Mérovingiens

The Mérovingiens constituted the first dynasty which reigned on the majority of the territories French and Belgian, of the 5th century until the 8th century, immediately after the Roman occupation of the Gaulle. They result from the Francs saliens which were established with the Ve century in the areas of Cambrai (Clodion Hairy the) and of Tournai, in Belgium (Childéric).

The name mérovingien comes from the king Mérovée, ancestor legendary of Clovis.

History and personalities

It is under the reign of the first king mérovingien, Childéric I {{er}}, wire of Mérovée, that the territories of the Francs started to extend. But it is Clovis, grandson of Mérovée, which by its military campaigns, increases really the kingdom of the Francs (Latin regnum francorum ) to the whole of Gaulle. This expansion was possible after its conversion and its baptism (towards 496), and thanks to the support of the Gallo-Roman aristocracy and the Catholic church. It will install its capital with Paris towards 507.

Following his reign, one made name historical Mérovingien one era: the people subjacent with this name were the people of the Francs, which gave the name “France”.

These people formerly qualified of “Barbare” by the Romans were a Germanic Peuple: also, the kingdom was divided with died of Clovis, in 511. Divided first once between four wire of Clovis - the area of Metz returned to Thierry, Orleans with Clodomir, Paris with Childebert and Soissons with Clotaire - the kingdom was reunified under the reign of Clotaire I {{er}}, then divided again between wire of this last…

This habit of the division of the kingdom practiced at the Germanic Peuples constituted a rule of devolution of the capacity: this one was divided with died of the king between the children of male sex of this last and the kingdom was regarded as a family inheritance. Followed themselves from there, of course, a multitude of parcellings out, but also of many fratricidal fights, carried out in the hope to limit the bursting of the territory conquered originally by Clovis.

Thus one saw, for example shortly after the death of Clodomir, the assassination of wire of this last by their uncles, Childebert Ier and Clotaire Ist Also, the practice of Germanic revenge ( Faide ), ensanglanta soon the royal family mérovingienne.

A family quarrel opposed during nearly fifty years the two brothers Chilpéric I {{er}} and Sigebert I {{er}}, and their respective wives, Frédégonde and Brunehilde. According to the chroniclers (favorable to Brunehilde) Frédégonde showed itself besides particularly cruel, making assassinate:

Sigebert Ier in 575;
all illegitimate children of his husband Chilpéric Ier, to make sure that the kingdom returns only to his/her own son;
his/her own husband, in 584, after he had realized that she maintained the relations with the Maire of the palate Landry;
Childebert II, wire of Sigebert Ier, in 596.

After these fifty years of disorders came one period from peace (relative) with Clotaire II, the son of Chilpéric Ier, which succeeds in reunifying the kingdom of the Francs, not without to have eliminated the intruders and the applicants with the throne. It gathered as follows:

the Austrasie: is current France, is of current Belgium and the Rhenish areas;
the Neustrie: the North-West of current France (without Brittany);
the Burgondie: name of the Burgondes, another Germanic people which were remained arien at the time of Clovis, (current the Burgundy and the Center (Orleans).

Among its two sons, Charibert and Dagobert, the first died prematurely and the second made assassinate his nephew to ensure the unit of the territory. The court reigns of Dagobert Ier then marked a period of apogee and relative peace in the kingdom mérovingien.

Designs and organization of the capacity mérovingien

The frank kings were elected by the nobility in theory. Also the king mérovingien was it to be named by the aristocrats neustriens and austrasiens. But the hereditary principle prevailed and the “Large ones” had to choose the sovereign among the male descendants of the family mérovingienne, thus set up in dynasty. The kings mérovingiens held the mund , charismatic and supernatural power transmitted by blood and legitimated by the victories of the chief. It was thought whereas the ascending magic one of the frank king resided in his hair: they are called the " kings chevelus" (in Latin Reges criniti ). For this reason the last of the kings mérovingiens, Childéric III, was mowed before being locked up by the new king, as many his predecessors who had been isolated throne. In 750, the Mérovingiens last, or “lazy Kings”, had for a long time lost all to be able, except in appearances - marked the emergence of a new franque dynasty resulting from the aristocracy austrasienne: Carolingian , whose first crowned and crowned king was Pépin the Brief.

The power of the dynasty mérovingienne was based especially on a network of fidelities. The kings distributed grounds, incomes and “public” loads starting from their personal treasure to make sure the support of the aristocracy. The “cassette of the sovereign” had thus replaced the “public goods” of the Roman epoch, evolution which provided the foundations of the Vassalité.

The administration of the royal palace was entrusted to domestic, faithful officers and companions of the king:

the “constable” was charged with the royal stables;
the “marshal” dealt with the court;
the “chief clerk” sent the written orders of the king in the areas where the capacity of this last was exerted;
but it is especially the load of “Maire of the palate” which took importance, because of its central role in the middle them relations of the capacity with the aristocracy.

The local authority was conferred to the counts, with the bishop S which were gradually named by the king.

The Count ( comes or “companion” of the king) directed a district (country or pagus ) and constituted a genuine relay of the capacity. Its functions were varied: he convened the free men with the army, received their oath of fidelity and thus raised the armies (the Ost ). The load of count was promised with a bright future: she survived during all the Moyen-âge and its holders affirmed their independence each time the central capacity weakened. Thus, as of the time mérovingienne, certain counts formed true dynasties and became unverifiable, especially in the outlying areas of the kingdom. Part of the Aristocratie of the kingdom constituted then a Noblesse Héréditaire.

