Frank Civil War of 741 (21 ottob 741 anni – 21 magg 751 anni)

Descrizione:

Frank king Charles Martel died in 742, leaving Carloman and Pepin two son spilt the power of kingdom. Charles's son by his second wife, Swanahild, demanded a share in the inheritance, but he was besieged in Laon, forced to surrender and imprisoned in a monastery by his two half-brothers. Some nobility seized on Kings' inexperience, and drove the them from Parisius, effectively taking all of the Regnum Occidens from them. Pepin fled to Cologne where he set up a government from which to reexert power over the West.

In the Frankish realm the unity of the kingdom was essentially connected with the person of the king. So Carloman, to secure this unity, resolved to entering a monastery in 747. Meanwhile, series of skirmishes followed as Pepin gained in experience and power, until in 746 he retook Parisium, decisively defeating a rebel army of eight thousand with his own force of twelve thousand. Their leaders dead much of the rebel army switched sides, and Pepin suddenly commanded an army of sixteen thousand. This was joined by a force of Bugrundi who revolted against their Frankish masters and pledged allegiance to the king. Pepin happily accepted their pledges of loyalty, and led his army south into Aquitaine to secure the region.

At this point all of the territory we would know as Burgundi and France was under Pepin's control, as well as Parisius.Much of Gaelli however remained firmly in revolt. Pepin swept across the south of his kingdom first, securing the coastline and important networks of supply with Roman and Gothic merchants. In 749 however he was forced to rush back north to battle a noble army that was once again besieging Parisius. Winning another decisive battle near the city Charles now swung north, cutting the rebels off from supplies purchased from the Saxons, and soon the northern coast was also under royal control.

By now hope of rebel victory was slim, and nobles deserted the cause in droves, supplicating themselves before Charles in the hope that he would spare them. Pepin magnanimously did so in most cases, but he also stripped vast areas of land from the surrendering nobles, bringing enormous territories directly under royal control. These would be often be handed out to his close associates, but much of the land would remain in the king, and later Emperor’s hands, until the Empire’s disintegration in the eleventh century.

By 751 only Bordeux and the environs on the West cost of Gael remained unconquered. Pepin laid siege to the city and set about reducing its defenses over the next several months. After eight months the defenders had had enough. They murdered their lord who refused to give up and threw open the gates. Pepin ordered the city sacked and its defenses destroyed.

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