The End of the Dynasty

The final act of Merovingian history played out in the mid-eighth century. By then, the Carolingian mayors had effectively ruled the Frankish kingdoms for generations. Charles Martel (d. 741), famous for his victory over Muslim forces at Tours/Poitiers in 732, exercised royal powers without claiming royal title. His son Pippin III faced the question that had long haunted Frankish politics: could non-Merovingians legitimately rule as kings?

Pippin's solution proved revolutionary. Rather than simply seizing power, he sought religious sanction for dynastic change. In 750, he sent envoys to Pope Zacharias asking whether it was right that those who exercised no power should bear the title of king. The pope's response—that it was better for him who had the power to be king—provided the justification Pippin needed.

In 751, an assembly of Frankish nobles elected Pippin as king. More significantly, bishops anointed him with holy oil, introducing a new ritual that transformed the nature of Frankish kingship. This anointing, borrowed from Old Testament precedents, created a sacred character different from but equal to Merovingian blood charisma. The last Merovingian king, Childeric III, was tonsured and sent to a monastery, ending nearly three centuries of Merovingian rule.