View source for Merovingian dynasty

{{short description|Ruling family of the Franks (c. 481–751)}}
{{Redirect|Merovingian}}

{{Infobox country
| conventional_long_name = Merovingian Kingdoms
| status                 = 
| capital                = 
| common_languages       = 
| year_start             = {{circa}} 481
| year_end               = 751
| image_map             = Merovingian dynasty-1.jpg
| image_map_caption =
| image_map_size        = 300
| image_coat             = 
| symbol_type            = 
| currency               = 
| title_leader           = 
| leader1                = 
| year_leader1           = 
| leader2                = 
| year_leader2           = 
| deputy1                = 
| year_deputy1           = 
| title_deputy           = 
| deputy2                = 
| year_deputy2           = 
| stat_year1             = 
| stat_area1             = 
| ref_area1              = 
| religion               = 
| p1                     = 
| p2                     = 
| s1                     = 
| s2                     = 
| event_pre              = 
| date_pre               = 
| event_end              = 
| life_span              = 
| era                    = 
| demonym                = 
| today                  = 
| event1                 = 
| date_event1            = 
| event_post             = 
| event2                 = 
| date_event2            = 
}}
The '''Merovingian dynasty''' ({{IPAc-en|,|m|E|r|@|'|v|I|n|dZ|i|@|n}}) was the ruling family of the [[Franks]] from around the middle of the 5th century until [[Pepin the Short]] in 751.<ref name=EB1911>{{Cite EB1911 |wstitle=Merovingians |volume=18 |pages=172–172 |first=Christian |last=Pfister}}</ref> They first appear as "Kings of the Franks" in the Roman army of northern [[Gaul]]. By 509 they had united all the Franks and northern Gallo-Romans under their rule. They conquered most of Gaul, defeating the [[Visigoths]] (507) and the [[Burgundians]] (534), and also extended their rule into [[Raetia]] (537). In [[Germania]], the [[Alemanni]], [[Bavarii]] and [[Saxons]] accepted their lordship. The Merovingian realm was the largest and most powerful of the states of western Europe following the breakup of the empire of [[Theodoric the Great]].

The dynastic name, [[medieval Latin]] {{Lang|la-x-medieval|Merovingi}} or {{Lang|la-x-medieval|Merohingii}} ("sons of Merovech"), derives from an unattested [[Frankish language|Frankish]] form, akin to the attested [[Old English]] {{lang|ang|Merewīowing}},<ref>Babcock, Philip (ed). ''[[Webster's Dictionary|Webster's Third New International Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged]]''. Springfield, MA: [[Merriam-Webster, Inc.]], 1993: 1415</ref> with the final -''ing'' being a typical [[Germanic languages|Germanic]] [[patronymic]] suffix. The name derives from [[Salian Franks|Salian]] King [[Merovech]], who is at the center of many legends. Unlike the [[Anglo-Saxon royal genealogies]], the Merovingians never claimed descent from a god, nor is there evidence that they were regarded as [[Sacred king|sacred]].

The Merovingians' [[long hair]] distinguished them among the Franks, who commonly cut their hair short. Contemporaries sometimes referred to them as the "long-haired kings" (Latin ''reges criniti''). A Merovingian whose hair was cut could not rule, and a rival could be removed from the succession by being [[tonsure]]d and sent to a monastery. The Merovingians also used a distinct name stock. One of their names, Clovis, evolved into [[Louis (given name)|Louis]] and remained common among French royalty down to the 19th century.

The first well-known Merovingian king was [[Childeric I]] (died 481). His son [[Clovis I]] (died 511) converted to [[Nicene Christianity]], united the Franks and conquered most of Gaul. The Merovingians treated their kingdom as single yet divisible. Clovis's four sons divided the kingdom among themselves, and it remained divided until 679 with the exception of four short periods (558–561, 613–623, 629–634, 673–675). After that it was divided again only once (717–718). The main divisions of the kingdom were [[Austrasia]], [[Neustria]], [[Kingdom of Burgundy|Burgundy]] and [[Aquitaine]].

During the final century of Merovingian rule, the kings were increasingly pushed into a ceremonial role. Actual power was increasingly in the hands of the [[mayor of the palace]], the highest-ranking official under the king. In 656, the mayor [[Grimoald the Elder|Grimoald I]] tried to place his son [[Childebert the Adopted|Childebert]] on the throne in Austrasia. Grimoald was arrested and executed; but his son ruled until 661, when the Merovingian dynasty was restored. When King [[Theuderic IV]] died in 737, the mayor [[Charles Martel]] continued to rule the kingdoms until his death in 741. The dynasty was restored again in 743, but in 751 Charles's son, [[Pepin the Short]], deposed the last king, [[Childeric III]], and had himself crowned, initiating the [[Carolingian dynasty]].
{{toclimit|3}}

== Legendary origins ==
[[File:Seal of Childeric I Tournai tomb.jpg|thumb|[[Signet ring]] of [[Childeric I]]. [[Monnaie de Paris]].]]
The 7th-century ''[[Chronicle of Fredegar]]'' implies that the Merovingians were descended from a sea-beast called a [[quinotaur]]:
<blockquote>
It is said that while Chlodio was staying at the seaside with his wife one summer, his wife went into the sea at midday to bathe, and a beast of Neptune rather like a Quinotaur found her. In the event she was made pregnant, either by the beast or by her husband, and she gave birth to a son called Merovech, from whom the kings of the Franks have subsequently been called Merovingians.<ref name=INW>{{cite book |author-link=Ian N. Wood |first=Ian N. |last=Wood |chapter=Deconstructing the Merovingian Family |editor-first=Richard |editor-last=Corradini |editor2-first=Maximilian |editor2-last=Diesenberger |editor3-first=Helmut |editor3-last=Reimitz |title=The Construction of Communities in the Early Middle Ages: Texts, Resources and Artefacts |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=e6sfGt10UzcC&pg=PA149 |year=2003 |publisher=[[Brill Publishers|Brill]] |isbn=90-04-11862-4 |pages=149–}}</ref>
</blockquote>
In the past, this tale was regarded as an authentic piece of [[Germanic mythology]] and was often taken as evidence that the Merovingian kingship was [[Sacred king|sacral]] and the royal dynasty of supernatural origin.<ref>{{cite book |first=A.C. |last=Murray |chapter=7. Post vocantur Merohingii: Fredegar, Merovech, and 'Sacral Kingship' |editor-first=Walter |editor-last=Goffart |editor2-first=Walter A. |editor2-last=Goffart |title=After Rome's Fall: Narrators and Sources of Early Medieval History : Essays Presented to Walter Goffart |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Q_2GXKNqzdAC&pg=PA121 |date=1998 |publisher=University of Toronto Press |isbn=978-0-8020-0779-7 |pages=121–152}}</ref> Today, it is more commonly seen as an attempt to explain the meaning of the name Merovech (sea-bull): "Unlike the [[Anglo-Saxon]] rulers the Merovingians—if they ever themselves acknowledged the quinotaur tale, which is by no means certain—made no claim to be descended from a god".<ref name=INW/>

