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Was the Kingdom of the Franks, a Germanic Tribe. Their Kingdom was founded during the period of fragementation of the Western Roman Empire. The initial core of their Kingdom was located in Northern France and Belgium. The Kingdom of the Franks was partitioned and reunited several times as the Frankish rulers usually divided their territories among their heirs. In the year 800 Charlemagne was crowned in Rome and the Kingdom became an Empire.
Summary
As the Roman Empire declined, waves of Germanic tribes, including the Franks, began moving into Gaul. The Franks, divided into Salian and Ripuarian tribes, were fierce horsemen and pillagers. One of their early kings, Merovech, gave his name to the Merovingian dynasty that would rule the Franks for centuries.
Christianity began spreading into Gaul in the 1st century AD, with the first bishop of Arles, Trophimus, believed to have been a companion of St. Paul. Persecution of Christians occurred under Emperor Marcus Aurelius in the 2nd century, but the religion continued to spread. By 400 AD, most of Gaul had converted, though the far west remained more resistant. The Franks under Clovis I also converted to Christianity around this time, strengthening the alliance between the Franks and the Catholic Church.
The Merovingian dynasty of Frankish kings ruled from the 5th to the 8th centuries. The early Merovingian kings were fierce, often cruel rulers, engaging in constant fighting and treachery to expand their power. King Clovis I consolidated Frankish control over much of Gaul in the late 5th/early 6th centuries, converting to Christianity and aligning the Franks with the Catholic Church.
After Clovis, the Merovingian kingdom was frequently divided among his descendants, leading to continuous conflict between rival Frankish kingdoms. The power of the kings also waned, as the office of mayor of the palace grew increasingly important, acting as the real power behind the throne.
By the 8th century, the Merovingians had become "do-nothing kings", with the mayors of the palace holding the true authority. One mayor, Charles Martel, emerged as a powerful military leader, defeating Muslim forces at the Battle of Tours in 732 and laying the groundwork for the rise of the Carolingian dynasty.
Charles Martel's son, Pepin the Short, eventually deposed the last Merovingian king and had himself crowned king of the Franks in 751, inaugurating the Carolingian dynasty. Pepin's son, Charlemagne, went on to greatly expand the Frankish kingdoms, conquering the Lombards in Italy and the Saxons in Germany.
Charlemagne was crowned Holy Roman Emperor by the Pope in 800 AD, uniting much of Western Europe under his rule and ushering in the Carolingian Renaissance of learning and culture. However, after Charlemagne's death, his empire was divided among his heirs, leading to a decline of Carolingian power in the 9th century.
Establishment
January 359: In the 4th century the federation of the Franks was the protagonist of various incursions into Gallic territory, conducted starting from their settlement area near the Rhine. Roman emperor Julian defeated them, however leaving them in possession of that territory, assigning them that part of Gallia Belgica as foederati of the Roman Empire, charged with defending the frontier of the Rhine, with the commitment to also supply men to the Roman army. From this territory the Franks gradually expanded.
Chronology
Interactive Chronologies with maps are available in the section Changes Navigation
The Germanic people of the Franks became Roman foederati.
The Roman province of Gallia Belgica was occupied by Germanic tribes.
January 421: The Franks, together with the Burgundians and the Alemanni, settled in the area around the Rhine.
A series of Barbarian invasions by the Germanic people of the Franks in the territories of the Roman Empire
3.1.Frankish Expansion up to the river Somme
Early expansion campaign of the Franks.
January 433: Clodione recovered and, after defeating the Romans, was soon able to take possession of the city of Cambrai. Having control of the Roman communication route, he advanced occupying the whole country up to the Somme and made Tournai, a city on the Scheldt, the capital of the Sali Franks. Thus began that expansionism and that historical process which would later lead to the formation of today's France.
Were a series of conflicts that saw the Huns, an invading tribe probably from Central Asia, fighting against the Romans as well as the Germanic tribes of Europe.
4.1.Hunnic Invasion of Gallia
Invasion of Gaul by the Huns under king Attila.
January 452: Honoria, the sister of Roman Emperor Valentinian III, sent a plea for help to Attila, King of the Huns, along with her ring. Attila interpreted this as an offer of marriage, and he claimed half of the Western Roman Empire as her dowry. Subsequently, the Huns invaded northern Gaul, where they occupied several major European cities, including Reims, Strasbourg, Trier, and Cologne.
February 452: Attila was defeated by Roman General Flavius Aetius in the Battle of the Catalaunian Plains. The Huns left the Roman territories they had occupied in Gaul and central Europe.
4.2.Germanic-Hunnic Wars
Was the conflict between the Germanic Tribes of central and eastern Europe against the Huns.
