Crisis Merovingian is born with VIIIe century world new whose center of gravity rocked towards north, in which the cities do not play any more but one marginal part, where the bonds of man with man popularize through the media the other types of relations, where the rare hearths of culture are in the rural monasteries which multiplied at the previous century. In this context, Charlemagne and the Carolingian dynasty, to which it gives its name, will give birth to a new State from where left modern Europe.

The first Pip
The first Pip, known as the Old one or of Landen, occupies the function of mayor of the palate of Austrasie under the authority of the king Dagobert (623-639), while holy Arnoul (towards 582-towards 640) becomes bishop of Metz (towards 614) before finishing its days with the monastery of Remiremont. Towards 680, their grandson Pip II, known as of Herstal, seizes definitively the town hall of the palate of Austrasie thanks to the richness of his family (an immense land inheritance located in the east of current Belgium), with the control of a true monastic network and with the support of many partisans. In 687, it beats theBurgundian ones in Tertry, becoming thus the Master of Francie. Poor kingdom in truth, mined by the regional idiosyncracies, threatened by turbulent neighbors: clippings, the Saxon ones, soon Moslems of Spain. He dies into 714.  

Charles Martel
The “reign” of the bastard son of Pip of Herstal, Charles Martel (715-741), is a decisive stage in the construction of the Carolingian building. As its nickname indicates it, Charles is initially a man of war. Frightening and dreaded combatant, in charge of troops with horse, it starts “to pacify” the kingdom and to extend it. Until the beginning of the IX E century, the offensive and victorious war will be the genuine engine of the Carolingian power. It reinforces the central authority, it gets the richnesses (spoils, increase in the tax department, incomes) which make it possible to pay the essential fidelities.

To hold the subjected countries, Charles uses his vassal, of faithful that it installs on confiscated grounds or secularized ecclesiastical grounds. The Carolingians consider indeed that the Church must serve the State. Since the Moslems fled in front of him at the time of the battle of Poitiers into 732, Charles became the champion of Christendom. Into Germanic - where the campaigns extended from 720 to 738 -, it supports the work of christianization of the Boniface Anglo-Saxon, which facilitates the resumption in hand of the peripheral provinces of beyond the rhine. It starts the bringing together with Rome, which will make it possible to his/her son to reach the royalty. With its death, in 741, its prestige is immense. Admittedly, he is not king, but in 737, he did not considered to be useful to give a successor to the Merovingian king.  

King Pépin

The son junior by Charles Martel, Pip, known as the Brief, will wait ten more years before becoming king and to put an end to the Merovingian dynasty.  

Towards the coup d'etat
At the end of years 740, the conditions at a stretch of State are met. Alémanie, Bavaria and Aquitaine appear subjected after three years of campaigns (743-746). Pip, which continued the policy of reform of the Church started as of 742, has many supports among the clerks and the monks. Upon the departure, this reform develops in close connection with Rome. When, towards 749-750, Pépin decides to cross the decisive step, it is thus to the pope that he addresses himself, questioning it “about the kings who in Francie did not exert the power, if it were good that it was thus”. And the Zacharie pope answers “that it is to better call king that which has, rather than that which does not have the power”. Always according to royal Annals of the Francs, the pope “ordered by an apostolic regulation that Pépin was made king so that the order was not disturbed”. The Merovingian ones had based the legitimacy of their family on the magic power of their blood; the pope substituted for this one the capacity to ensure on ground the order wanted by God.  

The sacring of the new king of the Francs
At the time of the general meeting of the “free men” joined together in Soissons in November 751, Pépin is recognized (the texts say “elected”) king by the large ones. A such bishop, it receives then the crowned oiling which gives him the force necessary to achieve its mission. This ceremony of oiling, unknown factor hitherto at the Francs, plunges its roots in the biblical tradition, taken again to the VII E century in wisigothic Spain. It founds in Francie the sacral royalty which will last more than thousand years.  

Legitimation of the Carolingian family
In 754, for price of his assistance against the Lombardic ones, the Etienne pope rubs with oil one second Pépin time, in Saint-Denis this time, at the same time as his two sons Charles and Carloman, thus ensuring the hereditary transmission of the power within the Carolingian family. Pip promises “to restore” the territories which the Constantin emperor would have formerly conceded with the pope before leaving to found Constantinople. These territories are at the origin of the Papal States which will be maintained to the XIX E century.  

A new family was thus installed on the throne of the Francs. The offensive wars, the networks of fidelity and the support of papacy were right of the Merovingian dynasty. Until its death, in 768, Pépin has reconquered Septimanie (752-759) and organized forwardings in Aquitaine (760-768). It continues the engaged policy, pursueing its enemies, reforming the Church and the company, in a word providing the foundations of the Carolingian State.