Travel: The Bad Bad Merovingian Kings of France

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The fictional Da Vinci Code and its sourcebook, Holy Blood, Holy Grail, claim the Merovingian dynasty of France was made up of direct descendents of Jesus Christ.

Holy or not - and I have my doubts - they were an interesting and war-like family.

All photos were taken in 2006 at Versailles in a long hall off the chapel devoted to French heroes.  Louis Philippe (king 1830 - 1847) commissioned the sculptures from Jean-Bernard or Duseigneur.   please click on the photos to enlarge them
assorted Merovingian rulers
Dagobert I

• Members of the Germanic tribe, the Salian Franks
• Also know as the “long-haired kings”
• Their kingdoms were known as Neustria (today’s Normandy), Austrasia (northwest France and northeast Germany) and Burgundy (central and eastern France)
• They grew more corrupt and lazy as their almost four hundred years of rule continued, finally literally handing over power to the next family who claimed it. 

That newer dynasty, the Carolingians, included Charlemagne, crowned Holy Roman Emperor in 800.  His family  was, in turn, were replaced by the Capetians, whose Philip the Fair, the father of Isabelle, the She Wolf of France, was the king who destroyed the Knights Templar.  Philip, or Philippe IV, was cursed by the head of the Templars (who was being tortured), and his three sons were the last kings of that family. 

Charles Martel, first Carolingian king
Charlemagne, founder of Germany and France	Carloman, brother of Charlemagne
Huges (Hugh) Capet, founder of the Capetian dynasty

Related page: Judith, Princess of the Franks and granddaughter of Charlemagne

Some of the most noteworthy Merovingian rulers were: 

Merovich / Meovée / Merowe / Meroveus

• Traditional founder of the dynasty
• King of Tournai (modern Belgium)

Clovis

• Grandson of Merovich
• Died 511
• Unified much of Gaul (France) via wars and a whole lot of plotting
• Chose Paris as his capital
• Converted to Catholic Christianity as opposed to Arianism under the influence of his wife, Clotilda, and with regard for the political benefits of the support of the Church in Rome
• Left the country to be divided among his four sons – a definite mistake resulting in death and destruction
• His name can be translated as Louis," the most popular name for French kings

Chlotar (Clotaire) I

• Son of Clovis
• Carried off Radegunda, the niece of the king of Thuringia
• Murdered his relatives to reunite the country in 558

Guntram

• Son Chlotar I
• King of Burgundy
• First of his family to be canonized by the Catholic Church

Charibert I

• First of his family to be excommunicated for general dissipation and for having children with his wife as well as a pair of sisters.

Chilperic I

• Bad poet
• Murdered his wife, the sister of Brunhilda of Austrasia, at the instigation of his mistress and / next wife Fredegunde.
• Murdered, possibly at Brunhilda’s orders   

Chlotar (Clotaire) II

• Son of Chileric I and Fredegunde
• Came to the throne because his mother had his step siblings murdered
• Fredegunde held power until her death in 597
• Executed the elderly Queen Brunhilda (see above), the de facto ruler of Austrasia and Burgundy, by having her tortured on the rack for several days and then quartered (ripped apart by horses)

Dagobert I 

• Son of Chlotar II
• Reunified the Salian Frank kingdoms
• Extended his rule to Aquitaine (west and southwest France)

Childeric III

• Known as the Idiot or the Phantom King
• 14th and last Merovingian king

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