4.2.1.Battle of Nedao
The Battle of Nedao was a battle fought in Pannonia in 454 CE between the Huns and their former Germanic vassals. It was decisive Germanic victory.
January 455: The Battle of Nedao was a battle fought in Pannonia in 454 between Huns and their former vassals. Nedao is believed to be a tributary of Sava river. Hunnic dominance in Central and Eastern Europe was broken as a result of the battle.
Western Roman Emoperor Majorian was assassinated and overthrown by Ricimer.
September 461: When Western Roman emperor Majorian was killed on the orders of Ricimer in 461, general Aegidius maintained his own rule in the remnants of Roman Gaul that came to be known as the Domain or Kingdom of Soissons.
The Franks invaded the Domain of Soissons.
January 477: After Gaul had increasingly slipped away from Western Roman control since the death of the power-conscious general Aëtius in 454, the Franks used the collapse of the Western Roman Empire, which had been shattered by civil wars (around 476), to fill the power vacuum that had arisen and take over their territory on their own enlarge, similar to the Visigoths in the south.
The last remnants of the Roman Empire in Gaul, the Kingdom of Soissons, was conquered by the Franks under King Clovis I.
January 487: Having secured the frontiers to the north and east, and Euric being dead in the meantime, Clovis was able to prepare the conquest of the kingdom of Syagrius. In 486, with the help of the other Salician kings, Ragnacaro and Carrarico, he was able to throw his army against Siagro who, defeated, in the battle of Soissons. Now the Frankish tribes of Clovis controlled all of northern Gaul.
The inhabitants of Britannia and Armorica expelled the Romans.
January 491: Bro-Gwened was an early medieval principality or kingdom around Vannes in Armorica (Brittany), lasting from around AD 490.
January 501: Domnonia was an historic kingdom in northern Armorica founded by British immigrants from Dumnonia. Riwal founded the kingdom of the Armorican Domnonea around the year 500.
Were a series of wars between the Franks and the Visigoths during the reign of Frankish King Clovis I.
9.1.First Franco-Visigothic war (492-496)
Was the first war of Frankish King Clovis against the Kingdom of the Visigoths.
January 492: By 491, Clovis had stabilized the former Roman territory and was eager to move against Alaric. Hence soon, he laid a siege to Nantes; the most northern city under Visigothic rule. Nantes resisted sixty days.
January 493: Alaric seemingly refused to give Clovis battle, thus leaving Clovis to besiege Poitiers, Saintes, and Bordeaux. Clovis might have captured Tours.
January 497: In 496, Nantes was taken by the Armonici.
January 497: In 496, despite winning the Battle of Tolbiac against the Alemanni, the Franks took heavy casualties (and might have suffered from internal turmoil). Seeing the opportunity, Alaric quickly retook Bordeaux, Saintes, Poitiers, and Tours.
9.2.Second Franco-Visigothic war (507-508)
Was the first war of Frankish king Clovis against the Kingdom of the Visigoths.
November 507: Frankish king Clovis was able to recapture Bordeaux from the Visigoths before the end of 507.
January 508: Battle of Vouillé: Frankish conquest of Gallia Aquitania.
9.2.1.Battle of Vouillé
Was fought in the northern marches of Visigothic territory, at Vouillé, near Poitiers (Gaul), in the spring of 507 between the Franks, commanded by Clovis, and the Visigoths, commanded by Alaric II.
January 508: In 507, Clovis, having gathered all the Salii Franks, with a contingent supplied by the Ripuarian Franks, and allied with the Burgundians, put together a considerable army which in the spring crossed the Loire and marched on Poitiers. Eventually, instead of retreating he decided to fight and was personally defeated and killed by the Frankish king Clovis at the battle of Vouillé. This marked the end of Visigothic rule in Gaul. The Visigoths, of their French kingdom, managed to defend only the Septimania, that is the region between the mouth of the Rhone and the Pyrenees.
Was the inglobation of the Ripuarian Franks into the Frankish kingdom.
January 511: As for the tribes of the Ripuarian Franks, settled on the right bank of the Rhine, in present-day Thuringia, Clovis was expeditious, having their leaders, Cararico, Ragnacaro and Ricaro, assassinated in 510, and securing their lands. It was then the turn of the old ally Sigiberto the Lame, killed, it is said by Clovis' inspiration, by his son Cloderico who, however, could not enjoy the fruit of the parricide, as he was immediately assassinated by Clovis's assassins.
The Frankish Kingdom was partitioned and reuinited several times as the Frankish rulers used to divide their territories equally among their heirs. This lead also to a number of wars and revolts.
11.1.Partition of the Frankish Kingdom (511)
After the death of King Clovis I, the Frankish Kingdom was divided among his four sons.