In 1906, the British Egyptologist [[Flinders Petrie]] suggested that the Marvingi recorded by [[Ptolemy]] as living near the [[Rhine]] were the ancestors of the Merovingian dynasty.<ref>{{cite journal |author-link=W. M. Flinders Petrie |first=W.M. |last=Flinders Petrie |title=Migrations. (The Huxley Lecture for 1906) |journal=The Journal of the Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland |volume=36 |pages=189–232 see p. 205 |year=1906 |doi=10.2307/1193258 |jstor=1193258 |url=https://zenodo.org/record/1782395 |quote=Probably among this confederacy should be included the Marvingi* of Ptolemy, to the south of the Catti, ... who seem to have given the Merving family to rule the Franks}}</ref>

== History ==
[[File:Frankish gold Tremissis imitation of Bizantine Tremissis mid 500s.jpg|thumb|Frankish gold [[Tremissis]], imitation of [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] Tremissis, mid-6th century.]]
[[File:Clothaire II 584 628.jpg|thumb|Coin of [[Clotaire II]], 584–628. [[British Museum]].]]
In 486 [[Clovis I]], the son of Childeric, defeated [[Syagrius]], a Roman military leader who competed with the Merovingians for power in northern France. He won the [[Battle of Tolbiac]] against the [[Alemanni]] in 496, according to [[Gregory of Tours]], Clovis adopted his wife [[Clotilde|Clotilda]]'s Orthodox—i.e., [[Nicene creed|Nicene]]—[[Christianity|Christian faith]] at a time when other Germanic tribes were largely [[Arianism|Arian]]. He subsequently went on to decisively defeat the Visigothic kingdom of [[Toulouse]] in the [[Battle of Vouillé]] in 507. After Clovis's death, his kingdom was partitioned among his four sons. This tradition of partition continued over the next century. Even when several Merovingian kings simultaneously ruled their own realms, the kingdom—not unlike the late [[Roman Empire]]—was conceived of as a single entity ruled collectively by these several kings (each ruling one section much as the late Roman Empire had been divided between up to four emperors). The death of one or more of these kings could result in the reunification of the whole kingdom under a single ruler. Even when divided under different kings, the kingdom maintained unity and conquered Burgundy in 534. 

Upon Clovis's death in 511, the Merovingian kingdom included all of Gaul except [[Burgundy (region)|Burgundy]] and all of [[Germania magna]] except [[Saxony]]. After the fall of the [[Ostrogoths]], the Franks also conquered [[Provence]].<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eyaICgAAQBAJ&q=Merovingians+conquered+burgundy&pg=PT33 |title=Mediterranean Beaches and Bluffs: A Bicycle Your France E-guide |last=Moore |first=Walter Judson |date=2015-08-27 |publisher=Lulu Press |isbn=9781329514553}}</ref> After this their borders with [[Italy]] (ruled by the [[Lombards]] since 568) and Visigothic [[Septimania]] remained fairly stable.<ref>{{cite journal |first=Archibald R. |last=Lewis |title=The Dukes in the Regnum Francorum, AD 550–751 |journal=Speculum |volume=51 |issue=3 |pages=381–410 |date=July 1976 |doi=10.2307/2851704 |jstor=2851704 |s2cid=162248053}}</ref>{{rp|384}}

=== Division of the kingdom ===
Internally, the kingdom was divided among Clovis's sons and later among his grandsons and frequently saw war between the different kings, who allied amongst themselves and against one another. The death of one king created conflict between the surviving brothers and the deceased's sons, with differing outcomes. Later, conflicts were intensified by the personal feud around [[Brunhilda of Austrasia|Brunhilda]]. However, yearly warfare often did not constitute general devastation but took on an almost ritual character, with established 'rules' and norms.<ref>{{cite book |first=Guy |last=Halsall |title=Warfare and Society in the Barbarian West 450–900 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bdmAAgAAQBAJ |date=28 January 2008 |publisher=[[Routledge]] |isbn=978-1-134-55387-7}}</ref>

=== Reunification of the kingdom ===
Eventually, [[Clotaire II]] in 613 reunited the entire Frankish realm under one ruler. 

The frequent wars had weakened royal power, while the aristocracy had made great gains and procured enormous concessions from the kings in return for their support. These concessions saw the very considerable power of the king parcelled out and retained by leading ''comites'' and ''duces'' ([[count]]s and [[duke]]s). Very little is in fact known about the course of the 7th century due to a scarcity of sources, but Merovingians remained in power until the 8th century.

=== Weakening of the kingdom ===
Clotaire's son [[Dagobert I]] (died 639), who sent troops to Spain and pagan Slavic territories in the east, is commonly seen as the last powerful Merovingian King. Later kings are known as ''rois fainéants''<ref name=EB1911/> ("do-nothing kings"), despite the fact that only the last two kings did nothing. The kings, even strong-willed men like [[Dagobert II]] and [[Chilperic II]], were not the main agents of political conflicts, leaving this role to their mayors of the palace, who increasingly substituted their own interest for their king's.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Merovingian-dynasty |title=Merovingian dynasty {{!}} Frankish dynasty |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopedia Britannica]] |access-date=2017-09-22 |language=en}}</ref> Many kings came to the throne at a young age and died in the prime of life, weakening royal power further.

=== Return to power ===
The conflict between mayors was ended when the Austrasians under [[Pepin of Heristal|Pepin the Middle]] triumphed in 687 in the [[Battle of Tertry]]. After this, Pepin, though not a king, was the political ruler of the Frankish kingdom and left this position as a heritage to his sons. It was now the sons of the mayor that divided the realm among each other under the rule of a single king.

After Pepin's long rule, his son [[Charles Martel]] assumed power, fighting against nobles and his own stepmother. His reputation for ruthlessness further undermined the king's position. Under Charles Martel's leadership, the Franks defeated the [[Moors]] at the [[Battle of Tours]] in 732. After the victory of 718 of the [[First Bulgarian Empire|Bulgarian]] [[Tervel of Bulgaria|Khan Tervel]] and the Emperor of Byzantium [[Leo III the Isaurian]] over the Arabs led by [[Maslama ibn Abd al-Malik]] prevented the attempts of Islam to expand into eastern Europe, the victory of [[Charles Martel]] at Tours limited its expansion onto the west of the European continent. During the last years of his life, he even ruled without a king, though he did not assume royal dignity. His sons [[Carloman, son of Charles Martel|Carloman]] and [[Pepin the Short|Pepin]] again appointed a Merovingian figurehead ([[Childeric III]]) to stem rebellion on the kingdom's periphery. However, in 751, Pepin finally displaced the last Merovingian and, with the support of the nobility and the blessing of [[Pope Zachary]], became one of the Frankish kings.

== Government ==
{{See also|Royal household under the Merovingians and Carolingians}}
[[File:Metz Saint Pierre R02.jpg|thumb|The Merovingian Basilica of Saint-Pierre-aux-Nonnains in [[Metz]], capital of [[Austrasia]] ]]
The Merovingian king redistributed conquered wealth among his followers, both material wealth and the land (including its indentured peasantry), though these powers were not absolute. As Rouche points out, "When he died his property was divided equally among his heirs as though it were private property: the kingdom was a form of patrimony."{{sfn|Rouche|1987|p=420}} Some scholars have attributed this to the Merovingians' lacking a sense of ''[[res publica]]'', but other historians have criticized this view as an oversimplification.

