The Franks

The Franks were the strongest of all the western European peoples who struggled for land and power after the end of the Roman empire in 476.

Under their first great leader, Clovis, the Franks spread out from their homeland around the river Rhine (in what is now Germany). They fought their neighbours, such as the Visigoths and Burgundians, until by 540 they had conquered most of the old Roman province of Gaul (modern France, which is named after the Franks).

Clovis defeated rival Chieftains to bring all the Frankish tribes under his control. His family became known as the Merovingian dynasty, after his grandfather Merovich. Clovis became a Christian and ruled from Paris, governing his lands through bishops and nobles. The nobles or lords held estates known as manors, which were ploughed and farmed by peasants.

Frankish leaders were always ready to defend their estates and conquer new territories. Their eagerness to ride into battle meant they needed servants for military service. In return, the servants were granted land. This was the beginning of feudalism. Leading families jockeyed for the king’s favour. In the 600s, two rivals clans fought for power. The Austrasians ousted the Neustrians, and their chief, Pepin of Hersal, founded a new ruling family. Pepin’s son, Charles Martel (known as the ‘Hammer’), won an historic battle at Poitiers against Muslim invaders in 732. This defeat checked the advance of Islam into central Europe. Martel’s son, Pepin the Short, was the first Frankish king anointed by the pope, in 754. But the greatest of the Frankish rulers was Pepin’s son, Charlemagne.