November 511: Frankish King Clovis died in Paris in 511. According to old Germanic custom, his kingdom was divided equally among his four sons. Chlodomer received the Kingdom of Orléans.
November 511: Frankish King Clovis died in Paris in 511. According to old Germanic custom, his kingdom was divided equally among his four sons. Childebert received the Kingdom of Paris.
November 511: Frankish King Clovis died in Paris in 511. According to old Germanic custom, his kingdom was divided equally among his four sons. Chlothar received the Kingdom of Soissons.
November 511: Frankish King Clovis died in Paris in 511. According to old Germanic custom, his kingdom was divided equally among his four sons. Theuderic received the Kingdom of Metz.
11.2.Unification of the Frankish realm (558)
On 23 December 558, Childebert, the Frankish sub-King of Paris and Orléans died childless after a long illness. This allowed Chlothar, who ruled all other Frankish territories, to reunite the Greater Frankish Kingdom.
December 558: On 23 December 558, Childebert died childless after a long illness. This allowed Chlothar to reunite the Greater Frankish Kingdom, as his father Clovis had done, and seize the treasure of his brother.
December 558: Childebert and Chlothar were sons of King Clovis I of the Franks. Chlothar took advantage of his brother's death in 558 to reunite the Greater Frankish Kingdom and consolidate power by seizing his brother's treasure. This event solidified Chlothar's control over the kingdom.
11.3.Partition of the Frankish Kingdom (561)
The Frankish King Chlothar I died at the end of 561, leaving his kingdom to his four sons.
November 561: The Frankish King Chlothar I died at the end of 561, leaving his kingdom to his four sons. Sigebert received the kingdom of Metz with its capital Reims and Metz.
November 561: The Frankish King Chlothar I died at the end of 561, leaving his kingdom to his four sons. Chilperic received the territories north of the kingdom of Soissons.
November 561: The Frankish King Chlothar I died at the end of 561, leaving his kingdom to his four sons. Charibert received the ancient kingdom of Childebert I, between the Somme and Pyrénées, with Paris as its capital, and including the Paris Basin, Aquitaine and Provence.
November 561: The Frankish King Chlothar I died at the end of 561, leaving his kingdom to his four sons. Guntram received Burgundy with a part of the kingdom of Orléans, where he established his capital.
11.4.Chlothar´s conquest of Burgundy and Austrasia (Unification of Francia)
Subking Chlothar II was able to conquer all the other Frankish realms, thus reuniting the Frankish Kingdom.
January 614: In 613 Frankish sub-king Chlothar II defeated Brunhilda (who was regent of the Kingdom of Orleans for her great-grandson Sigebert II) in battle. After having her and Sigebert II executed, Chlothar II reunited all Frankish realms.
11.5.Partition of the Frankish Kingdom (630/40)
When Chlothar II died in 628, Dagobert, in accordance with his father's wishes, granted a subkingdom to his younger brother Charibert II. This subkingdom, commonly called Aquitaine, was a new creation.
January 630: When Frankish sub-king Chlothar died in 628, Dagobert, in accordance with his father's wishes, granted a subkingdom to his younger brother Charibert II. This subkingdom, commonly called Aquitaine, was a new creation.
January 640: After the death of Frankish king Dagobert I, the two Frankish kingdoms of Austrasia and Neustria became independent once again under Sigebert III and Clovis II.
11.6.Unification of the Frankish realm (662)
Frankish mayor of the palace Ebroin reunited the entire Frankish kingdom in name of Chlothar III (nominal ruler of Neustria) by removing Childebert (King of Austrasia, the other Frankish sub-Kingdom) in 661.
January 662: Frankish major Ebroin reunited the entire Frankish kingdom for Clovis's successor Chlothar III, the ruler of Neustria, by killing Grimoald (the mayor of the palace of Austrasia) and removing Childebert (the Austrasian king and also the son of Grimoald) in 661.
11.7.Partition of the Frankish Kingdom (663)
The Frankish Kingdom was partitioned into Austrasia and Neustria.
January 663: The Austrasian aristocracy, led by the Mayor of the Palace of Austrasia, Wulfoald, elevated Childeric II to the throne, splitting again the Frankish Empire into Austrasia and Neustria.
11.8.Unification of the Frankish realm (674)
King Childeric II of Austrasia was able to conquer all the other Frankish realms, thus reuniting the Frankish Kingdom.
January 674: Childeric II, king of Austrasia, taking advantage of the unrest following the death of his brother Chlothar III (the king of Neustria), invaded Neustria in 673, deposed Chlothar's successor Theodoric III and later also marched in Burgundia, becoming ruler of all the Frankish kingdoms.