The kings appointed magnates to be ''[[comes|comites]]'' (counts), charging them with [[defense (military)|defense]], [[administration (government)|administration]], and the judgment of disputes. This happened against the backdrop of a newly isolated Europe without its Roman systems of [[taxation]] and [[bureaucracy]], the Franks having taken over administration as they gradually penetrated into the thoroughly Romanised west and south of Gaul. By the time of [[Dagobert I]], governmental documents were recognizably Roman, it is by then written in Latin on imported papyrus similar to Roman bureaucratic norms and where it also made use of the old legal formulae. While laymen made up most of the administrators, there was a gradual shift to a clerical presence from the reign of Clotaire II.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last1=James |first1=Edward |title=The Oxford History of Medieval Europe |last2=Holmes |first2=George |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1988 |location=Great Britain |pages=88 |language=en}}</ref>

The counts had to provide armies, enlisting their ''milites'' and endowing them with land in return. These armies were subject to the king's call for military support. Annual national assemblies of the nobles and their armed retainers decided major policies of war making. The army also acclaimed new kings by raising them on its shields continuing an ancient practice that made the king leader of the warrior-band. Furthermore, the king was expected to support himself with the products of his private domain ([[royal demesne]]), which was called the ''[[fisc]]''. This system developed in time into [[feudalism]], and expectations of royal self-sufficiency lasted until the [[Hundred Years' War]].

Trade declined with the fall of the [[Roman Empire]], and agricultural estates were mostly self-sufficient. The remaining international trade was dominated by [[Middle East]]ern merchants, often Jewish [[Radhanite]]s.

=== Law ===
{{See also|Slavery in Merovingian Francia}}
Merovingian law was not universal law equally applicable to all; it was applied to each man according to his origin: Ripuarian Franks were subject to their own {{lang|la|[[Lex Ripuaria]]}}, codified at a late date,{{sfn|Beyerle|Buchner|1954}} while the so-called {{lang|la|Lex Salica}} ([[Salic Law]]) of the Salian clans, first tentatively codified in 511{{sfn|Rouche|1987|p=423}} was invoked under medieval exigencies as late as the [[House of Valois|Valois]] era. In this the Franks lagged behind the Burgundians and the Visigoths, that they had no universal Roman-based law. In Merovingian times, law was handled by officials called ''rachimburgs'', who memorised the set of legal precedents which formed the basis for their society's laws, for Merovingian society did not allow the concept of creating ''new'' law, only of maintaining tradition. Nor did its [[Germanic peoples|Germanic]] traditions offer any code of [[Civil law (legal system)|civil law]] required of urbanised society, such as [[Justinian I]] caused to be assembled and promulgated in the [[Byzantine Empire]]. The few surviving Merovingian edicts are almost entirely concerned with settling divisions of estates among heirs.

=== Coinage ===
[[File:Theodebert I 534 548 king of Metz.jpg|thumb|Coin of [[Theudebert I]], 534–548]]
[[Byzantine coinage]] was in use in [[Francia]] before [[Theudebert I]] began minting his own money at the start of his reign. He was the first to issue distinctly Merovingian coinage. On gold coins struck in his royal workshop, Theudebert is shown in the pearl-studded regalia of the Byzantine emperor; [[Childebert I]] is shown in profile in the ancient style, wearing a [[toga]] and a [[diadem]]. The [[solidus (coin)|solidus]] and [[triens]] were minted in Francia between 534 and 679. The [[denarius]] (or [[French denier|denier]]) appeared later, in the name of [[Childeric II]] and various non-royals around 673–675. A Carolingian denarius replaced the Merovingian one, and the [[Frisians|Frisian]] [[Pfennig|penning]], in Gaul from 755 to the 11th century.

Merovingian coins are on display at the [[Monnaie de Paris]] in Paris; there are Merovingian gold coins at the [[Bibliothèque Nationale]], [[Cabinet des Médailles]].

== Religion ==
{{See also|List of Merovingian monasteries|List of Frankish synods}}
[[File:Frankish gold Tremissis issued by minter Madelinus Dorestad the Netherlands mid 600s.jpg|thumb|Frankish gold Tremissis with Christian cross, issued by minter Madelinus, [[Dorestad]], [[Netherlands]], mid-7th century]]
[[File:Fibules mérovingiennes 02.JPG|thumb|Merovingian [[Fibula (brooch)|fibulae]]. [[Cabinet des Médailles]]]]
[[File:Trésor de Gourdon 04.JPG|thumb|A gold [[chalice]] from the [[Treasure of Gourdon]]]]
[[File:Cover of Merovingian sarcophagus Musee de Saint Germain en Laye.jpg|thumb|Cover of Merovingian [[sarcophagus]] with Christian [[IX monogram]], [[Musée de Saint-Germain-en-Laye]]]]
[[File:312 Poitiers baptisterio.JPG|thumb|[[Baptistère Saint-Jean|Baptistry of St. Jean]], Poitiers]]
[[Christianity]] was introduced to the [[Franks]] by their contact with Gallo-Romanic culture and later further spread by [[monk]]s. The most famous of these [[missionaries]] is St. [[Columbanus]] (d 615), an Irish monk. Merovingian kings and queens used the newly forming ecclesiastical power structure to their advantage. [[Monasteries]] and episcopal seats were shrewdly awarded to elites who supported the dynasty. Extensive parcels of land were donated to monasteries to exempt those lands from royal taxation and to preserve them within the family. The family maintained dominance over the monastery by appointing family members as [[abbot]]s. Extra sons and daughters who could not be married off were sent to monasteries so that they would not threaten the inheritance of older Merovingian children. This pragmatic use of monasteries ensured close ties between elites and monastic properties.

Numerous Merovingians who served as [[bishop]]s and abbots, or who generously funded [[abbey]]s and monasteries, were rewarded with sainthood. The outstanding handful of Frankish saints who were not of the Merovingian kinship nor the family alliances that provided Merovingian counts and dukes, deserve a closer inspection for that fact alone: like [[Gregory of Tours]], they were almost without exception from the [[Gallo-Roman]] aristocracy in regions south and west of Merovingian control. The most characteristic form of Merovingian literature is represented by the ''[[Hagiography|Lives]]'' of the saints. Merovingian [[hagiography]] did not set out to reconstruct a biography in the Roman or the modern sense, but to attract and hold popular devotion by the formulas of elaborate literary exercises, through which the Frankish Church channeled popular piety within orthodox channels, defined the nature of sanctity and retained some control over the posthumous cults that developed spontaneously at burial sites, where the life-force of the saint lingered, to do good for the [[Religious vows|votary]].<ref>{{cite book |author-link=J. M. Wallace-Hadrill |first=J.M. |last=Wallace-Hadrill |chapter= V. The Merovingian Saints |pages=75–94 |title=The Frankish Church |year=1983 |publisher=[[Clarendon Press]] |series=Oxford history of the Christian Church |isbn=9780198269069}}</ref>

