Carolingian Dynasty
Family reigning between the middle of the 8th century and the beginning of the 10th century in practically all of Western Europe (except for the Iberian Peninsula, southern Italy and the British Isles).It gets its name from the two most prominent figures of the dynasty, Carlos Martel and Charlemagne.It was originally a Germanic noble family settled in Austrasia, in the area between the Meuse and the Rhine rivers; a first attempt to seize the Throne from the Merovingians in the mid-seventh century ended in failure, without the reprisals affecting the family patrimony.From now on, the family preferred to grow up under the Merovingian monarchy, whose decomposition left effective power in the hands of the mayordomos of the palaces of the different territories.
Pepin II of Herstal (679-714) , steward of Austrasia, managed to seize the rule of the Frankish kingdom by defeating the steward of Neustria and Burgundy.His bastard son Carlos Martel (714-41) re-established the unity of the kingdom against the secessionist tendencies of Neustria and Aquitaine.When he died he divided his domains between his sons Carloman (Austrasia, Swabia and Thuringia) and Pepin (Neustria, Burgundy and Provence); Aquitaine and Bavaria would be shared.In 751 both dethroned the last Merovingian king, Childeric III; Carloman retired to a monastery and Pepin, the Short (751-68), assumed sovereignty, making himself recognized by the nobles and crowned by the pope.
Again he divided his states when he died between his sons, Carlos and Carloman; But before the confrontation between the two broke out, Carloman died (771), leaving Charlemagne (768-814) as sole sovereign, who would be crowned emperor in 800.With him the dynasty reached its peak.He was succeeded by his son Luis I, the Pious (Ludovico Pío) (814-40).By the Ordinatio Imperii of 817 he associated his eldest son Lotario I (840-55) to the throne, who would inherit the imperial dignity and the government of most of the territory.But it created a principle of division when granting to its smaller children the government of Aquitaine (Pepin) and of Bavaria and the Eastern Brand (Luis, the Germanic ); the division increased when he later split off the kingdom of Germany for the son he had by his second wife (Carlos II, el Balvo) .
The struggles between the brothers lasted from 830 to 843, when the Treaty of Verdun divided the Carolingian Empire into three kingdoms of similar size for the three surviving sons of Louis I (Pepin had died before his father): in this division is the origin of present-day France (the western kingdom, given to Charles), Germany (the eastern kingdom, given to Louis) and a central kingdom given to Lothair (the Lotharingia, from whose name it comes the denomination of the region of Lorraine), constituted by a strip that united the Netherlands with the north of Italy.Since then, the Carolingian dynasty has been divided into three branches, installed over as many kingdoms.
The Lotharingia did not survive the reign of Lothair I (843-55), who nominally had held the imperial title.When he died, he divided his estates between his sons Louis II (Italy and the imperial title), Lothair II (the Netherlands and Lorraine) and Charles (Burgundy and Provence).
The eastern kingdom of Louis II the Germanic (843-75) was also divided at his death between his sons Carloman (Bavaria and Southeastern Marks), Louis III (Lower Franconia, Thuringia and Saxony) and Carlos III, the Fat (Germany).After a period of fratricidal struggles, the latter reunited the kingdom when his brothers died (881).However, he was forced to abdicate by the nobility, who raised a son of Carloman, Arnulf of Carinthia (887-99); He was succeeded by his son Luis, the Child (900-911), the last Carolingian king of Germany; after his death, the greats elected a king outside the family.
As for the western kingdom, Charles I of France and II of Germany, the Bald (843-877) , inherited Italy from Louis II and was crowned emperor in 875.His heir Louis II, the Stutterer (877-79), divided the kingdom between his two sons, Louis III (879-82) and Carloman (879-84); the early death of these three monarchs gave way to a period of disintegration, with the independence of Upper and Lower Burgundy.
The German King Charles III, el Gordo, was elected King of France as Charles II (884-87), which theoretically pointed towards a recomposition of the unity of the Carolingian Empire; but its passivity before the Norman attacks and before the feudal fragmentation of the power, facilitated the access to the Throne of several sovereigns of the Capetian dynasty.There were still several more Carolingian kings in France, before their final replacement by the Capetians; They were: Carlos III, the Simple (893-922), Luis IV de Ultramar (936-54), Lotario (954-86) and Luis V (986-87 ).
Comments
Post a Comment