11.9.Partition of the Frankish Kingdom (676)
The Frankish Kingdom was partitioned into Austrasia and Neustria.
April 676: After the death of Childeric II, who was king of all the Franks, Theuderic III (the younger brother of Childeric) became king of Neustria, whereas Clovis III (whose relationship to Childeric is unclear) became king of Austrasia. At the same time Chilperic, Childeric II legitimate son, was imprisoned in a monastery.
11.10.Unification of the Frankish realm (680)
Frankish subking of Neustria Theuderic III inherited Austrasia and reunited the whole Frankish kingdom under his domain.
January 680: After king Dagobert was murdered in 678 AD, the crown of Austrasia went to Theodoric III who became king of all Franks.
11.11.Frankish Civil War
Was a war between Teilreiche of the Frankish Kingdom (polities emerging from the hereditary divisions of the Frankish Kingdom that repeatedly divided and reunited). After their defeat at the Battle of Vincy, Chilperic and Ragenfrid allied with Odo the Great, the independent duke of Aquitaine, and marched on Soissons. .
11.11.1.Secession of Neustria and Burgundy
After the death of Pepin of Herstal (de facto ruler of Francia as the Mayor of the Palace), Neustria broke away from the Frankish Kingdom.
September 715: The death of Pepin of Herstal, the Mayor of the Palace of the Frankish Emoire, caused a conflict between his heirs and the Neustrian nobles who sought political independence from Austrasian control. Eventually, Pepin's son Charles Martel was acclaimed mayor by the nobles of Austrasia. At the same time Chilperic II, the cloistered son of Childeric II, was proclaimed king of Neustria.
11.11.2.Unification of the Frankish Kingdom (718)
Unification of the Frankish Kingdom under Charles Martel.
January 719: By 718 Charles Martel was the de facto ruler of Austrasia. He then forced the king of Neustria, Chilperic II, into submission and unified the Frankish realms as Mayor of the Palace of all kingdoms.
11.12.Partition of the Frankish Kingdom (741)
Shortly before his death in October 741, Charles Martel divided the realm between his two sons by his first wife. The division of the kingdom gave Austrasia, Alemannia, and Thuringia to Carloman and Neustria, Provence, and Burgundy to Pepin.
October 741: Shortly before his death in October 741, Charles divided the realm as if he were king between his two sons by his first wife. The division of the kingdom gave Austrasia, Alemannia, and Thuringia to Carloman and Neustria, Provence, and Burgundy to Pepin.
October 741: Succeeding his father as the Mayor of the Palace in 741, Pepin reigned over Francia jointly with his elder brother Carloman. Pepin ruled in Neustria, Burgundy, and Provence, while his brother Carloman established himself in Austrasia, Alemannia and Thuringia. The brothers were active in suppressing revolts led by the Bavarians, Aquitanians, Saxons, and the Alemanni in the early years of their reign. In 743, they ended the Frankish interregnum by choosing Childeric III, who was to be the last Merovingian monarch, as figurehead king of the Franks.
11.13.Unification of the Frankish realm (748)
Carloman of Austrasia withdrew from public life in 747 to take up the monastic habit, thus his brother Pepin of Neustria reunited the whole Frankish Kingdom.
January 748: King Carloman of Austrasia withdrew from public life in 747 to take up the monastic habit. His brother Pepin, who ruled over Neustria, reunited the whole Frankish Kingdom.
11.14.Partition of the Frankish Kingdom (768)
Upon Pepin's death in 768, his sons, Charles (the future Charlemagne) and Carloman, once again divided the kingdom between themselves.
September 768: Upon Pepin's death in 768, his sons, Charles and Carloman, once again divided the kingdom between themselves. Carloman received the one that had been devolved to his uncle Carloman, namely Austrasia, Alemania, Thuringia, and the tributary countries.
11.15.Unification of the Frankish realm (771)
After the death of Carloman, his surviving brother Charles (the future Charlemagne) reunited the Frankish Kingdom.
December 771: The death of Carlomannoa Salmontiaco, again according to Einhard, occurred as a result of an illness, after just over two years of reign. It was sudden (December 4, 771) and talked about. Despite having heirs, in particular the eldest son, Pippin, half of the kingdom owned by Carloman, after a small meeting of nobles, went to Charles, who was proclaimed his brother's successor for which he had power over the whole kingdom of the Franks without bloodshed.
Were a series of conflict between the Kingdom of Frisia and the Frankish Kingdom. Frisia was finally inglobated into the Frankish domains.
January 631: By 630 the situation had changed. The Merovingian king Dagobert I brought the Frankish empire under one banner again and conquered the lands south of the Oude Rijn. This time they brought Christianity to the Frisian lands and built a church in Utrecht.
