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Clovis I was the first ruler of the Merovingian Dynasty- he established the great Frankish Kingdom. At his death in 511, the kingdom was divided four ways- one part given to each son. This led to many civil wars and weakened the dynasty.
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Charles Martel, mayor, crushes a small army of Muslims near Poitiers and became the very first mayor!
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Pepin the short (son of Charles Martel) replaced Childeric III (the last Merovingian king) as king of Franks. This began the Carolingian Dynasty. This new dynasty was stronger because Pepin's alliance with the papacy. Pepin fought wars for the Pope in Italy and then gave the lands to the Pope. The Pope, in turn, would grant political favors for Pepin. Through his efforts, Pepin the Short united and grew the Frankish Kingdom during his reign.
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Upon the death of Pepin the Short in 768, Pepin's kingdom was divided between his two sons. One of his sons, Charlemagne, went on to become the greatest Frankish king and one of the greatest conquerors of all time! Charlemagne continued to fight for the Pope in Italy, which also helped his own kingdom.
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During Charlemagne's rule, he created a huge system of control where his empire was divided into about 250 countries, each governed by adminstrators. He also started a program of intellectual and religious reforms, using a team of leading scholars in Europe.
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After Charlemagne's death in 814, the Frankish empire was divided back up into parts again.
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After the death of Charlemagne, the Frankish empire was divided into 3 kingdoms among his 3 grandsons (the Treaty of Verdun in 843). In this treaty, the area that is mostly current day France, was given to Charles the Bald. During the 9th century, the Carolingian kings lost a lot of their power because the nobles were becoming stronger and all the invasions of France's western coast by Norsemen, plus the rivalry and disunity among the Franks.
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The nobles ended the Carolingian Dynasty and chose Hugh Capet as their new king. This was the beginning of the Capetian Dynasty.
