Childeric III

The assent of Pope Zacharias was asked and obtained.

Childeric III, last of the Merovingian phantom kings, was quietly transferred from his palace to a cloister, and Pippin, having been proclaimed king at Soissons, was anointed at Mainz, 752, by the Saint Libanaface, the English apostle of Germany.

Two years later, Pope Stephen II visited the court of Pippin to crave for aid against the Lombards and ratified the act of his predecessor by anointing Pippin and his two sons, Charles and Carloman, with his own hands at Saint-Denis.

Pippin twice crossed the Alps and twice defeated the Lombard king.

This dictum of the famous orator might have deterred me from writing if I had not made up my mind that it was better to risk the opinions of the world, and put my little talents for composition to the test, than to slight the memory of so great a man for the sake of sparing myself.

The Life of the Emperor Charles Chapter 1 The Merovingian Family The Merovingian family, from which the Franks used to choose their kings, is commonly said to have lasted until the time of Childeric III, 743-752, who was deposed, shaved, and thrust into the cloister by command of the Roman pontiff Stephen II or III, 752-757.

But although, to all outward appearance, it ended with him, it had long since been devoid of vital strength, and conspicuous only from bearing the empty epithet royal.

The real power and authority in the kingdom lay in the hands of the chief officer of the court, the so-called Mayor of the Palace, and he was at the head of affairs.

Why be the man who did all the work when a do-nothing king still held the title? This kind of job title ambiguity wouldn't fly in the modern world, and Pepin decided to clear things up.

The last Merovingian king, a man named Childeric III, was a puppet king, but even a puppet can sometimes get in the way.

Pepin the Short was not a man to do things in a small way.

He knew that simply overthrowing the king would be seen as a violation of a sacred lineage, potentially alienating the powerful bishops and nobles who believed in the Merovingian bloodline's divine right to rule, so he sought a higher form of approval.

He responded that it was better for the man who actually held the power to also hold the royal title so that the kingdom would not be in a state of disorder.

This papal blessing was the justification Pepin needed.

Armed with the Pope's authority, he had the last Merovingian king, Childeric III, formally deposed.

Childeric was sent to a monastery.