THE FRANKS

 The earliest records of The Franks is unclear, considering that the property was always getting divided. The Franks are still around today but they are known as France now. We are not sure who the earliest rulers are either, but we do know that 2 families were the rulers, the Merovingians and after them the Carolingians. The Merovingians were lazy and did not seem to be interested in running the country. They left it up to the Mayor of the Palace. The Merovingians eventually "corrupt" and then the Carolingians became the rulers. The lanuage that the Franks spoke was Old Low Frankconian, further south it turned into Old French. These languages have helped Old French and Latin words evolve. The Franks migrated to Rome near the end of the Roman Empire. When they did migrate they were not treated like citizens or like slaves. At first they were like allies because they helped defend the border. After a while the Franks gradually took over most of Roman Gaul. One of their allies was Theodoric the Ostrogoth. In the late 5th century the king, king Clovis, who was not Christian converted to Christianity which was a crucial even in the European history. By the sixth century there was only two main subdivisions that existed for the Franks. They were the Sailan ("salty") and the Ripuarian ("river") Franks.   

TIMELINE - resource http://www.scaruffi.com/politics/holy.html

350: the Roman empire allows the Franks to settle in Belgium

406: as Vandals invade Gaul, the Franks expand in southern Belgium

407: Gebicca becomes leader of the Burgundians

413: the Burgundians settle on the left bank of the Rhine as "foederati" with capital in Worms

435: the Burgundians led by Gundahar invade Belgium

436: the Romans and the Huns attack the Burgundians and kill Gundahar

443: the Romans settle the Burgundians in Savoy

447: Merovech (Meerwig) establishes the Merovingian dynasty among the Franks

457: the Burgundi seize Lyons

480: Frank king Childeric dies and the Frank capital is in Rheims

481: Clovis becomes king of the Franks

486: Franks led by Clovis I (Chlodovech) conquer northern Gaul from the Romans and drive the Visigoths into Spain

496: Clovis converts the Franks to catholicism

507: Clovis defeats the Visigoths, kills their king Alaric II, and takes their French lands, including Aquitaine

510: Clovis moves the Frankish capital to Paris

511: Clovis dies and his kingdom is divided among his four sons, thus creating the kingdoms of Austrasia (eastern France and southwestern Germany) and Neustria (Paris and northern France)

531: the Franks conquer the Thuringians

534: the Franks conquer the Burgundians

536: the Franks conquer Provence from the Ostrogoths

555: the Franks conquer the Bavarians

628: count Pepin I becomes the Austrasian "major domi" (mayor of the palace)

638: the Merovingian king Dagobert is the first king to be buried at the monastery of Saint-Denis, which then becomes the royal abbey church

687: Pepin's son Pepin II becomes the Austrasian mayor of the palace and conquers Neustria, reuniting the two kingdoms

712: a Berber army under Tariq ibn Ziyad conquers southern Spain from the Visigoths and Cordoba becomes the residence of the Arab governor

714: Pepin II dies and Pepin's son, Charles Martel, becomes mayor of the palace

718: Pelayo unites with the Visigothic leaders who have been defeated by Tariq, and creates the kingdom of Asturias in northwestern Spain, thus creating the kingdom of Leon

720: the Arabs capture Narbonne

725: the Arabs capture Carcassonne

732: the Muslim invasion of Europe is stopped by Charles Martel at the battle of Tours

737: the Arabs capture Provence

741: Charles Martel dies and his kingdom is divided between his sons Carloman (Austrasia) and Pippin (the rest), while Bavaria and Aquitaine are de facto independent

743: Pepin and Carloman elect Childeric III to king of the Franks

747: Carloman becomes a Montecassino monk and Pepin III becomes the sole ruler of the Franks

751: the Carolingian mayor Pepin III deposes Childeric III and appoints himself king of the Franks, thus ending the Merovingian dynasty and uniting Neustria, Austrasia and Burgundy

752: the Franks under Pippin expel the Arabs from Provence

754: pope Stephen II anoints Pepin III king of the Franks

756: Pepin III defeats the Lombards and conquers Ravenna but leaves the conquered territories to the Pope, thereby founding the Papal State and establishing a temporal power for the Pope

768: Pepin III dies and Charlemagne becomes king of the Franks, with capital in Aachen

774: the Franks under Charlemagne annex the Lombards

777: Charlemagne builds a palace at Aix-la-Chapelle

778: Charlemagne attacks the Muslims and invades northeastern Spain, creating the Spanish March along the Pyrenees (Aragonia and Catalonia)

781: Charlemagne places his son Louis on the throne of Aquitaine

785: Charlemagne conquers the pagan Saxons in Germany

788: Charlemagne conquers Bavaria

796: Charlemagne conquers the Avars (Pannonia)

800: the Pope crowns Charles emperor of the Holy Roman Empire

801: Charlemagne's son Louis captures Barcelona from the Arabs

812: a peace treaty between Charlemagne and the Eastern Roman Empire surrenders Venezia to the Eastern empire but grants Venezia the right to trade with the Holy Roman Empire

814: Charlemagne dies and his only surviving son, Louis, becomes king of the Franks and the Holy Roman Empire