The ''vitae et miracula'', for impressive [[miracle]]s were an essential element of Merovingian hagiography, were read aloud on saints' feast days. Many Merovingian saints, and the majority of female saints, were local ones, venerated only within strictly circumscribed regions; their cults were revived in the High Middle Ages, when the population of women in religious orders increased enormously. Judith Oliver noted five Merovingian female saints in the [[diocese of Liège]] who appeared in a long list of saints in the late 13th-century [[Lardanchet Psalter|Lardanchet psalter–hours]].<ref>{{cite journal |first=Judith |last=Oliver |title="Gothic" Women and Merovingian Desert Mothers |journal=Gesta |volume=32 |issue=2 |year=1993 |pages=124–134 |doi=10.2307/767170 |jstor=767170 |s2cid=163623643}}</ref> The ''vitae'' of six late Merovingian saints that illustrate the political history of the era have been translated and edited by [[Paul Fouracre]] and [[Richard Gerberding|Richard A. Gerberding]], and presented with {{Lang|la|[[Liber Historiae Francorum]]}}, to provide some historical context.<ref>{{cite book |first1=Paul |last1=Fouracre |author-link1=Paul Fouracre |first2=Richard A. |last2=Gerberding |author-link2=Richard Gerberding |title=Late Merovingian France: History and Hagiography, 640–720 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uifpAAAAIAAJ&pg=PP1 |year=1996 |publisher=[[Manchester University Press]] |isbn=978-0-7190-4791-6}}</ref>

== Significant individuals ==

=== Kings ===
{{main|List of Frankish kings}}

=== Queens and abbesses ===
* [[Genevieve|Genovefa]] (died 502)
* [[Clotilde|Clothilde]], queen of the Franks (died 545)
* [[Monegundis|Monegund]] (died 544)
* [[Radegund]], [[Thuringian]] princess who founded a monastery at [[Poitiers]] (died 587)
* [[Rusticula]], abbess of [[Saint-Césaire Convent|Arles]] (died 632)
* [[Caesaria II]], abbess of St Jean of Arles (died c. 550)
* [[Brunhilda of Austrasia|Brunhilda]], queen of Austrasia (died 613)
* [[Fredegund]], queen of Neustria (died 597)
* [[Glodesind]], abbess in [[Metz]] (died c. 600)
* [[Burgundofara]], abbess of [[Faremoutiers Abbey|Moutiers]] (died 645)
* [[Sadalberga]], abbess of [[Laon]] (died 670)
* [[Rictrude]], founding abbess of [[Marchiennes]] (died 688)
* [[Itta of Metz|Itta]], founding abbess of [[Nivelles]] (died 652)
* [[Begga]], abbess of Andenne (died 693)
* [[Gertrude of Nivelles]], abbess of Nivelles (died 658) presented in ''The Life of St. Geretrude'' (in Fouracre and Gerberding 1996)
* [[Aldegonde]], abbess of [[Maubeuge Abbey|Mauberges]] (died c. 684)
* [[Waltrude]], abbess of [[Mons, Belgium|Mons]] (died c. 688)
* [[Balthild]], queen of the Franks (died c. 680), presented in ''The Life of Lady Bathild, Queen of the Franks'' (in Fouracre and Gerberding 1996)
* [[Eustadiola]] (died 684)
* Bertilla, abbess of [[Chelles Abbey|Chelles]] (died c. 700)
* [[Anstrudis|Anstrude]], abbess of Laon (died before 709)
* [[Austrebertha|Austreberta]], abbess of [[Pavilly]] (died 703)

== Language ==
[[Yitzhak Hen]] stated that it seems certain that the Gallo-Roman population was far greater than the Frankish population in Merovingian Gaul, especially in regions south of the [[Seine]], with most of the Frankish settlements being located along the [[Lower Rhine|Lower]] and [[Middle Rhine]]. The further south in Gaul one traveled, the weaker the Frankish influence became. Hen finds hardly any evidence for Frankish settlements south of the [[Loire]]. The absence of Frankish literature sources suggests that the [[Frankish language]] was forgotten rather rapidly after the early stage of the dynasty. Hen believes that for [[Neustria]], [[Kingdom of the Burgundians|Burgundy]] and [[Duchy of Aquitaine|Aquitaine]], [[Vulgar Latin]] remained the spoken language in Gaul throughout the Merovingian period and remained so even well in to the Carolingian period.<ref name="hen2425">{{cite book |first=Y. |last=Hen |title=Culture and Religion in Merovingian Gaul, AD 481–751 |publisher=Brill |year=1995 |isbn=90-04-10347-3 |pages=24–25}}</ref> However, [[Urban T. Holmes, Jr.|Urban T. Holmes]] estimated that a Germanic language was spoken as a second tongue by public officials in western [[Austrasia]] and [[Neustria]] as late as the 850s, and that it completely disappeared as a spoken language from these regions only during the 10th century.<ref>{{cite book |author-link=Urban T. Holmes, Jr.|first1=U.T. |last1=Holmes |first2=A.H. |last2=Schutz |title=A History of the French Language |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jbjX4ebc2lsC |date=1938 |publisher=Biblo & Tannen |pages=29 |isbn=978-0-8196-0191-9}}</ref>

== Historiography and sources ==
A limited number of contemporary sources describe the history of the Merovingian Franks, but those that survive cover the entire period from Clovis's succession to Childeric's deposition. First among chroniclers of the age is the [[canonised]] [[bishop of Tours]], [[Gregory of Tours]]. His {{lang|la|Decem Libri Historiarum}} is a primary source for the reigns of the sons of Clotaire II and their descendants until Gregory's own death in 594, but must be read with account of the pro-church point of view of its author.

The next major source, far less organised than Gregory's work, is the ''[[Chronicle of Fredegar]]'', begun by [[Fredegar]] but continued by unknown authors. It covers the period from 584 to 641, though its continuators, under [[Carolingian]] patronage, extended it to 768, after the close of the Merovingian era. It is the only primary narrative source for much of its period. The only other major contemporary source is the {{Lang|la|[[Liber Historiae Francorum]]}}, an anonymous adaptation of Gregory's work apparently ignorant of Fredegar's chronicle: its author(s) ends with a reference to [[Theuderic IV]]'s sixth year, which would be 727. It was widely read; though it was undoubtedly a piece of [[Arnulfing]] work, and its biases cause it to mislead (for instance, concerning the two decades between the controversies surrounding mayors [[Grimoald the Elder]] and [[Ebroin]]: 652–673).

Aside from these chronicles, the only surviving reservoirs of historiography are documentary sources (letters, charters, laws, etc.) and [[hagiography]]. Clerical men such as Gregory and [[Sulpitius the Pious]] were letter-writers, though relatively few letters survive. Edicts, grants, and judicial decisions survive, as well as the famous ''Lex Salica'', mentioned above. From the reign of Clotaire II and Dagobert I survive many examples of the royal position as the supreme justice and final arbiter. There also survive biographies of saints of the period, for instance [[Saint Eligius]] and [[Leodegar]], written soon after their subjects' deaths.

