The Rule of the Merovingians and the Frankish Empire

Formation of the Frankish Empire

• Germanic conquests contributed to the fall of the Western Roman Empire.
• After the fall, various Frankish tribes ruled in Gaul.
• Clovis I became a minor king from the Merovingian family in 481 or 482 AD.
• The Merovingians expanded their domain under Clovis through conquests.
• The Frankish Empire they established became a major power in the early Middle Ages.
• At Clovis's death in 511, the empire encompassed large parts of present-day France as well as western and southern Germany.

Religious Policy and Administration

• Clovis was baptized and made Christianity the state religion to avoid tensions in Gaul.
• The Frankish kings utilized Roman administration and customs to present themselves as successors of the Roman emperors.

Challenges for the Merovingians

• The biggest threat was the Frankish law of inheritance: Upon the ruler's death, the realm was divided among all sons.
• Power struggles and division of the realm weakened the Merovingian dynasty.

Rise of the Mayors of the Palace

• Mayors of the palace gained more influence and became more powerful than the kings.
• Alongside the Merovingian dynasty, a mayoral dynasty emerged.
• In 751, the mayor Pippin the Younger deposed the last Merovingian king.
• Beginning of the rule of the Pippinids, later called the Carolingians after Charlemagne.

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