This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 85.220.98.201 (talk) at 22:43, 28 March 2006. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 22:43, 28 March 2006 by 85.220.98.201 (talk)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)| Carolingian dynasty |
|---|
 |
Pippinids
|
Arnulfings
|
Carolingians
|
After the Treaty of Verdun (843)
|
Carloman (708–754) was the son of Charles Martel, major domo or Mayor of the Palace of Austrasia and Chrotrud. He was a member of the family later called the Carolingians and it can be argued that he was instrumental in consolidating their power at the expense of the ruling Merovingian kings of the Franks.
Assumption of Power after his Father's Death
After the death of his father in 741, power was initially divided among Carloman and his brothers Pippin III and Grifo. By 742, Carloman and Pippin had ousted Grifo, and forced him into a monastery, and each turned his attention towards his own area of influence as major domo, Pippin in the West and Carloman in the East. Upon their assumption, Pippin and Carloman, who had not proved themselves in battle in defence of the realm as their father had, installed the Merovingian Childeric III as king, even though Martel had left the throne vacant since the death of Theuderic IV. Childeric had the title of king, but he was a puppet.Unlike most of the situations in the medievial world where brothers had to split power, Carloman and Pippin seemed to at least be willing to work together without plotting against each other, and some sources even suggested the brothers genuinely liked each other.
Carloman's strengthening of the Carolingian Line
Carloman strengthened his authority in part via his support of the Anglo-Saxon missionary Winfrid (Boniface), the so-called "Apostle of the Germans", whom he charged with restructuring the chuch in the Frankish Empire. This was in part a continuation of a policy begun under his grandfather Pippin of Herstal and continued to a lesser extent under Charles Martel. Carloman was instrumental in convening the Concilium Germanicum in 742, the first major Church synod to be held in the eastern parts of the Frankish kingdom. Chaired jointly by him and Boniface, the synod ruled that priests were not allowed to bear arms or to host females in their houses and that it was one of the primary tasks to eradicate pagan beliefs. While his father had frequently confiscated church property to reward his followers, and to use those properties to pay for the standing army that had brought him victory at Tours, by 742, the Carolingians were wealthy enough to manage to pay for their military and still support the Church. For Carloman, a deeply religious man, it was a duty of love, for Pippin, a practical duty. Both saw the necessity for strengthening the ties between their house and Holy Mother Church. Therefore, Carloman sought to increase the assets of the church. He donated, for instance, the land for one of Boniface's most important foundation, the monastery of Fulda.
Carloman's Political Ruthlessness
Carloman could be ruthless towards real or perceived opponents. In 746, he convened an assembly of all alamanni dukes and nobles at Cannstatt and then had most of them, numbering in the thousands, arrested and executed for high treason in the blood court at Cannstatt. This eradicated virtually the entire tribal leadership of the Alamanni and ended the independence of the tribal duchy of Alamannia which was thereafter governed by counts appointed by their Frankish overlords.
These actions strengthened Carloman's position, and that of the family as a whole, especially in terms of their rivalries with other leading families such as the Bavarian Agilolfings.
Carloman's withdrawal from public life
In 747, Carloman renounced his position as major domo and withdrew to a monastic life in Monte Soracte and Monte Cassino. All sources from the period indicate he truly believed his brother was capable of leading the kingdom by himself, and that his calling was the Church. He felt he had done his duty for the family for six years in ruthlessly eliminating it's enemies, and strengthening the dynasty. Having completed what he felt were his worldly tasks, and believing "one hand on the sword holds it better than two," he withdrew to a monastary and spent the remainder of his life in meditation and prayer. At the time of Carloman's retirement, Grifo escaped his imprisonment and fled to Bavaria, where Duke Odilo of Bavaria provided support and assistance to Grifo, but when Odilo died a year later and Grifo attempted to seize the duchy of Bavaria for himself, Pippin, who had become sole major domo of the Frankish (Merovingian) Empire upon Carloman's resignation and retreat into a monastery, took decisive action by invading Bavaria and installing Odilo's infant son, Tassilo III, as duke under Frankish overlordship. Grifo continued his rebellion, but was eventually killed in the battle of Saint-Jean de Maurienne in 753. Carloman died on 17 July 754 and was buried in Monte Cassino.
| Carloman (mayor of the palace) Carolingian DynastyBorn: 716 Died: 754 | ||
| Preceded byCharles Martel | Mayor of the Palace of Austrasia 741–747 |
Succeeded byPepin III the Younger |