Holy royalty: the Merovingians
Despite “Da Vinci,” this Frankish dynasty left important legacies
The Merovingians get the holy treatment in "The Da Vinci Code," yet the first leaders of the empire of the Franks are better known for more earthly accomplishments.
In the best-selling book, The Da Vinci Code, the bloodline of Jesus and Mary Magdalene survived through the dynasty of the Merovingians. Despite the fictionalized story, who were the Merovingians?
These rulers of the Franks from 481 to 687 A.D. were the predecessors of the more famous Carolingian dynasty. The Franks were a conglomeration of Germanic tribes that lived in Gaul, what is today France, Belgium and Germany. These tribes supposedly called themselves by the Germanic word frech, which may be tied to “freedom.” This in turn led to them being called the Franci.
The Merovingians led the Franks in an alliance with Rome in 451 to drive back Attila the Hun. The earlier generations of the Merovingians were powerful, and the dynasty reached its zenith with Clovis I. He united the various tribes in 481 and five years later defeated the remains of the Roman army in northern Gaul at the Battle of Soissons.
Catholic conversion
Clovis is best known for leading the Franks to adopt Christianity. According to legend, Clovis prayed for victory while his army was losing a battle against the Alemanni at Tolbiac in 496. Miraculously, the Franks won, and Clovis agreed that he and his army would covert to Roman Catholicism.
Despite his conversion, Clovis used treachery and bribery to consolidate his power. He killed various relatives and minor kings to prevent threats to his throne. For example, he bribed a young prince to kill his father, then had the prince killed while calling himself the father’s avenger.
The ‘puppet’ kings
After Clovis’ death in 511, the kingdom was divided among his sons according to Germanic custom. This practice of divide and reconquer, combined with short-lived rulers, weakened the dynasty’s stability. During this turmoil the maior palacii began to pull the strings. These “mayors of the palace” ruled all but in name until 751, when Pepin the Short decided to take matters into his own hands. With the blessing of Pope Stephen II, Pepin deposed the last Merovingian king, Childeric III, and the father of Charlemagne founded the Carolingian dynasty.
The Merovingians are commonly known as the “do-nothing kings,” but they did provide some stability after the breakup of the Roman Empire. They adopted a vulgar version of Latin, which later evolved into French, and their conversion to Christianity added to the acceptance and influence of the Catholic Church. They may not have been descendents of Jesus Christ, but they did have lasting influence on Western Europe.
Sources:
Tierney, Brian. Western Europe in the Middle Ages: 300-1475, Sixth Edition. McGraw-Hill College, 1999.