Finally, archaeological evidence cannot be ignored as a source for information, at the very least, on the Frankish mode of life. Among the greatest discoveries of lost objects was the 1653 accidental uncovering of Childeric I's tomb in the church of Saint Brice in [[Tournai]]. The grave objects included a golden bull's head and the famous golden insects (perhaps bees, cicadas, aphids, or flies) on which [[Napoleon]] modelled his coronation cloak. In 1957, the sepulchre of a Merovingian woman at the time believed to be [[Clotaire I]]'s second wife, [[Aregund]], was discovered in [[Basilica of Saint-Denis|Saint Denis Basilica]] in [[Paris]]. The funerary clothing and jewellery were reasonably well-preserved, giving us a look into the costume of the time. Beyond these royal individuals, the Merovingian period is associated with the archaeological [[Reihengräber culture]].

== Family tree ==

{{chart top|width=100%|collapsed=yes|Merovingian dynasty}}

{{chart/start|align=center|style=font-size:112%;|summary=Merovingian french kings family tree}}

{{chart|border=1| | | | | | | | | Gh0 | | | | | | Cl0 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Gh0=[[Gunther]]<br /><small>King of Burgundy<br />r.?–437</small>| Cl0=[[Chlodio]]<br /><small>≈392/395–<br />445/448</small>}}

{{chart|border=1| | | | | | | | | |!| | | | | | | |!| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | }}

{{chart|border=1| | | | | |,|-|-|-|(| | | | | | |Unc  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Unc=''? ? ?''| boxstyle_Unc=border-width:0px}}

{{chart|border=1| | | | | Cr0 | | Go1 | | | | | | Me0 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Cr0=[[Chilperic I of Burgundy|Chilperic I]]<br /><small>King of Burgundy<br />r.≈ 473–480</small>| Go1=[[Gondioc]]<br /><small>King of Burgundy<br />?–473<br />''?''437–473</small>| Me0=<small>?</small><br />[[Merovech]]<br /><small>?–453/457</small>}}

{{chart|border=1| | | | | |,|-|-|-|^|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|b|-|-|-|v|-|-|-|v|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|.| | | | | }}

{{chart|border=1| | | | | |!| | | | | | | | | | |Unk  | | |!| | | |!| | | | | | | |!| | | | | | Unk=<small>''? ? ?''</small>| boxstyle_Unk=border-width:0px}}

{{chart|border=1| | | | | Cp1 | | Bn2 |~| Ba0 |y|Ch0  | | Gs1 | | Gg1 | | | | | | Gn1 | | | | | Cp1=[[Chilperic II of Burgundy|Chilperic II]]<br /><small>King of Burgundy<br />≈450–493<br />r.473–493</small>| Bn2=[[Bisinus]]<br /><small>King of Thuringia<br />''fl.''≈460–506/510</small>| Ba0=[[Basina of Thuringia|Basina]]<br /><small>of Thuringia<br />438–477</small>| Ch0=[[Childeric I]]<br /><small>King of the<br />Salian Franks<br />440–481/482<br />r.457–481/482</small>| boxstyle_Ch0=border-width:2px; border-radius: 0.5em; background: #FFE6F7| Gs1=Godegisel<br /><small>?–500''?''<br />r.473–500</small>| Gg1=Godomar<br /><small>?–?<br />r.473–486</small>| Gn1=[[Gundobad]]<br /><small>King of the<br /> Burgundians<br />≈452–516<br />r.473–516</small>}}

{{chart|border=1| | | | | |!| |,|-|'| | | | | |!| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |!| | | | | }}

{{chart|border=1| |,|-|-|-|^|-|b|-|.| | | |,|-|^|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|.| | | | | | | |!| | | | | }}

{{chart|border=1| Af1 | | Ln1 |!| Ct1 |y|Cl1  |y| Eu1 | | Ar4 | | Au1 |~| Th1 | | Si2 | | | | | Af1=[[Albofledis]]<br /><small>470–≈500</small>| Ln1=[[Lantechild]] <br /><small>468–?</small>| Ct1=[[Clotilde]]<br /><small>475–545</small>| Cl1=[[Clovis I]]<br /><small>King of<br />the Franks<br />466–511<br />r.509–511</small>| boxstyle_Cl1=border-width:2px; border-radius: 0.5em; background: #F2CEE6;| Eu1=?<br />Evochildis<br /><small>of Cologne</small>| Ar4={{nowrap|[[Alaric II]]<br /><small>King of the<br />Visigoths<br />≈458/466–507<br />r.484–507</small>}}| Au1=[[Audofleda]]| Th1=[[Theoderic the Great|Theoderic]]<br /><small>King of the<br />Ostrogoths<br />454–526<br />r.474–526</small>| Si2=[[Sigismund of Burgundy|Sigismund]]<br /><small>King of the<br /> Burgundians<br />?–≈524<br />r.516–523</small>}}

{{chart|border=1| | | | | | | |!| | | |!| | | |!| |,|-|-|-|(| | | | | | | |,|-|-|-|'| | | | | }}

{{chart|border=1| |,|-|-|-|v|-|'| |,|-|+|-|.| |`|-|b|-|-|-|b|-|-|-|.| | | |!| | | | | | | | | }}

{{chart|border=1| Br2 | | Ba1 | | Im2 |!| Ct2 |~| Am2 | | Eu4 |y|Th2 |~| Su2 | | | | | | | | | Br2=[[Bertachar]]<br /><small>King of Thuringia<br />≈485–530''?''<br />r.≈500–529''?''</small>| Ba1=[[Baderic]]<br /><small>King of Thuringia<br />≈480–529</small>| Im2=Ingomer<br /><small>494</small>| Ct2=[[Clotilde (died 531)|Clotilde]]<br /><small>≈500–531</small>| Am2={{nowrap|[[Amalaric]]<br /><small>King of the <br />Visigoths<br />502–531<br />r.511–531</small>}}| Eu4=Eustere<br /><small>494?–521</small>|Th2=[[Theuderic I]]<br /><small>King of Metz<br />485–533/4<br />r.511–533/4</small>| boxstyle_Th2=border-width:2px; border-radius: 0.5em; background: #FFE6F7;| Su2=Suavegothe<br /><small>of Burgundy<br />495/96–?</small>}}

{{chart|border=1| |!| | | |)|-|-|-|-|-|b|-|-|-|-|-|.| | | | | |`|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|.| }}

{{chart|border=1| |!| | | |!| | | | | |)|-|-|-|-|-|b|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|v|-|-|-|.| | | | | | | |!| }}

{{chart|border=1| |!| |F|~|b|~|~|~|7| |!| |F|~|~|~|b|~|7| | | | | |!| | | |!| | | | | | | |!| }}