January 690: In 689, however, Pepin launched a campaign of conquest in Western Frisia. All the land between the Scheldt and the Vlie was incorporated into Francia.
January 720: It is not certain who the successor of Redbad was. It is believed that there were troubles with the succession, because the Frankish opponent Charles Martel easily invaded Frisia and subjugated the territory. The resistance was so weak that Charles Martel not only annexed Frisia Citerior, but he also crossed the Rhine and annexed "farther" Frisia, to the banks of the river Vlie.
January 735: In 734 Charles fought against Eastern Frisia and finally subdued it.
12.1.Annexation of East Frisia
In 734 at the Battle of the Boarn the Frisians were defeated and the Franks annexed the Frisian lands between the rivers Vlie and Lauwers.
January 735: In 734 at the Battle of the Boarn the Frisians were defeated and the Franks annexed the Frisian lands between the Vlie and the Lauwers.
Were a series of revolts by the Kingdom of Thuringia against Frankish overlordship.
13.1.Independance of the Kingdom of the Thuringians
Was the secession of Thuringia after the death of the Frankish king Dagobert I.
January 639: In 641 he took part in the war against Duke Radulfo, to whom his father, Dagobert I had entrusted the defense of Thuringia, a frontier territory threatened by the Saxons, but who had rebelled after the death of Dagobert, in 639, creating an independent duchy .
Were a series of military campaigns by Frankish ruler Charles Martel.
14.1.Campaign of Charles Martel against the Saxons
Was a military campaign by Frankish ruler Charles Martel agains the Saxons.
January 719: Between 718 and 723, Charles secured his power through a series of victories: he won the loyalty of several important bishops and abbots by donating lands and money for the foundation of abbeys and subjugated Bavaria and Alemannia. Having unified the Franks under his banner, Charles was determined to punish the Saxons who had invaded Austrasia. Therefore, late in 718, he laid waste their country to the banks of the Weser, the Lippe, and the Ruhr. He defeated them in the Teutoburg Forest and thus secured the borders in the name of King Clotaire.
February 719: Between 718 and 723, Charles secured his power through a series of victories: he won the loyalty of several important bishops and abbots by donating lands and money for the foundation of abbeys and subjugated Bavaria and Alemannia. Having unified the Franks under his banner, Charles was determined to punish the Saxons who had invaded Austrasia. Therefore, late in 718, he laid waste their country to the banks of the Weser, the Lippe, and the Ruhr. He defeated them in the Teutoburg Forest and thus secured the borders in the name of King Clotaire.
Were a series military campaigns from the 8th century until 1492 by the Christian kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula to reconquer the region from the Islamic rulers that had conquered it during the Umayyad conquest of Hispania.
January 726: 725: Muslim raids reach Autun in the Frankish Empire.
February 726: End of Muslim raid in Autun (Frankish Empire).
January 779: In 778, Charlemagne led the Franks in an attack on Zaragoza, a city in modern-day Spain.
February 779: The Franks were unable to capture the city of Zaragoza and were forced to retreat.
January 791: In 790, the territories of Ribagorza and Pallars were linked to Toulouse and became part of the Kingdom of the Franks under the rule of Charlemagne, a prominent Frankish king and emperor. This expansion of the Frankish kingdom helped solidify Charlemagne's power in the region.
January 793: Hisham I, Emir of Cordoba, calls for jihad against the infidels in Al-Andalus and in the Frankish Empire. Tens of thousands of volunteers from as far away as Syria follow his call. Narbonne is destroyed, but the invasion is stopped near Carcassonne.
February 793: After the forces of the Caliphate of Cordoba raided southern France, they returned to Spain.
15.1.Expansion of the Frankish Spanish March
Were a series of military campaigns by the Frankish rulers that led to the creation of a buffer zone between the Iberian Peninsula, controlled by the Umayyad Caliphate, and the Frankish Empire.
January 795: Frankish overlordship expanded to the upper Ebro (794).
January 799: Urgell and Cerdanya were added to the Marca Hispanica in 798.
Were the military campaigns of the Umayyad Caliphate in modern-day Spain, Portugal and France.
16.1.Frankish-Umayyad Wars
Were a series of wars between the Umayyad Caliphate, which had conquered the Iberian Peninsula, and the Frankish Kingdom.
June 732: 732: A Muslim army under Abd ar-Rahman defeats an army of Duke Eudos of Aquitaine (or Odo the Great) near Bordeaux. The Moors then sack Aquitaine.
December 732: End of the sack of Aquitaine by the Muslim army.
January 753: Siege of Narbonne (759).
January 760: Siege of Narbonne: After the fall of Narbonne, the Muslims are forced to withdraw from Septimania and retreat beyond the Pyrenees.