Succession at Mérovingiens

The fall of the Roman Empire of occident was followed by the installation of several cruel Royaumes. The concept of State which was fundamental in the Roman law disappears. The frank kingdom was regarded according to the Germanic tradition as a patrimonial good, i.e. the kingdom constituted the family field of the king. There was no more distinction between the State, its person and her good. The military victories thus led to the increase in the family property of the king. This division resulted from the Salic law Germanic. This law excluded the women from the succession as long as there remained male heirs. Thus with died of the king, the kingdom was divided between his/her children of male sex.

Practical difficulties

The first difficulty practices was that the kingdom was to be divided equitably. The death of the king was followed many talks in order to decide from which areas was going to inherit each son. Then, the division of the kingdom made that there was no more only one sovereign with the head of a large kingdom but several sovereigns with the head of several small kingdoms what weakened the capacity of the franque dynasty considerably. However, the division of the kingdom was not as anarchistic as one could believe it. Although having each one an end of frank territory, they wished all to preserve the unit of the Regnum (kingdom). Each heir was thus regarded as Rex Francorum , i.e. king of the Francs. This search for unit was such as the borders always were very defended against the various attempts at invasion. Thus, although divided, the frank kingdom was always regarded as a unit. Lastly, Paris old capital under Clovis, lost this role to become the symbol of the unit of the kingdom because it was excluded from the divisions.

Political consequences

Several parts of territories could be joined together by the force or if one of the brothers died without enfants.
The division of the kingdom thus created fratricidal conflicts dictated by covetousness which were generally followed by murders in series or wars between kingdoms brothers.

Let us take the example of Clovis Ist Its death was followed first division of the kingdom between its four sons: Théodoric, Clodomir, Childebert, Clotaire. Clodomir died at the time of one of the many conquests which the four brothers undertook. The others then massacred their nephews to draw aside any heir except holy Cloud which was made mow (the hair of the kings mérovingiens was legendary, they held their force and their charisma of their hair which they left long). Théodoric died after having invades the Thuringe. Its successors quickly followed it following the ceaseless wars. Clotaire thus invades the territory of his/her older brother. Childebert died shortly after without descent. Clotaire thus reunified entirely the frank kingdom. But it with had died of the latter that the things were really envenimées. Clotaire thus died with four heirs: Caribert, Chilpéric, Gontran, Sigebert. One thus proceeded to a second division of the kingdom which was followed of long “a saga family” tragedy confronting the two families of Sigebert and Chilpéric. This family quarrel, largely supplied with hatred between their respective wives, Brunehilde and Frédégonde, turned quickly to the civil war (known under the name of faide royal).

When Sigebert married Brunehilde (girl considered beautiful, intelligent…), his/her brother, jealous, will marry Galswinthe, the sister of Brunehilde which it will finally end up making cut the throat of in order to marry with his mistress, Frédégonde. Hatred will thus settle between the two couples. The frank territories will pass with hands in hands. Finally Sigebert and Chilpéric will be both assassinated by Frédégonde. The two queens, both tutors will clash by killing nephews, cousins and uncles in order to put their respective sons on the throne. Hatred that will dedicate Frédégonde and Brunehilde will worsen division Austrasie - Neustrie. It will make lose any unit with the kingdom and will slow down the development of the dynasty mérovingienne. The family conflicts will profit, in addition, with the mayors of the palate. These wars will impoverish the kings whereas the mayors of the palate will grow rich and thus will profit from an increasing capacity which will bring them to the throne.

Slow decline of Mérovingiens

Starting from 639 (at the end of the reign of Dagobert I {{er}}) began the time of the lazy Kings : often the very young - the family quarrels for the capacity did not leave them that a very weak life expectancy - sovereigns mérovingiens became the toy of the aristocracy.

In addition, in a general context of economic crisis in Occident, the richnesses acquired by their predecessors had been reduced considerably, following the stop of the military campaigns to extend the kingdom, with the diversions of the tax and the expenditure engaged to come to end from the revolts and to buy the fidelity of the vassal .

The authority of Mérovingiens thus weakens for this period of poverty and decline of monarchy, while little by little the mayors of the palate asserted themselves.

In the beginning simple intendant, the mayor of the palate became with time the real administrator of the kingdom because of his central role in the relationships to the franque aristocracy. Coming from this one, indeed, the mayor of the palate defended the interests of the noble ones naturally, which was worth with the holders of the load an increasing prestige.

Gradually, the load of mayor of the palate in particular consisted in starting the wars, negotiating the agreements with the adjoining countries, naming the bishop S, the Duc S and the Count S…

The family members of the Pippinides, mayors of the palate austrasien of wire father, benefitted from this situation and, during more than one century, did nothing but increase their influence at the court, until Pépin the Brief évinçât, in 751, the last king mérovingien, Childéric III, and made it mow, then to lock up in a convent, to go up on the throne.

Pip was crowned king in 754, with Saint-Denis, with the protection of the pope Zacharie. Its crowning marked, thereafter, the advent of the dynasty of the Carolingiens.

The necropoles mérovingiennes

The tombs mérovingiennes, were plaster sarcophagi, coffins out of wooden or sometimes of the individuals in open ground. Those usually contain many jewels of glass, weapons, remainders of clothing and various offerings. It is only at the time Carolingian, that the offerings were prohibited by the Church, as a pagan practice.

In a general way, the studies show that people were during these periods in good health and robust, and had only seldom food deficiencies.

One finds very few tombs of children. At that time, the children were baptized only at the age of 3 or 4 years, when one was certain that the child was in good health and was going to live, because a Baptême was extremely expensive. The deceased children without being baptized were thus buried as a not-Christian, out of the crowned enclosure.

See too

Genealogy of Mérovingiens
frank Kingdoms
Austrasie
Neustrie
Frank
Frank Saliens
Monarchs of France
Jouarre

External bonds

Museum of Cruel Times

Simple: Merovingian dynasty

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