Carolingian

Carolingian, sometimes called Carlovingian, dynasty of Frankish kings who ruled a collection of territories in Western Europe from the 7th to the 10th centuries ad; the dynasty takes its name from its most renowned member, Carloman or Charlemagne. The family was descended from Pepin the Elder of Landen, a powerful landowner who served Clotaire II, the Merovingian king of the Franks, as mayor of the palace of Austrasia from around 584 to 629. Pepin's grandson, Pepin of Herstal, eventually succeeded to the mayor's position, and by 687 he had become the effective ruler of the entire Frankish kingdom, although the Merovingians nominally wielded royal power. Pepin of Herstal was in turn succeeded by his illegitimate son, Charles Martel, and by two grandsons, Carloman and Pepin the Short. Carloman later abdicated, and in 751 Pepin the Short deposed the last Merovingian king and was crowned king of the Franks. This date is generally regarded as the beginning of the Carolingian dynasty. Pepin was also the first Frankish king whose coronation was sanctified by the Roman Catholic Church.

Pepin the Short was succeeded by his two sons, Carloman and Charlemagne, who at first ruled the kingdom jointly. After 771 Charlemagne was sole ruler and vastly increased the kingdom. At its greatest extent, it included what is now France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Low Countries, and northern Italy. On December 25, 800, Charlemagne was crowned the first emperor of the revived Western Roman Empire and established his court as a centre of learning, thus beginning the Carolingian Renaissance. Charlemagne achieved fame in many parts of the world for his promotion of education and patronage of the arts, forshadowing the development of Romanesque art and architecture. When he died, his son Louis I inherited the kingdom. Upon his death, the kingdom was divided among his three surviving sons, who fought each other for the title of emperor. In 843 the kingdom was formally divided by the Treaty of Verdun. Thereafter the power of the dynasty further declined. Nevertheless, the German branch, which also ruled the Holy Roman Empire, reigned until 911 when it was replaced by the Saxons, while the French branch held power until 987, when it was succeeded by the House of Capet, or Capetians.