June 778: A double expedition was set up in the spring of 778, and during the summer the two armies met in front of Zaragoza, but at that time the city was held by loyalists, contrary to what Suleyman claimed. Threatened with intervention from the Emir of Cordoba, the Franks lift the siege and leave Spain, after looting Pamplona.
January 786: In 785, the Kingdom of the Franks, led by King Charlemagne, took control of Gerona, a city in modern-day Spain.
Were a series of invasions of Saxony by the Frankish Kingdom to impose them the Christian faith.
January 749: In 748, the Saxons, as was their custom, had broken their oaths, so Pippin was forced to intervene, with the help of the Frisians. After many of them had already been killed or taken prisoner and their lands burned, the Saxons, seized with fear, sued for peace, promising to be tributaries.
February 749: In 748, the Saxons, as was their custom, had broken their oaths, so Pippin was forced to intervene, with the help of the Frisians. After many of them had already been killed or taken prisoner and their lands burned, the Saxons, seized with fear, sued for peace, promising to be tributaries.
January 750: Seeing, moreover, that they could not oppose the Franks, having dismissed their commanders, they converted to the Christian faith. But then, due to pressure from the Bavarians, they abjured their faith and did not keep their word, so in 749, Pepin returned with the army to Saxony.
February 750: Seeing, moreover, that they could not oppose the Franks, having dismissed their commanders, they converted to the Christian faith. But then, due to pressure from the Bavarians, they abjured their faith and did not keep their word, so in 749, Pepin returned with the army to Saxony.
January 759: In 758, Pepin the Short, King of the Franks, led a campaign to the Tribal Confederation of the Saxons, where he defeated and massacred the Saxons in Sitnia. This brutal act helped to subdue the Saxons' resistance to Frankish rule for several years.
February 759: In 758, Pepin, the King of the Franks, led a campaign in Saxony and defeated the Saxons at Sitnia, crushing their resistance for years. Pepin was the son of Charlemagne and a powerful ruler in the Frankish Empire. The Saxons were a tribal confederation in the region.
Were a series of wars between the Frankish and Lombard Kingdoms. Charlemagne finally incorporated the Kingdom of the Lombards in the Frankish Kingdom.
18.1.First War of Aistulf
Was the first War between Pepin the short, King of the Franks, and Aistulf, King of the Lombards.
January 756: Worried about the rise of Lombard power, Pope Stephen II asked for the intervention of Pepin the Short, king of the Franks. The Frankish king was also freshly indebted to the papacy for legitimizing his usurpation against the Merovingians and wanted to prevent the highest Catholic religious authority, also influential within his kingdom, from becoming a vassal of the Lombards. In the spring of 755 Pepin moved against the Lombard and faced them in battle at the locks of the Val di Susa, inflicting a severe defeat on his enemies. The Lombard king fled to Pavia, which was besieged by Pepin.
February 756: The Frankish army leave Pavia, ending the siege of the city.
18.2.Second War of Aistulf
Was the second War between Pepin the short, King of the Franks, and Aistulf, King of the Lombards.
January 757: Pippin, in 756, crossed the Alps again at the Moncenisio pass (Pippin's second expedition against Astolfo). The Longobards, having left Rome, had taken to the locks of the Alpine passes, where they were defeated by the Franks (April 756). Then, with his nephew Tassilone III of Bavaria, Pepin devastating the region pursued them up to Pavia, which was placed under siege.
February 757: Pippin, in 756, crossed the Alps again at the Moncenisio pass (Pippin's second expedition against Astolfo). The Longobards, having left Rome, had taken to the locks of the Alpine passes, where they were defeated by the Franks (April 756). Then, with his nephew Tassilone III of Bavaria, Pepin devastating the region pursued them up to Pavia, which was placed under siege.
18.3.Frankish Invasion of Italy (773)
Was the first military campaign of Frankish King Charles the Great against the Kingdom of the Lombards.
May 773: Hadrian excommunicated the Lombard king and asked for help from Charlemagne. The Frankish king was at the time engaged in the wars against the Saxons, but nevertheless answered the call to save his prestige as protector of the papacy. In the spring of 773 Charles gathered his army near Geneva and divided it into two sections: one would descend the Valle d'Aosta, defended by Adelchi, the other, led by Charles himself, would follow the traditional route across the Moncenisio. There, at the Chiuse near Susa, Desiderio managed to hold back the Franks, but the front manned by Adelchi gave way under the impact of the army led by Carlo's uncle, Bernardo.
18.4.Frankish Invasion of Italy (775)
Was the second military campaign of Frankish king Charles the Great against the Kingdom of the Lombards, which was annexed to the Frankish possessions.
