Pippinid & Carolingian Ancestries

Initially Mayors of the Palace were under Merovingian kings of Austrasia, Neustria, and Burgundy. They became more important than kings by controlling the purse strings and could come from the same lineage and be mayor in the different Frankish areas. Carloman1 of Landen was an aristocrat1. His wife was Gertrude of Bavaria. They had a son, Pippin I or Pepin of Landen2 who was appointed in 623 by king Dagobert I to govern Austrasia as Mayor of the Palace. Dagobert’s father, Chlotar II, had three sons: Merovach, Dagobert I, and Charibert II. In making Dagobert I ruler over Austrasia, Chlotar II reserved certain Austratian lands for himself. Dagobert I’s advisor was the Bishop Arnoulf of Metz, son of Baudgise II of Aquitaine and Oda. Arnoulf first served in the Merovingian court of king Theudebert II, son of Childebert II, of Austrasia. Later as Bishop of Metz under Dagobert I. Three days after Dagobert I married in 625 he argued with his father Chlothar II over the Austrasian lands. Dagobert I wanted to rule all of Austrasia. They agreed that twelve lords would resolve the issue. One was Arnoulf who eventually reconciled the situation by having the father cede most of Austrasia to his son Dagobert I, keeping only the Austrasian territory beyond the Loire River valley in Provence for himself. Things went well for Dagobert I until he started getting greedy, even wanting his father’s home. This dismayed Pippin I and the Austrasians. Then Bishop Arnoulf got into politics when Dagobert I’s son Clovis II’s foreign wife, queen Brunhilda/Baldechildis, ordered the killing of the parents of a friend of Arnoulf. A revolt of Frankish nobles led to her overthrow, subsequent death, and reunification of Frankish lands under Chlotair II who died in 629 and buried in the church of St. Vincent outside Paris. According to his desires, Aquitaine was granted as a subkingdom to his younger son Charibert II. In 632 Charibert II died and his infant son, Chilperic, was ordered by Dagobert I to be assassinated in order to keep all of Austrasia under his control. But the strong aristocracy forced him to make his own son Sigebert III his subking. Bishop Arnoulf gave up politics and managed to retire in a hermitage located on a mountain in the Vosges desiring only to be a monk and hermit. His friend, Romaric, whose parents were killed preceded him to the mountains where he established the Benedictine Remiremont Abbey. Arnoulf settled into the Abbey where he died around 640 and was buried in the Monastery. About twelve years later he was subsequently declared a Saint and his remains removed to the Cathedral in Metz. There are several legends about Arnoulf’s guilt and repenting over his actions while in the political realm. King Dagobert I fell ill at his villa of Épinay-sur-Seine near Paris. Feeling the end was near, he was carried to the Church of St. Denis on Jan 19th 639 where he shortly died and was buried in the Basilica. Pippin I and some Austrasian dukes got together and decided they wanted Dagobert I’s son Sigebert III for their king rather than his son Clovis II. Taking advantage of the situation, Sigebert III asked for his share of Dagobert I’s treasure from his brother Clovis II. That involved Pippin and others in settling the request. Dagobert I’s treasure was subsequently divided in thirds. One to

1 Superscripts numbers after a name denotes the generation of that person. These numbers correspond to the numbers shown in Ancestral Lineage.

2 Oman, Charles. The Dark Ages 476-918. London: Rivingtons, 1914.

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