The kingdom of the Franks

Image: Augustan History

One of the barbarian kingdoms most important located within the border of the Roman Empire was undoubtedly the frank kingdom. These being Catholics were very well accepted by the Roman people, which was uniting with the new elite from that town, creating a new aristocracy. In this lesson from a TEACHER we bring you a summary of the kingdom of the francs thanks to which we will understand the most important stages of this.

Index

1. The gestation of the kingdom of the Merovingians
2. The decline of the Merovingian monarchy
3. The end of the Merovingian era and the beginning of the Carolingian kingdom
4. Conclusions

Between the years 481 and 511 we will find the first stage known to the people of the Franks. These were divided into a series of tribes, the Salios being the most important. During this stage, it will be Clovis I, Meroveo's grandson, who creates the Merovingian dynasty. His reign was characterized by a territorial expansion that encompassed all the Roman dioceses in Gaul.

For this he used the Church, which found in the support of the monarch a way to emerge reinforced in the change of power that was taking place throughout the Roman Empire. Within the summary of the kingdom of the Franks, we can find three important stages within the reign of Clovis I:

• Battle of Soissons in the year 486 it caused that the territories between the Somme river and the Loire, which were the last stronghold of the Empire, became part of the new kingdom of the Franks.
• Battle of Tolbiac happened between the years 496-506, by which the Alemanni were defeated, obtaining tribute from the Elbe and Lake Mein areas.
• Battle of Vouillé in the year 507 moment by which the idyllic expansion of the Franks ended, for they ended the kingdom of Tolosa, occupying the entire territory of Gaul.

After this, the capital was located in paris, for having a good defense, although this city was only nominative, because the royal administration did not exist at that time, in addition to having a court itinerant.

In a PROFESSOR we show you a summary about who were the francs so that you know its history better.

Between the years 639 and the year 759 we will find a quite convulsive period in the kingdom of the Franks. This was due to the fact that the territory that at first they took for their own was very extensive for the little bureaucracy, null we could say, that they possessed. This made the monarchs have to rely on the great lords of the different conquered territories, giving them positions within the court, positions that made a series of people hold great powers, which began to carry out activities lucrative.

Slowly they were having even more control than the kings themselves, ruling even for them in the manner of the valid ones, typical of the Modern Age. In time they would even put up and depose kings, thus making the territories that were under the power of the Corona, obtained a lot of independence and in many cases, had to carry out military enterprises to quell uprisings in these.

Continuing with our summary on the kingdom of the Franks, we must talk about the figure of Carlos Martel, a very important character to understand the end of the Merovingian dynasty and the beginning of the Carolingian dynasty and the resurgence of the kingdom of the Franks.

Until the arrival of this character, the different territories that in the time of Clovis I had been annexed became independent of the Crown, being the palace mayordomos those who acted as true monarchs, without hiding their pretensions before anyone. In the year 718, he made himself visible by defeating several of his enemies, taking over the post of palace steward.

From that moment, a stage of restructuring of the free territory began and in this way would face the Saxons in 718 and 723, to the friesians in 719 and in the year 724 wiped out the former steward of Neustria. In this way, he put an end to a long civil war in which each side had its own monarch (fight kings in any case).

Within this period we will find the Races made by the Arabs between the years 725-759These were moments of great tension, which gave rise to Carlos Martel being able to obtain influences in the south of France, elements that his son Pipino el breve would end up consolidating.

In the year 741 Carlos Martel died, dividing the kingdom between his sons Pepin the Short and Carloman, in this way the new dynasty that was emerging at that time was made real, because, although at first their children would act as palace stewards, it would be Pepin the Short who would establish a new dynasty, known as the Carolingians.

The establishment of the kingdom of the Franks at first was carried out in an exceptional way, because said people took advantage of the decline of the Western roman empire to implant the power of him.

The problem came when this kingdom obtained such an extension, because the form of government of this was still very archaic. In this way, a series of problems were found that would cause a great power vacuum, which was used by the emerging aristocracy to control their territories as independent kingdoms.

In the same way they would begin to see each other different suitors to the throne, causing a period of civil war, which lasted more than a century, during this time, we will find invasions of other peoples, like the Saxons or the Frisians, who were taking over much of the conquered territory.

To conclude with our summary on the kingdom of the Franks, we must point out that it was not until the presence of a strong personality, Carlos Martel, when would reestablish a dynasty in the kingdom of the Franks, thus beginning again the reorganization of the territories, this took a long time, as it would not be until the arrival of Charlemagne when the kingdom of the Franks was again consolidated.

In this other lesson we will discover the short biography of Charlemagne.

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