{{chart|border=1| Ra2 |J| Ar2 |y|~|A|Cl2  |A|~|y| In2 |L| Gu2 |~|Ch2 | |Cd2  |~| Ul3 | |Th3 | Ra2=[[Radegund]]<br /><small>≈520–587</small>| Ar2=[[Aregund]]<br /><small>≈515/520–580</small>| Cl2=[[Chlothar I]]<br /><small>King of<br />the Franks<br />497–561<br />r.511–561</small>| boxstyle_Cl2=border-width:2px; border-radius: 0.5em; background: #F2CEE6;| In2=[[Ingund]]<br /><small>b.≈499</small>| Gu2=[[Guntheuc]]<br /><small>495–≈532</small>| Ch2=[[Chlodomer]]<br /><small>King of Orléans<br />≈495–524</small>| boxstyle_Ch2=border-width:2px; border-radius: 0.5em; background: #FFE6F7;| Cd2=[[Childebert I]]<br /><small>King of Paris<br />≈496–558<br />r.511–558</small>| boxstyle_Cd2=border-width:2px; border-radius: 0.5em; background: #FFE6F7;| Ul3=Ultragotha<br /><small>510<br />566/567</small>| Th3=[[Theudebert I]]<br /><small>King of Rheims<br />≈500–547/548<br />r.534–547/548</small>| boxstyle_Th3=border-width:2px; border-radius: 0.5em; background: #FFE6F7;|}}

{{chart|border=1| | | | | |,|-|'| | | | | |,|-|^|-|-|-|-|-|v|-|-|-|v|-|-|-|.| | | | | | | |!| }}

{{chart|border=1| Fr3 |y|Cp3  |y| Au3 | |Ca3  |y| In3 | |Gu3 | | |!| | | Ch3 |~| Al3 | |Th4 | Fr3=[[Fredegund]]<br /><small>≈545–597</small>| Cp3=[[Chilperic I]]<br /><small>King of Neustria<br />≈539–584<br />r.561–584</small>| boxstyle_Cp3=border-width:2px; border-radius: 0.5em; background: #FFE6F7;| Au3=[[Audovera]]<br /><small>~530–580</small>| Ca3=[[Charibert I]]<br /><small>King of Paris<br />≈517–567<br />r.561–567</small>| boxstyle_Ca3=border-width:2px; border-radius: 0.5em; background: #FFE6F7;| In3=Ingoburga<br /><small>≈539–589</small>| Gu3=[[Guntram]]<br /><small>King of<br /> Burgundy<br />≈532–592<br />r.561–592</small>| boxstyle_Gu3=border-width:2px; border-radius: 0.5em; background: #FFE6F7;| Ch3=[[Chlothsind (queen)|Chlothsind]]| Al3=[[Alboin]]<br /><small>King of <br />the Lombards<br />530s–572<br />r.≈560/565–572</small>| Th4=[[Theudebald]]<br /><small>King of Rheims<br />≈535–555<br />r.548–555</small>| boxstyle_Th4=border-width:2px; border-radius: 0.5em; background: #FFE6F7;|}}

{{chart|border=1| | | |!| |,|-|^|-|.| | | |,|-|'| | | | | | | | | |!| | | | | | | | | | | | | }}

{{chart|border=1| | | |!| Td4 | | Ba4 | | Be4 |~| Al4 | | | | | |Si3 |y| Br3 | | | | | | | | | Td4=[[Theudebert of Soissons|Theudebert I]]<br /><small>of Soissons</small>| Ba4=[[Basina, daughter of Chilperic I|Basina]]<br /><small>~560–620</small>| Be4=[[Bertha of Kent|Bertha]]<br /><small>of Kent<br />≈565– ~601</small>| Al4=[[Æthelberht of Kent|Æthelberht]]<br /><small>King of Kent<br />≈560–616<br />r.≈590–616</small>| Si3=[[Sigebert I]]<br /><small>King of [[Austrasia]]<br />≈535–≈575<br />r.561–≈575</small>| boxstyle_Si3=border-width:2px; border-radius: 0.5em; background: #FFE6F7;| Br3=[[Brunhilda of Austrasia|Brunhilda]]<br /><small>of [[Austrasia]]<br />≈543–613</small>}}

{{chart|border=1| |,|-|^|-|-|-|-|-|.| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |,|-|^|-|-|-|-|-|.| | | | | }}

{{chart|border=1| Ri4 | | Bt4 |y|Cl4  |y| Si4 | | | | | | | | | | In4 |~| He4 | |Ch4 | | | | | Ri4=[[Rigunth]]<br /><small>≈569–<br /><sub>after</sub>589</small>| Bt4=Haldetrude<br /><small>≈575–604</small>| Cl4=[[Chlothar II]]<br /><small>King of<br />the Franks<br />584–629<br />r.613–629</small>| boxstyle_Cl4=border-width:2px; border-radius: 0.5em; background: #F2CEE6;| Si4=Sichilde<br /><small>≈590–627</small>| In4=[[Ingund (wife of Hermenegild)|Ingund]]<br /><small>568/567–585</small>| He4=[[Hermenegild]]<br /><small>564–585</small>| Ch4=[[Childebert II]]<br /><small>King of<br /> [[Austrasia]]<br /> 570–595<br />r.575–595</small>| boxstyle_Ch4=border-width:2px; border-radius: 0.5em; background: #FFE6F7;|}}

{{chart|border=1| | | | | | | |!| | | |`|-|-|-|-|-|.| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |)|-|-|-|.| }}

{{chart|border=1| | | Ra5 |y|Da5  |y| Na5 | | | |Ca5 | |Ar5 | | | | | | Pp5 | |Th5 | |Td5 | Ra5=Ragnetrude| Da5=[[Dagobert I]]<br /><small>King of<br />the Franks<br />≈603–639<br />r.629–639</small>| boxstyle_Da5=border-width:2px; border-radius: 0.5em; background: #F2CEE6;| Na5=[[Nanthild]]<br /><small>≈610–642</small>| Ca5=[[Charibert II]]<br /><small>King of<br />Aquitaine<br />607/617–632<br />r.629–632</small>| boxstyle_Ca5=border-width:2px; border-radius: 0.5em; background: #FFE6F7;| Ar5=[[Arnulf of Metz|Arnulf]]<br /><small>Bishop of Metz<br />≈582–640</small>| Pp5=[[Pepin of Landen|Pepin]]<br /><small>of Landen<br />[[Mayor of the Palace|Mayor]] of <br />[[Austrasia]]<br />≈580–640<br />r.639–640</small>| Th5=[[Theudebert II]]<br /><small>King of [[Austrasia]]<br />586–612<br />r.595–612</small>| boxstyle_Th5=border-width:2px; border-radius: 0.5em; background: #FFE6F7; |Td5=[[Theuderic II]]<br /><small>King of Burgundy<br />587–613<br />r.595–613</small>| boxstyle_Td5=border-width:2px; border-radius: 0.5em; background: #FFE6F7;|}}

{{chart|border=1| | | | | |!| | | |!| | | | | | | |!| | | |!| | | |,|-|-|-|(| | | | | | | |!| }}

