Assassinations in History
Who
got slain, almost slain, when, how,
why, and by whom?
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Assassination Archive
Voyages in History
When did what
vessel arrive with whom onboard and where
did it sink if it didn't?
Go to the
Passage-Chart
The Divine Almanac
Who all roamed the heavens in
olden times? The Who's Who of
ancient gods.
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the Divine Almanac
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Carolingian Dynasty AD 641-987
or... 751 - 887, depending on who you ask.
The Carolingians
were Frankish
rulers, which means their territory was in
western Europe. They also had great nicknames.
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Before the Carolingians took over, the
Merovingians ruled.
They also were Frankish.
Here's a map of the Frankish Territories,
Carolingians and Merovingians,
481-814:
MAP OF FRANKISH TERRITORIES
CLICK TO ENLARGE
Did the Carolingian Dynasty Begin in 641 or in 751?
Some historians give the year 751 as the beginning of the
Carolingian's dynasty because in 751
Pepin III the Short overthrew the last
ruling member of the
Merovingian Dynasty,
Childeric III, and made himself ruler instead.
Others, however, mark the year 641 as
the beginning of the Carolingian dynasty because that was the year
in which
Pepin I
the Elder had arranged for his daughter
Begga
to marry
Ansegisel, the son of
Arnulf. (Arnulf was the
bishop of Metz.) The son of Begga and Ansegisel was
Pepin II.
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Thus, Pepin I and Arnulf became the founding fathers of the Carolingian dynasty.
By the way, the Carolingian's patriarch Pepin I
the Elder was not a king. He
was counselor to the king and mayor of the king's palace in
Austrasia. In fact,
the Carolingians at first ruled without being kings but their influence over the
king became more and
more powerful until they finally took it to the next level, gave the
king the boot, and declared themselves rulers. The year? 751.
814 Carolingian, Byzantine Empires and Califate
What's With
the Name?
It is the Carolingians because many rulers of the Carolingian
dynasty were named Charles. In Latin, Charles is Carolus
... make the bridge.
And talking about names: Some spell it
Pepin, some spell it Pippin, and the French spell it
Pépin. Another version is Lothair, which some also
spell
Lothar. Take your pick.
Did the Carolingian
Dynasty End in 887 or in 987?
Some historians say the Carolingian Dynasty ended in 887 when
Charles III the Fat was deposed, which is one way
of looking at it.
However, even though there were interruptions, the Carolingian rule
had a few comebacks. The Carolingians finally had to make room for
other rulers after
Louis V died childless. The year? 987.
Who Were the Members
of the Carolingian Dynasty?
Among others, the following
men were members of the Carolingian dynasty:
Pepin I the Elder, who was born we don't
know the exact year and lived to 639 or 640. Pepin I's son was
Grimoald. Pepin I's grandson was Pepin II of Herstal.
Grimoald, we don't
know when he was born, but we know that he died in 656. Grimoald
ruled as mayor from 643 - 656.
Pepin II of
Herstal, who was born
heck-knows-when and died in 714. Pepin II ruled 687 - 714 still as a
mayor, not as king.
Charles Martel the Hammer, who
lived 688 - 741, ruled 715 - 741, also mayor but not king. Upon
Charles Martel's death, his sons Pepin III and Carloman divided the
kingdom between themselves.
Pepin III the Short, who lived
714 - 768 and ruled 741 - 768. Pepin III was the first member of the
Carolingian family to become king. Pepin's son was named, you
guessed it, Charles. He became known as Charlemagne.
Carloman, who lived 715 - 754 and
ruled 741 - 747. He abdicated to become a monk. This abdication left
Pepin III to rule over the entire kingdom.
Charlemagne, who
lived 747 - 814 and ruled 768 - 814 as king and later as emperor.
Charlemagne's son was Louis I, the Pious.
Louis I the Pious, who lived 778
- 840 and ruled 814 - 840. Louis sons were: Charles II the
Bald, Louis II, the German, and Lothair I. These three fought over
their inheritance. The quarrel was solved by means of the
Treaty of
Verdun.
Charles II the Bald, who lived
823 - 877 and ruled 843 - 877. His son was Louis II, the Stammerer.
Louis II the German, who lived
804 - 876 and ruled 817 - 876.
Lothair I, who lived 795 - 855
and ruled 840 - 855.
Louis II the Stammerer, who
lived 846 - 879 and ruled 877 - 879. Louis II's sons were Louis III,
Carloman, and Charles III, the Simple. Louis III and Carloman were
joint rulers until the death of Louis III.
Louis III, who lived 863 - 882
and ruled 879 - 882.
Carloman, who was born sometime
and died in 884. Carloman was sole ruler 882 - 884.
Charles III the Fat, who lived
839 - 888 and ruled 884 - 887 when he was overthrown.
Charles III the Simple, who
lived 879 - 929 and ruled 893 - 923. His son was Louis from
Overseas.
Louis IV from
Overseas, who lived 921 - 954 and ruled 936 - 954. Louis
IV's son was Lothair.
Lothair, who lived 941 - 986 and
ruled 954 - 986. Lothair's son was Louis V.
Louis V the Sluggard,
who lived 967 - 987 and ruled 986 - 987.
More History
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