HUNCHBACK, Pepin The

Notes:

Charlemagne or Charles the Great

King of the Franks (771--814), and emperor of the West (800--14), theeldest son of Pepin th e Short. He defeated the Saxons (772--804) and theLombards (773--4), fought the Arabs in Spai n, and took control of most ofChristian W Europe. In 800 he was crowned emperor by Pope Leo I II. In hislater years he consolidated his vast empire, building palaces andchurches, and prom oting Christianity, education, agriculture, the arts,manufacture, and commerce, so much so th at the period has become known asthe Carolingian Renaissance. His reign was an attempt to con solidateorder and Christian culture among the nations of the West, but his empiredid not lon g survive his death, for his sons lacked both his vision andauthority.

— HIMILTUDE. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Pepin III

King of the Franks (751--68), founder of the Frankish dynasty of theCarolingians, the fathe r of Charlemagne. The son of Charles Martel, hewas chosen king after the deposition of Childe ric, the last of theMerovingians. He led an army into Italy (754), and defeated the Lombards. The rest of his life was spent in wars against the Saxons and Saracens.

Pepin — DE LAON, Bertrude. Bertrude (daughter of HARDRAD, Caribert and BERTRADE) was born 720, Laon, Aisne, France; died 12 Jul 783, Choisy-Au-Bac, Haute-Savoie, France. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Charles Martel "Duke of the Franks"

Mayor of the palace for the last Merovingian kings of the Franks, theillegitimate son of Pepi n of Herstal, and the undisputed head of theCarolingian family by 723. He conducted many camp aigns against theFrisians and Saxons, as well as in Aquitaine, Bavaria, and Burgundy. Hehalte d Muslim expansion in W Europe at the Battle of Poitiers (732).Established as effective rule r of much of Gaul, but never crowned king,he left the kingdom to his sons, Carloman and Pepin , and in 751 Pepin wasanointed as the first Carolingian king of the Franks.

CHARLES MARTEL (688?-741). In 732 Charles Martel and his barbarianFrankish army fought a batt le near Tours, France, that affected thehistory of Europe. Their foes were inspired Muslim, o r Saracen, troopswho were bent on world conquest for the religion of Islam. In a hundredyear s the Saracens had established a vast empire that stretched fromPersia (now Iran) westward ac ross northern Africa. They had gained afoothold in Europe by taking Spain. As they advanced i nto the region thatis now France, the fate of Christian Europe hung in the balance.
Charles met the Muslim forces between Poitiers and Tours. In a fierceand bloody battle th e Muslims were defeated and their leader killed. Inlater campaigns Charles drove them back in to Spain. His vigorous blowsearned him the nickname Martel,rom a French word meaning "hamme r."

This forceful leader never became king of the Franks. As mayor of thepalace under ineffectua l Merovingian kings, however, he was the trueruler. He increased the influence of the Frankis h kingdom in wars againstthe Alemanni, Bavarians, and Saxons. These and other Germanic tribe s hadoverrun Europe when the Roman Empire crumbled. Only the Franksestablished a permanent ki ngdom. (See also Middle Ages; France,"History.")

Charles aided St. Boniface and other missionaries in spreadingChristianity and civilization a mong the barbarians (see Boniface). Hestrengthened the hold of the kingdom over the powerfu l nobles and bishopswho sought to set up independent rule in their districts. He distributedl and to his nobles to gain their loyalty and service as warriors.

Charles prepared the way for his son, Pepin the Short, to gain theFrankish throne. Together t hey laid the foundation for the reign ofPepin's son Charlemagne.

Charles — D'AUTRASIE, Rotrude. Rotrude (daughter of DE TREVES, Lievin and DE BAVIERE, Willigarde) was born Bef 700, Austrasie, France; died 724. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Earl of Laon.

Caribert — BERTRADE. [Group Sheet]