January 775: In 776, Charlemagne, the King of the Franks, conquered the Duchy of Spoleto, adding it to his expanding Carolingian Empire. This conquest came two years after the fall of Pavia, another significant victory for Charlemagne.
January 775: In 774 the pontiff gave him the title of patricius Romanorum. Charles donated Roman Tuscia (with the centers of Ronciglione, Viterbo, Tuscania, Soana) together with some centers of Longobard Tuscia (Populonia, Rusellae and Castrum Felicitatis) and to Ancona, Numana and Osimo: a total of ten cities;.
January 775: Charles conquered the Lombards and thus included northern Italy in his sphere of influence.
January 776: Passed under the control of the francs together with the Longobardia Maior.
January 777: In 776, Charlemagne, the King of the Franks, conquered Spoleto, a territory in Italy. This victory came two years after the fall of Pavia, another significant conquest for Charlemagne and his Carolingian Empire.
January 783: Pope Adrian renounced Terracina and, in exchange, obtained Sabina from the Franks.
January 788: In 787 the siege of Salerno by Charlemagne forced him to submit to the lordship of the Franks.
January 789: Territorial gains of the Holy see by 788 based on maps.
January 789: Grimoald III, who had also succeeded in overturning the balance of power with the Franks, obtaining from them a partial submission.
February 789: The last tribal stem duchy to be incorporated was Bavaria in 788, after Duke Tassilo III had tried in vain to maintain his independence through an alliance with the Lombards. The conquest of the Lombard Kingdom by Charlemagne entailed the fall of Tassilo, who was deposed in 788. From that point, Bavaria was administrated by Frankish prefects.
Were a series of military campaigns by Frankish king Pepin the short against Aquitania.
January 760: In 759-760, Pippin the Short, King of the Franks, clashed with Waifer, Duke of Aquitaine, over rebellious Franks and church issues. Waifer sent ambassadors and hostages to secure peace with Pippin, maintaining control over Aquitaine.
February 760: In 759-760, Pippin the Short, King of the Franks, clashed with Waifer, Duke of Aquitaine, over rebellious Franks and church issues. Waifer sent ambassadors and hostages to secure peace with Pippin, maintaining control over Aquitaine.
January 761: In 761, Pippin the Short, King of the Franks, intervened in the Kingdom of Aquitania due to Waifer's support for Frankish rebels and disputes with the French church. Waifer sent ambassadors and hostages to negotiate peace with Pippin, agreeing to his conditions to avoid conflict.
February 761: In 761, Pippin the Short, King of the Franks, intervened in the Kingdom of Aquitania due to Waifer's support for Frankish rebels and disputes with the French church. Waifer sent ambassadors and hostages to negotiate peace with Pippin, agreeing to his conditions to avoid conflict.
January 762: Pippin, also known as Pepin the Short, was the King of the Franks. In 761, he launched a military campaign and ravaged Aquitaine, a territory ruled by Duke Waifer. This event marked the expansion of the Kingdom of the Franks into Aquitania.
February 762: Pippin the Short, King of the Franks, ravaged Aquitaine in 762. This military campaign was part of Pippin's efforts to expand the Frankish kingdom and assert his authority over the region, which was ruled by Duke Waiofar. The Kingdom of Aquitania was eventually absorbed into the Frankish Empire.
January 763: Pippin returned the following year and laid siege to Bituricam (modern Bourges) and captured it, allowing any defenders sent by Waifer who had been captured to return to their lands, while the rebuilt Bitorica was occupied by the Franks.
February 763: Pippin returned the following year and laid siege to Bituricam (modern Bourges) and captured it, allowing any defenders sent by Waifer who had been captured to return to their lands, while the rebuilt Bitorica was occupied by the Franks.
January 766: In the years 765 and 766, Pepin invaded Aquitaine.
February 766: End of Frankish invasion of Aquitaine.
January 767: In the years 765 and 766, Pepin invaded Aquitaine.
February 767: End of Frankish invasion of Aquitaine.
January 768: In 767, Pepin the Short, King of the Franks, traveled to Aquitaine with his wife Queen Bertrada to capture Waifer, who had rebelled and taken control of part of the duchy. Pepin's intervention ultimately led to Aquitaine being incorporated into the Kingdom of the Franks.
February 768: In 767, Pepin the Short, King of the Franks, traveled to Aquitaine with Queen Bertrada to capture Waifer, who had rebelled and taken control of part of the Kingdom of Aquitania. Pepin's intervention aimed to restore his authority over the region.
Military campaigns initiated by the Frankish emperor Charlemagne.
20.1.Saxon Wars
Were a series of wars and revolts in Saxony during the reign of Charles the Great.
