2 Carolingians

The Carolingians initially were Mayors of the Palace under Merovingian kings in the sub-kingdom of Austrasia and later in the reunited Frankish realm:

• Arnulf of Metz
• Pippin of Landen, (580-640), or Pippin I, the Elder* 628-639
• Pippin of Herstal, (640-714), or Pippin II* 687-714
• Charles Martel, (690-724), * 714-741
• Carloman, (716-754), * 741-747
• Pippin III, (714-768), the Short* 747-751

When Pippin III became king, the Carolingians succeeded the Merovingian dynasty:

• Pippin the Short, (714-768), 751-768
• Carloman 768-771
• Charlemagne, (742-814), 771-814
• Louis the Pious, (AD 778-840), 814-840

The Frankish kingdom was then divided with the Treaty of Verdun in 843 among the sons of Louis the Pious. The following table lists only the members of the Carolingian dynasty in the three subdivisions, which are the kernels of later France and the Holy Roman Empire, each with different ruling dynasties.

West Franks (eventually France)	Lotharingia	East Franks (to become the Holy Roman Empire)
Names marked (*) are Robertians and (**) are from the house of Boso -- both were distantly related to the Carolingians. Charles the Bald, (823-877), 843-877 Emp. 875 Louis the Stammerer, (846-879), 877-879 Carloman, King of the West Franks, (died 884), 879-884 (South) Charles the Fat 884-887 Germany 876-887 Emp. 881 Odo, Count of Paris, (died 866), * 888-898 Charles the Simple, (879-929), 898-922 Robert, (865-923), * 922-923 Rudolph, Duke of Burgundy** 923-936 Louis IV, (914-984), 936-954 Lothar 954-986 Louis V, the Indolent 986-987 After this, the Capetian dynasty ruled France. For the continuation, see the list of French monarchs.	Lothar 795-855, Emperor 817-855 Louis II, (825-875), 825-875, Emperor 855-875 Lothar II 835-869 Zwentibold 870/1-900 son of Arnulf of Carinthia by a concubine Louis II had only daughters, one of whom, Ermengard, married Boso of Provence, thus providing the family connection for Rudolph of Burgundy's claim to the throne.	Louis the German, (804-876), 843-876 Carloman (830-880) (Bavaria) Louis III 876-882(North) Charles the Fat 876-887 (South, then all) Emp. 881 Arnulf of Carinthia 887-899 Emp. 896 Louis the Child, (893-911), 899-911 After this, Conrad of Franconia ruled from 911-918, and was followed by the Saxon (Ottonian) kings, which is commonly considered the beginning of the Holy Roman Empire. For the continuation, see the list of German Kings and Emperors.

3 Related articles

• Franks (main history of Frankish kingdoms)

4 For further reading

• The history of France as recounted in the "Grandes Chroniques de France," and particularly in the personal copy produced for King Charles V between 1370 and 1380 that is the saga of the three great dynasties, the Merovingians, Carolingians, and the Capetian Rulers of France, that shaped the institutions and the frontiers of the realm. This document was produced and likely commissioned during the Hundred Years' War, a dynastic struggle between the rulers of France and England with rival claims to the French throne. It should therefore be read and considered carefully as a source, due to the inherent bias in the context of its origins.
• The Cambridge Illustrated History of France - Cambridge University Press
• The Origins of France: Clovis to the Capetians 500-1000 by Edward James BooksEnthsiast.com
• Late Merovingian France: History and Hagiography, 640-720 (Manchester Medieval Sources); Paul Fouracre (Editor), Richard A. Gerberding (Editor)BooksEnthsiast.com
• Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: Merovingian Dynasty: [1].
• Medieval France: An Encyclopedia , eds. W. Kibler and G. Zinn. New York: Garland Publishing, 1995.

Lists of office-holders

<Hide>