After periods of trouble, Pepin the Short, who became king of the Franks in 751 – the first of the Carolingian dynasty – managed to restore the unity of the kingdom of Septimania (south-eastern France) to Bavaria (south- east of Germany). He imposes a royal currency, and, as a defender of the Faith, provides protection to the Pope. By his marriage to Bertrade de Laon, nicknamed "Berthe au Grand Pied" but nevertheless the daughter of a great lord, he notably had two sons, Charles and Carloman, who were also crowned by Pope Stephen II on July 28, 754.
768-771
Characters
Bertrade de Laon, known as Berthe au Grand Pied
Charlemagne
Carloman
Stephen II
Pepin the Short
Procedure
Shortly before his death, which took place on September 24, 768, King Pepin the Short divided his kingdom in two. Also, he bequeaths to his eldest son Neustria (in the north-west of present-day France), Austrasia (in the north-east of present-day France), part of Aquitaine up to the Pyrenees; as for Carloman, the youngest, he receives Burgundy, Provence, Septimania, Swabia (southern Germany). Thus, the kingdom of the latter consists of a whole block when that of Charlemagne forms an arc of a circle around the territory of his brother. They were crowned kings on October 9, 768, each in the residence of their kingdom, Noyon for Charles and Soissons for Carloman.
Due to an uprising in Aquitaine, Charles asks for support from his brother who refuses him. Since childhood, the two brothers hardly get along... The eldest therefore leaves alone to defend the kingdom of the Franks against Duke Hunald who is leading a rebellion; it takes Gascony along the way. Thus, the eldest son of Pepin the Short completes the conquest of Aquitaine alone in 769. Their mother, who does not like the disagreement between the two brothers, arranges the marriage of Charlemagne. This one must marry Désirée, the sister of Gerberge, the wife of his brother; both are no less the daughters of Didier, king of the Lombards. Charles is slow to convince but he bows, aware of the stakes of the kingdom. Less than a year later, he repudiates her. A fratricidal war is more than feared, but fate decides otherwise... The premature death of Carloman, in 771, upsets the destiny of Charles. Indeed, this one immediately annexes the territory of his brother, thus despoiling his nephews. His sister-in-law Gerberge took refuge in Lombardy with her father, King Didier, with her children. Charlemagne thus had himself recognized as sole king of the Franks at Corbeny, near Laon, on December 4, 771.
Consequences
The spoliation of the territories of Carloman by Charlemagne in defiance of his nephews led in 773 to the war against the Lombards. The Papacy is also at stake because King Didier has just annexed his territories, obliging the new pope, Hadrian 1 st , to crown his grandsons kings of the Franks. Charlemagne goes on a conquest; he took Gerberge and her children prisoners, then held the long siege of Pavia in 774 where Didier took refuge. Following his victory, Charlemagne had himself proclaimed king of the Franks and the Lombards and forever sealed a friendship with the Papacy which he had just liberated. From then on, Charlemagne would never stop expanding his territory, which would become an empire. He will be crowned emperor in the year 800.