The Papal Frankish Alliance

The Papal Frankish Alliance was the transition of power between the Merovingian and Carolingian Dynasties. At the beginning of the 5^th century the Merovingian Dynasty began: as the name would suggest, this circle was made up of the descendants of a man named Merovech, but it was the famous Clovis I who united them and began to rule the areas of Germania, Gaul, and surrounding territories, and this became known as Austrasia. The Merovingian’s eventually proved to be oppressive rulers, as they placed high taxes and difficult regulations, and many thought that it was time for a transition in leadership. There was at this time another dynasty arising called the Carolingians: they were not rulers, but fierce warriors who conquered much land for the Merovingians; interestingly this warring reputation began with Pepin The Short who worked to unite former Roman territories that had been captured by barbarians. Next in the Carolingian line was the famous Charles Martel who was Pepin’s son, and he too worked and conquered even more than his father. Both Pepin and Charles Martel served in a position known as Mayor of the Palace, that position gave them quite a bit of power. It was at this point that the Merovingian’s and the Carolingian’s clashed in a battle for power; prior to this point, a man of the Carolingian dynasty named Grimald had tried to eliminate them but was voted down and executed under the Merovingian king. Despite being the sole rulers of Austrasia, the Merovingian kings did not have much power in there hands, and they were really only figure heads, as the real power was held by the Mayors of the Palace who were the ones who had quietly taken their power. Though they could not just throw the oppressors out, otherwise the loyalists and the whole population would not deem it as legitimate, so they had to do it in such a way that the people would respect the transition. Finally the idea came that if the Pope should bless the transition of power than the people would honor it; therefore they told the pope that if they were in charge they would give lands to the papacy to control so that he would not have to answer to a king, so the pope agreed, himself not believing that it was right that the ones without power should rule, and if those who did have power should be in the shadows. He responded and blessed them, thus the Papacy allied with the Franks and the Carolingians quietly replaced the Merovingian’s. In this case I guess you could say that the best dynasty won, as the Carolingians cleverly amassed power and quietly overtook the Merovingian dynasty, this goes to show that the Carolingian’s were greater than the Merovingians.

            The Merovignians and the Carolingians were very different in their culture, as they had different customs, style of ruling, and appearance. (1) The Carolingians were fighters, they worked their way to the top, whereas the Merovignians inherited there authority through the prowess of their ancestors. (2) The Merovingians and the Carolingians had different traditions, customs, and attire, the Merovingians dressed royally, had long hare, and beards, as it was sort of there trademark; however the Carolingians kept their hare short and usually only had a mustache. (3) Although, one of the greatest differences between the two was there style of ruling, the Merovingians were brutal bloodthirsty oppressors, whereas the Carolingians were far more just, as they collaborated with the pope and brought social improvement to the entire area. (4) Last but not least the two dynasties had differences in origins: fittingly, the Merovingians were from the Byzantine Empire and had descended from the Eastern part of Rome, and the Carolingians were Francs: which is obviously why it is known as the Papal Frankish alliance. One thing is for sure, these two dynasties differed in many ways, but that does not prove that one was better than the other.

            We derive the conclusion that the Carolingians were the best not just because they won, but by looking at the cleaver deal that they made with the Pope we see that they not only had the power, but also the strategic prowess to back it up. This deal shows how and why the Carolingians won. Through a well thought out plan they rendered there enemies helpless and redeemed the nation. 

            Through this study we have seen how the Royal Merovingian dynasty fell pray to the cleaver Carolingians who united Austrasia, enhanced the reach of the papacy and continued to reconquer fallen Roman Territories.