January 774: In mid-January 772, the sacking and burning of the church of Deventer by a Saxon expedition was the casus belli for the first war waged by Charlemagne to the Saxons. Frankish invasion of Saxon territory and the subjugation of the Engrians and destruction of their sacred symbol Irminsul near Paderborn in 772 or 773 at Eresburg.
January 776: Charlemagne's second campaign came in the year 775. Then he marched through Westphalia, conquering the fort of Sigiburg.
January 776: Charlemagne crossed Engria, where he defeated the Saxons.
January 779: By 778 AD the Saxons were moreor less independent again.
September 779: In summer 779, Charlemagne again went into Saxony and conquered Eastphalia, Engria, and Westphalia.
January 783: Charlemagne conquerd Saxony.
The last tribal stem duchy to be incorporated into the Frankish Kingdom was Bavaria in 788, after Duke Tassilo III had tried in vain to maintain his independence through an alliance with the Lombards.
January 789: The last tribal stem duchy to be incorporated was Bavaria in 788, after Duke Tassilo III had tried in vain to maintain his independence through an alliance with the Lombards. The conquest of the Lombard Kingdom by Charlemagne entailed the fall of Tassilo, who was deposed in 788. From that point, Bavaria was administrated by Frankish prefects.
Was a Byzantine military campaign against the Lombard Duchy of Benevento.
January 789: In 788 the principality was again invaded by Byzantine troops, this time led by Adelchi, the son of Desiderius, who had found refuge in Constantinople. An attempt at recovery that was skilfully thwarted by the son of Arechi II, Grimoald III, who had also managed to overturn the balance of power with the Franks, partially subduing them. The Franks also took part in the war against Adelchi who, during the war, launched themselves several times to attack the same territories of Benevento, obtaining some small conquests. Notable was only the annexation of Chieti to the Duchy of Spoleto.
The Frankish king Charlemagne was crowned Imperator Romanorum ("Emperor of the Romans") in Saint Peter's Basilica by Pope Leo III.
December 800: In 797 the throne of the Byzantine Empire was usurped by Irene of Athens. The fact that the Roman throne was occupied by a woman prompted the pope to consider the Roman throne vacant. During the Christmas mass of 25 December 800, in St. Peter's basilica, Charlemagne was crowned emperor by Pope Leo III, a title never used again in the West after the dismissal of Romulus Augustus in 476.
January 701: The duchy of Aquitaine as a quasi-independent realm within the Frankish empire established itself during the second half of the 7th century, certainly by 700 under Odo the Great.
January 724: In 723 Charles Martel suppressed the Saxons again.
February 724: End of Frankish raid in Saxony.
January 733: Odo engaged the Franks in battle, but lost and came out weakened. Soon after this battle, in 732, the Moors raided Vasconia and Aquitaine as far north as Poitiers and defeated Odo twice near Bordeaux. Odo saw no option but to invoke the aid of Charles Martel and pledge allegiance to the Frankish prince.
January 736: Odo was succeeded by his son Hunald, who reverted to former independence, so defying the Frankish Mayor of the Palace Charles Martel's authority.
January 754: Establishment of the Frankish protectorate over Brittany.
January 775: Imperial immediacy of the Fulda Abbey.
January 775: After the fall of the Kingdom of the Lombards, the Lombard territories in Benevento remained as a rump state and maintained their de facto independence. The duke did not miss the opportunity to raise his dignity and assumed the title of Prince, elevating his domain to a Principality.
January 776: Hersfeld Abbey gains imperial immediacy.
January 776: The Strassburg Prince-Bishopric acquired new territories.
January 793: Murbach Abbey gains imperial immediacy.
January 796: The Obotrites established a confederation of medieval West Slavic tribes within the territory of modern Mecklenburg and Holstein in northern Germany.
January 799: In the Battle of Bornhöved in 798 the Obodrites, led by Drożko, allied with the Franks, defeated the Nordalbingian Saxons.
Disestablishment
December 800: In 797 the throne of the Byzantine Empire was usurped by Irene of Athens. The fact that the Roman throne was occupied by a woman prompted the pope to consider the Roman throne vacant. During the Christmas mass of 25 December 800, in St. Peter's basilica, Charlemagne was crowned emperor by Pope Leo III, a title never used again in the West after the dismissal of Romulus Augustus in 476.
Selected Sources
De La Blanche, P. (1894): Atlas général d'histoire et géographie, Armand Colin & Cie, Editeurs, p.21
Droysen, G. (1886): Historischer Handatlas, Bielefeld and Leipzig (Germany)
Grégoire de Tours, Histoire, livre IV, 19, 21, 54.
Middleton, J. (2015): World Monarchies and Dynasties Vol.1-3, Routledge, p.195
Kingdom of the Franks
