Historical Figures

Pepin the Short

Son of Charles Martel, born in 714, Pepin the Short (so nicknamed because of his small size), shares the kingdom of the Franks with his brother. But the latter, retiring to the convent in 747, left Pepin to reign alone, after having together reformed the Church (742-744). He was elected king of the Franks in 751 – the first of the Carolingian dynasty – which put an end to the reign of the Merovingians. By his marriage to Bertrade de Laon, he notably had two sons, who were anointed (coated with holy oil) at the same time as him by Pope Stephen II, on July 28, 754. By also having his descendants crowned, he thus ensured the filiation of his dynasty.
During his reign, Pepin the Short enlarged his territory, subjected the Saxons, the Bretons, Septimania (Languedoc-Roussillon), Aquitaine, thus ensuring the unity of the kingdom of Septimania to Bavaria. He reformed the monetary system. As a defender of the Christian religion, he provided protection to the Pope against the Lombard invaders and created the Papal State (State under the authority of the Pope) in Italy in 754. On his death in 768, his kingdom was divided between his heirs , Carloman and Charles said the Great (Charlemagne), before the latter unified it and created his immense empire.

715 - 768

Status

King of the Franks


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