Carolingian dynasty

The term Carolingians refers to the dynasty that ruled the Frankish Kingdoms (sometimes Carolingian Empire) from roughly 768 to 987 in the west, 911 in the east. The Frankish Kingdoms underwent many partitions and repartitions, since the Franks divided their property among surviving sons. This practice is one of the reasons it is so difficult to describe precisely the dates and physical boundaries of any of the Frankish kingdoms nominally united under whichever of the kings also happened to be Emperor.

The name Carolingian itself comes from Charles the Great, better known as Charlemagne (Lat. Carolus magnus) and refers to him and his heirs. Charlemagne became King of the Franks in 768; however, many historians actually begin the Carolingian period in 751, when Charlemagne's father, Pepin the short became king after having used his position as Mayor of the Palace to garner support among many of the leading Franks, as well as the pope in order to depose the last Merovingian king, Childeric. What has most recently occurred among historians of the period is thus to some extent a two-tiered approach to referring to the Carolingians.

In general, the term Carolingian can be used for anything relating to Frankish history from the time of Pepin the Short. In the Western Frankish Kingdom, the Carolingians were the ruling dynasty until I minor branch of the family, the Robertians or, more often, the Capetians ascended the (by that time) French throne in 987. In the East, the Carolingians ruled until 911, when Louis the Child died without issue at the age of 18. He was succeded by Otto, son of Henry I the Fowler, the Duke of Saxony. For a time, the remnants of the Eastern Carolingian kingdom remained united under Otto's descendants, the Ottonians.

Those historians who choose to be sticklers on detail often refer to Charlemagne's ancestors as the Arnulfings Arnulf of Metz, the family's founder. Arnulf was Bishop of Metz in the late 7th century, and wielded a great deal of power and influence in the Merovingian kingdoms. Alternatively, they may refer to the early members of the family as the Pippinids, after Pepin II(also spelled Pippin) of Heristal, Mayor of the Palace of the Kingdom of Austrasia. His son, Charles Martel, suceeded him as Mayor and was the father of Pepin the Short.

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