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The 'Pippinids' or 'Arnulfings' are the members of a family of Frankish nobles whose select scions served as
Mayor of the Palace, de facto rulers, of the Frankish kingdoms of
Neustria and
Austrasia that were nominally ruled by the
Merovingians.
The dynasty is usually considered to have been founded by
Saint Arnulf,
bishop of Metz in the early
seventh century, who wielded a great deal of power and influence in the Merovingian kingdoms.
His son
Ansegisel married
Saint Begga, the daughter of
Pepin of Landen, and their son was
Pepin of Heristal. It is from Pepin's grandfathers that the dynasty receives its earlier (pre-Martel) names:
Arnulfing or
Pippinid.
The
mayoralty of the palace of the kingdom of
Austrasia began in the family with Ansegisel and continued with Pepin of Heristal. Pepin conquered
Neustria at the
Battle of Tertry in
687 and spread Arnulfing authority over all the Franks.
The dynasty effectively ended with the death of Pepin, who was succeeded by his illegitimate son,
Charles Martel. Pepin had legitimate grandsons at his death, but they failed to win power, and the line died out.
Charles Martel went on to found a new line of the family, which historians named the
Carolingian dynasty after Martel.
External link
★
BBC2: "From Merovingians to Carolingians : Dynastic Change in Frankia"