neustrie is the frank kingdom which covered the North-West of current France, and had as a capital Soissons. Nevertheless, it seems that the term of Neustrie (derivative of “most recent” Niuster ) appeared only one century after the creation of the kingdom.

Neustrie had been created at the time of the division which followed the death of Clovis Ier, in 511, and returned to Clotaire Ier, which, at the end of its long fifty years reign, had succeeded in reconstituting the kingdom of his/her father. It was the second large kingdom frankly born at the time of the successional divisions Mérovingiens. Its geographical surface was limited by the the Loire to the south, the Atlantic Ocean and the Brittany in the west, and the Champagne in the east. It extended until in Flanders in north.

With died of Clotaire Ier, in 561, the kingdom is again divided - by drawing lot - between its four sons (Caribert Ier, Gontran Ier, Sigebert Ier and Chilpéric Ier). It is the latter which inherits the Neustrie.

Old only a few months, Clotaire II, wire of Chilpéric Ier, inherits Neustrie to dead of his/her father in 584. With died of Thierry II of Burgundy, in 613, Clotaire II recovers the Austrasie and becomes thus king of the Francs who recovers also the Aquitaine.

After the death of Clotaire III in 674, Neustrie is seen imposing a king - Thierry III - by the Austrasiens, Aquitaine having found its independence before.

Berchaire, Maire of the palate of the king Thierry III is overcome in 687 with the Bataille of Tertry, small village of Picardy near to Péronne, by Pépin of Herstal, mayor of the Palate of Austrasie. This defeat definitively ruins the hegemonic claims of Neustrie, which is as from this moment only one vassal State of the Austrasie that directs the Arnulfiens. However the distinction between Neustrie, Austrasie and Burgundy will still remain, although being erased gradually. After the Treated of Verdun in 843, the name of Neustrie indicates nothing any more but the western part of the kingdom. Finally this one definitively loses its name to take that of Northmannie or Normandy , when it is yielded to the Viking Rollon according to the Traité Saint-Clearly-on-Epte in 911.

The kingdom of Burgundy

The frank kingdom

With the come to power of the Carolingiens, starting from Charlemagne (768), one will not speak any more a frank kingdoms , but of the kingdom of the Francs - the grammatical nuance is of importance - even if there were still some fratricidal divisions. Walk towards the unit was engaged, and, after the advent of the Capétiens, at the any end of the 10th century, and especially starting from the XI {{E}} 12th centuries, the Royaume of France gradually occurs around the “royal field”, in the middle of the feudal fights and of the wars, which block the territorial formation of the France.

The territories of the original kingdom of the Francs are gathered under the name of Francie. But during these five centuries, they only were seldom unified, and even when this unification could have been realized, there was again parcelling out in several kingdoms after the death of the sovereign, at the time of the division between brothers, operated according to the franque habit.

The kingdom of Aquitaine

Lotharingie

See too

List of the various frank kingdoms

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