Pippin of Herstal

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Carolingian dynasty
Pippinids
Arnulfings
Carolingians
After the Treaty of Verdun (843)

Pippin of Herstal (or Pepin; Fr. Pépin), also known as Pippin the Middle, Pippin the Younger (as with his grandson), Pippin the Fat, or Pippin II, (635 or 640December 16, 714) was the grandson of Pippin (I) the Elder by the marriage of Ansegisel and Begga, the daughter of the Elder. He was born in Herstal (fr Héristal), Belgium, hence his byname. His other bynames and his ordinal number come from his position as the second "Pippin" (of three) in the Arnulfing dynasty. Pippin was the Mayor of the Palace of Austrasia from 680 and of Neustria and Burgundy from 687 until his death in 714. He gradually came to control the Frankish court.

Throughout most of his early career, Pippin fought Neustrian majordomo Ebroin, who had designs on all Frankland. When Ebroin died in 681, he made peace with his successor, Waratton. However, Waratton's successor, Berthar, and the Merovingian king Theuderic III made war and were defeated definitively at Tertry in 687. Pippin then became the de facto ruler of Austrasia and gained a strong influence over the other Frankish kingdoms. He also became mayor of the palace, holding sway over all the kingdoms and calling himself "Duke and Prince of the Franks" (dux et princeps Francorum). He subdued the Alemanni, Frisians, and Franconians, bringing them within the Frankish sphere of influence. Pippin also began the evangelization of Germany. In 695, he placed his son, Drogo, in the Burgundian office and another son, Grimoald, in the Neustrian one. He died December 16, 714, at Jupille (in modern Belgium). His descendants continued to serve as mayors of the palace, eventually becoming the legal rulers of the Frankish kingdom.

Around 670, Pippin married Plectrude, who had inherited substantial estates in the Moselle region. They produced at least two children (who both died before Pippin) and through them at least two significant grandchildren. These legitimate grandchildren claimed themselves to be Pippin's true successors and with the help of his widow (Plectrude) tried to maintain the position of mayor of the palace after Pippin's death. However, Charles Martel, Pippin's son by his mistress, Alpaida (or Chalpaida), had gained favor among the Austrasians, primarily for his military prowess and ability to keep them well supplied with booty from his conquests. Despite the efforts of Plectrude to silence her rival's child by imprisoning him, he became the sole mayor of the palace and de facto ruler of Francia.

With his wife Plectrude, Pippin had the following issue:

With his mistress Alpaida, he had the following issue:

Arnulfing Dynasty
Born: 635
Died: 714
Preceded by
Wulfoald
Mayor of the Palace of Austrasia
680714
Succeeded by
Theudoald
Preceded by
Berthar
Mayor of the Palace of Neustria
688695
Succeeded by
Grimoald the Younger
Mayor of the Palace of Burgundy
688695
Succeeded by
Drogo
Preceded by
New title
Duke of the Franks
687714
Succeeded by
Charles Martel
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