{{chart|border=1| Ch6 |y|Sg6 | |Cl6  |y| Ba6 | |Ca6 | | As5 |y| Bg5 | | Gr5 | | | | | |Si6 | Ch6=[[Chimnechild of Burgundy|Chimnechild]]<br /><small>of Burgundy</small>| Sg6=[[Sigebert III]]<br /><small>King of<br /> [[Austrasia]]<br />≈630–656<br />r.634–656</small>| boxstyle_Sg6=border-width:2px; border-radius: 0.5em; background: #FFE6F7;| Cl6=[[Clovis II]]<br /><small>King of Neustria<br />and Burgundy<br />637–657<br />r.639–657</small>| boxstyle_Cl6=border-width:2px; border-radius: 0.5em; background: #FFE6F7| Ba6=[[Balthild]]<br />of Ascania<br /><small>~626/627–680</small>| Ca6=[[Chilperic of Aquitaine|Chilperic]]<br /><small>King of<br /> Aquitaine<br />630s–632<br />r.632</small>| boxstyle_Ca6=border-width:2px; border-radius: 0.5em; background: #FFE6F7;| As5=[[Ansegisel]]<br /><small>≈602/610–<br />''bef.''679/662</small>| Bg5=[[Begga]]<br /><small>615–693</small>| Gr5=[[Grimoald the Elder|Grimoald I <br /><small>the Elder</small>]]<br /><small>[[Mayor of the Palace|Mayor]] of <br />[[Austrasia]]<br />616–657<br />r.643–656</small>| Si6=[[Sigebert II]]<br /><small>King of [[Austrasia]]<br /> and Burgundy<br />602–613<br />r.613</small>| boxstyle_Si6=border-width:2px; border-radius: 0.5em; background: #FFE6F7;}}

{{chart|border=1| |,|-|^|-|.| | | |,|-|^|-|v|-|-|-|.| | | |,|-|^|-|.| | | |!| | | | | | | | | }}

{{chart|border=1|Da7 | | Bi7 |y|Ch7  | |Cl7  | |Th6  |y| Ct7 | | Pp6 | |Cd7 | | | | | | | | | Da7=[[Dagobert II]]<br /><small>King of [[Austrasia]]<br />≈650–679<br />r.676–679</small>| boxstyle_Da7=border-width:2px; border-radius: 0.5em; background: #FFE6F7;| Bi7=[[Bilichild (wife of Childeric II)|Bilichild]]<br /><small>654–675</small>| Ch7=[[Childeric II]]<br /><small>King of <br />the Franks<br />≈653–675<br />r.662–675</small>| boxstyle_Ch7=border-width:2px; border-radius: 0.5em; background: #F2CEE6;| Cl7=[[Chlothar III]]<br /><small>King of <br />the Franks<br />652–673<br />r.657–673</small>| boxstyle_Cl7=border-width:2px; border-radius: 0.5em; background: #F2CEE6;| Th6=[[Theuderic III]]<br /><small>King of<br />the Franks<br />654–691<br />r.673–691</small>| boxstyle_Th6=border-width:2px; border-radius: 0.5em; background: #F2CEE6;| Ct7=[[Chrothildis|Clotilda]]| Pp6=[[Pepin of Herstal|Pepin]]<br /><small>of Herstal<br />[[Mayor of the Palace|Mayor]] of <br />[[Austrasia]]<br />≈635–714<br />r.680–714</small>| Cd7=[[Childebert the Adopted|Childebert<br /><small>the Adopted</small>]]<br /><small>King of Austrasia<br />r.656–662</small>| boxstyle_Cd7=border-width:2px; border-radius: 0.5em; background: #FFE6F7;|}}

{{chart|border=1| | | | | | | |!| | | | | |!| | | | | |!| | | | | |`|-|-|-|v|-|-|-|.| | | | | | Unc=''? ? ?''| boxstyle_Unc=border-width:0px}}

{{chart|border=1| | | | | | | |!| | | | |Unc | | | | |`|-|v|-|-|-|.| | | |!| | | |!| | | | | Unc=''? ? ?''| boxstyle_Unc=border-width:0px}}

{{chart|border=1| | | | | | |Ch8  | | | |Ci8 | | | | | |Cd8  | |Cl8  | | Cr8 | | Gr7 | | | | | Ch8=[[Chilperic II]]<br /><small>King of <br />the Franks<br />≈672–721<br />r.715–721</small>| boxstyle_Ch8=border-width:2px; border-radius: 0.5em; background: #F2CEE6;| Cd8=[[Childebert III]]<br /><small>King of <br />the Franks<br />670/683–711<br />r.695–711</small>| boxstyle_Cd8=border-width:2px; border-radius: 0.5em; background: #F2CEE6;| Cl8=[[Clovis IV]]<br /><small>King of <br />the Franks<br />682–695<br />r.691–695</small>| boxstyle_Cl8=border-width:2px; border-radius: 0.5em; background: #F2CEE6;| Cr8={{nowrap|[[Charles Martel|Charles<br />Martel]]<br /><small>[[Mayor of the Palace|Mayor]] of<br /> [[Austrasia]]<br />≈686/680–741<br />r.717–741</small>}}| Gr7=[[Grimoald the Younger|Grimoald II<br /><small>the Younger</small>]]<br /><small>[[Mayor of the Palace|Mayor]] of<br /> [[Neustria]]<br />≈680–714<br />r.695–714</small>| Ci8=[[Clovis III]]<br /><small>King of <br />[[Austrasia]]<br />r.675–676</small>|boxstyle_Ci8=border-width:2px; border-radius: 0.5em; background: #FFE6F7;| }}

{{chart|border=1| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |!| | | | | | | |!| | | |!| | | | | }}

{{chart|border=1| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |Unc| | |!| | | | | | |CaD  | | |!| | | | | | Unc=''? ? ?''| boxstyle_Unc=border-width:0px| CaD=[[Carolingian dynasty|<small>'''Carolingian <br />dynasty'''</small>]]| boxstyle_CaD=border-width:0px; vertical-align:top}}

{{chart|border=1| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |Ct8 | |Da9 | | | | | | | | | | Th7 | | | | | Ct8=[[Chlothar IV]]<br /><small>King of<br /> [[Austrasia]]<br />?–719<br />r.717–718</small>| boxstyle_Ct8=border-width:2px; border-radius: 0.5em; background: #FFE6F7;|  Da9=[[Dagobert III]]<br /><small>King of <br />the Franks<br />699–715<br />r.711–715</small>| boxstyle_Da9=border-width:2px; border-radius: 0.5em; background: #F2CEE6;| Th7=[[Theudoald]]<br /><small>[[Mayor of the Palace|Mayor]] of <br />[[Austrasia]]<br />707/708–741<br />r.714-716</small>}}

{{chart|border=1| | | | | | |Unc | | | | | | | | | | | | |!| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Unc=''? ? ?''| boxstyle_Unc=border-width:0px |}}

{{chart|border=1| | | | | | |Ch9 | | | | | | | | | | | |Th10 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Th10=[[Theuderic IV]]<br /><small>King of<br />the Franks<br />≈712–737<br />r.721–737</small>| boxstyle_Th10=border-width:2px; border-radius: 0.5em; background: #F2CEE6;|Ch9=[[Childeric III]]<br /><small>King of <br />the Franks<br />≈717–754<br />r.743–751</small>| boxstyle_Ch9=border-width:2px; border-radius: 0.5em; background: #FFE6F7;| }}

