Ancient history

Neustria | historical kingdom, Europe

Neustria , during the Merovingian period (6th - 8th centuries) of the early medieval Europa, the west Frankish kingdom, in contrast to Austrasia, the eastern kingdom. Neustria was the "new" land (French neuf ; German new ), i.e. the area that the Franks had settled since they settled in northern Gaul. It roughly corresponded to the area of ​​present-day France west of the Meuse and north of the Loire. In the 7th century Austrasia and Neustria were rivals, but the victory of Pippin II. By Herstal, Mayor of the Palace In Austrasia, the Neustrians secured the final rise of Austrasia at Tertry (687). In the later Merovingian period, Neustrian writers used the names Neustria and Francia ( France ) interchangeably, meaning that Neustria formed the heart and core of the Frankish lands. Later the name Neustria came to denote a much smaller area and was sometimes used interchangeably with Normandy in the 11th and 12th centuries.