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After theTreaty of Verdun (843)
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ThePippinids and theArnulfings were twoFrankish aristocratic families fromAustrasia during theMerovingian period. They dominated the office ofmayor of the palace after 687 and eventually supplanted the Merovingians as kings in 751, founding theCarolingian dynasty.
The names "Pippinid" and "Arnulfing" are modern conventions, reflecting the families' descent from two contemporaries,Arnulf of Metz (died c. 640) andPippin of Landen (died 640).[1] The recurrence of theleading name Pippin in the family led the anonymous author of theAnnals of Metz (c. 805) to call the familyPippinios, the earliest known designation for the family.[2] In a strict sense, the Pippinids are the descendants of Pippin of Landen and the Arnulfings those of Arnulf of Metz. These groups only overlap via the marriage of Arnulf's sonAnsegisel and Pippin's daughterBegga and their son,Pippin of Herstal and his descendants.[3]
Since the late eighth century, the rise of the family has been depicted as the defining feature of the late Merovingian period, with the kings portrayed asrois fainéants ("do-nothing kings"), puppets of their mayors. This theme has been continued in modern historiography. Some have even suggested that the Pippinids and Arnulfings followed a "long-term strategy" to seize power.[4] Following his victory at theBattle of Tertry in 687, Pippin of Herstal extended his influence intoNeustria. His death in 714 was followed by years of civil war between his successors. By 718, his younger sonCharles Martel had taken control of both Austrasia and Neustria. His descendants are the Carolingians proper, although some historians apply this label as far back as the marriage of Ansegisel and Begga. The descendants of Charles's brother,Childebrand, on the other hand, are known as theNibelungids.