Merovingian << `mehr` uh VIHN jee uhn >> dynasty was a line of Frankish kings who conquered Gaul and surrounding lands beginning in A.D. 486 and ruled until 751. The Franks were Germanic peoples, and Gaul was a region that included present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and southwestern Germany. The name Merovingian comes from Merovech, a relative of the first Merovingian ruler, Clovis I.
Clovis I was also the most powerful Merovingian king. He unified the Franks under his rule. By the time he died in 511, he had conquered northern and southwestern Gaul and additional land in what is now western Germany. The kingdom was then divided among four of Clovis’ sons, who added southeastern Gaul and other territory to the realm. However, a process of further dividing the kingdom led to numerous civil wars that severely weakened the dynasty. In 751, the last Merovingian king, Childeric III, was replaced by Pepin the Short, the first ruler from the Carolingian dynasty (see Pepin the Short).
See also Clovis I; France (The Carolingian dynasty); Franks.