{{chart/end}}

{{chart bottom}}

==In popular culture==
{{History of France}} 
The Merovingians play a prominent role in [[French historiography]] and [[French nationalism|national identity]], although their importance was partly overshadowed by that of [[Gauls#Modern reception|the Gauls]] during the [[French Third Republic|Third Republic]]. [[Charles de Gaulle]] is on record as stating his opinion that "For me, the history of France begins with [[Clovis I|Clovis]], elected as king of France by the tribe of the Franks, who gave their name to France. Before Clovis, we have Gallo-Roman and Gaulish prehistory. The decisive element, for me, is that Clovis was the first king to have been baptized a Christian. My country is a Christian country and I reckon the history of France beginning with the accession of a Christian king who bore the name of the Franks".<ref>''Pour moi, l'histoire de France commence avec Clovis, choisi comme roi de France par la tribu des Francs, qui donnèrent leur nom à la France. Avant Clovis, nous avons la Préhistoire gallo-romaine et gauloise. L'élément décisif pour moi, c'est que Clovis fut le premier roi à être baptisé chrétien. Mon pays est un pays chrétien et je commence à compter l'histoire de France à partir de l'accession d'un roi chrétien qui porte le nom des Francs.'' cited in the biography by David Schœnbrun, 1965.</ref>

The Merovingians feature in the novel ''[[In Search of Lost Time]]'' by [[Marcel Proust]]: "The Merovingians are important to Proust because, as the oldest French dynasty, they are the most romantic and their descendants the most aristocratic."<ref>{{cite book |first=Patrick |last=Alexander |title=Marcel Proust's Search For Lost Time: A Reader's Guide |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-307-47232-8 |pages=248|publisher=Knopf Doubleday Publishing }}</ref> The word "Merovingian" is used as an adjective at least five times in ''[[The Way By Swann’s]]''.

[[Heimito von Doderer]] describes a fictitious Merowingian noble family in the 20th century in his grotesque 1962 novel ''[[The Merowingians (novel)|The Merowingians]] or The Total Family''.

The Merovingians are featured in the book ''[[The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail]]'' (1982) where they are depicted as [[Jesus bloodline|descendants of Jesus]], inspired by the "[[Priory of Sion]]" story developed by [[Pierre Plantard]] in the 1960s. Plantard [[ludibrium|playfully]] sold the story as non-fiction, giving rise to a number of works of [[pseudohistory]] among which ''The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail'' was the most successful. The "Priory of Sion" material has given rise to later works in popular fiction, notably ''[[The Da Vinci Code]]'' (2003), which mentions the Merovingians in chapter 60.<ref>Stephen Andrew Missick, ''The Hammer of God'', (self-published) p. 175.</ref>

The title of "[[Merovingian (The Matrix)|Merovingian]]" (also known as "the Frenchman") is used as the name for a fictional character and a supporting [[antagonist]] of the films ''[[The Matrix Reloaded]]'', ''[[The Matrix Revolutions]]'' and ''[[The Matrix Resurrections]]''.

== See also ==
* [[List of Frankish kings]]
* [[Merovingian art and architecture]]
* [[Merovingian script]]
* [[Pillar of Yzeures-sur-Creuse]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
* {{cite book |last1=Beyerle |first1=F |first2=R. |last2=Buchner |title=Lex Ribvaria |publisher=Hahnsche Buchhandlung |location=Hannover |year=1997 |orig-year=1954 |isbn=9783775250528 |oclc=849259009 |language=la |ref={{harvid|Beyerle|Buchner|1954}}}}
* {{cite book |last=Effros |first=Bonnie |author-link=Bonnie Effros |title=Caring for Body and Soul: Burial and the Afterlife in the Merovingian World |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=79eFU3dOim0C&pg=PR4 |date=2010 |publisher=Penn State Press |isbn=978-0-271-04532-0 |orig-year=2002}}
* {{cite book |editor1-last=Esders |editor1-first=Stefan |others=et al. |title=The Merovingian Kingdoms and the Mediterranean World: Revisiting the Sources |publisher=[[Bloomsbury Academic]] |date=2019 |url=http://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=55070}}
* {{cite book |author-link=Eugen Ewig |first=Eugen |last=Ewig |title=Die Merowinger und das Frankenreich |language=de |trans-title=The Merovingians and the Frankish Empire |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3My4563zVWoC |year=2006 |publisher=W. [[Kohlhammer Verlag]] |isbn=978-3-17-019473-1 |volume=392 |series=Kohlhammer Urban-Taschenbücher}}
* {{cite book |last=Geary |first=Patrick J. |author-link=Patrick J. Geary |title=Before France and Germany: The Creation and Transformation of the Merovingian World |year=1988 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=978-0-19-504458-4}}
* {{cite book |first=Reinhold |last=Kaiser |title=Das römische Erbe und das Merowingerreich |language=de |trans-title=The Roman Heritage and the Merovingian Empire |publisher=[[De Gruyter]] |series=Enzyklopädie deutscher Geschichte |volume=26 |year=2004 |isbn=978-3-486-56722-9}}
* {{cite book |last=Oman |first=Charles |author-link=Charles Oman |title=The Dark Ages, 476–918 |url=https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/61536 |year=1898 |edition=3rd |publisher=Rivingtons}}
* {{cite book |last=Rouche |first=Michel |author-link=Michel Rouche |chapter=Private life conquers State and Society |pages=419– |editor-first=Philippe |editor-last=Ariès |editor-link=Philippe Ariès |editor2-first=Paul |editor2-last=Veyne |editor-link2=Paul Veyne |editor3-first=Georges |editor3-last=Duby |editor-link3=Georges Duby |volume=1 |series=A History of Private Life |title=From pagan Rome to Byzantium |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=29TfAAAAMAAJ |year=1987 |publisher=[[Belknap Press]] |isbn=978-0-674-39975-4 |edition=5th }}
* {{cite book |last=Werner |first=Karl Ferdinand |author-link=Karl Ferdinand Werner |title=Die Ursprünge Frankreichs bis zum Jahr 1000 |language=de |trans-title=The origins of France up to the year 1000 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ub4fPwAACAAJ |year=1989 |publisher=Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt |isbn=978-3-421-06451-6 |volume=1 |series=Geschichte Frankreichs}}
* {{cite book |last=Wood |first=Ian N. |author-link=Ian N. Wood |title=The Merovingian Kingdoms, 450–751 |year=1994 |publisher=Longman |isbn=978-0-582-49372-8}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Merovingian dynasty|<br />Merovingian dynasty}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050526080741/http://www.j-paine.org/merovingian.html The Oxford Merovingian Page].
* [http://genealogy.euweb.cz/merove/merove1.html Genealogy of the Merovingian dynasty] at Genealogy.eu
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100117162942/http://www.museedestempsbarbares.fr/index_eng.html Merovingian Archaeology at the Museum of the Dark Ages (France)].

{{Merovingians}}
{{Germanic monarchs}}
{{Royal houses of France}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Merovingian dynasty}}
[[Category:Merovingian dynasty| ]]
[[Category:Merovingian period|.]]
[[Category:5th century]]
[[Category:6th century in Europe]]
[[Category:7th century in Europe]]
[[Category:Former monarchies of Europe]]
[[Category:Medieval history of Belgium]]
[[Category:Medieval history of France]]
[[Category:Medieval history of Germany]]
[[Category:Medieval history of Italy]]
[[Category:Medieval history of Luxembourg]]
[[Category:Medieval history of the Netherlands]]
[[Category:Medieval history of Slovenia]]
[[Category:Medieval history of Switzerland]]