King, the Hammer, of the Franks Martel Charles 
King, the Hammer, of the Franks Martel was born in Heristal, Liege, Belgium and his baptism took place in 0714 in Austrasia (Karl Martel - Karl of the Hammer).1 King, the Hammer, of the Franks Martel's father was II, the Fat, of Austrasia & Brabant Pepin Duke and his mother was of Austrasia Alpaide. His paternal grandparents were of the Palace Ansegisal Mayor and of Landen St. Begga. He had a brother named I, of Autun Childebrand. He had a half-brother named Mayor of Austrasia Martel. He died in Quierzy-on-Oise, Aisne, France. He was buried in St. Denis, Seine, France.1 General Notes
Was married three time. Rotruda (Chrotrude) of Allemania was his firstwif
e. His third wife (unknown) also had a child in ancestory path.
Latin CAROLUS MARTELLUS, German KARL MARTELL, mayor of the palace of Austr
asia (the eastern part of the Frankish kingdom) from 715 to 741. He reunit
ed and ruled the entire Frankish realm and stemmed the Muslim invasi
on at Poitiers in 732. His byname, Martel, means "the hammer."
Charles was the illegitimate son of Pepin of Herstal, the mayor of the pal
ace of Austrasia. By this period the Merovingian kings of the Frankish rea
lm were rulers in name only. The burden of rule lay upon the mayors of t
he palace, who governed Austrasia, the eastern part of the Frankish kingdo
m, and Neustria, its western portion. Neustria bitterly resented its conqu
est and annexation in 687 by Pepin, who, acting in the name of the king, h
ad reorganized and reunified the Frankish realm.
The assassination of Pepin's only surviving legitimate son in 714 was foll
owed a few months later by the death of Pepin himself. Pepin left as hei
rs three grandsons, and until they came of age, Plectrude, Pepin's wido
w, was to hold power. As an illegitimate son, Charles Martel was entire
ly neglected in the will. But he was young, strong, and determined, a
nd an intense struggle for power at once broke out in the Frankish kingdom
.
Both Charles and Plectrude faced rebellion throughout the Frankish kingd
om when Pepin's will was made known. The king, Chilperic II, was in the po
wer of Ragenfrid, mayor of the palace of Neustria, who joined forces wi
th the Frisians in Holland in order to eliminate Charles. Plectrude impris
oned Charles and tried to govern in the name of her grandchildren, but Cha
rles escaped, gathered an army, and defeated the Neustrians in battl
es at Amblève near Liège (716) and at Vincy near Cambrai (717). His succe
ss made resistance by Plectrude and the Austrasians useless; they submitte
d, and by 719 Charles alone governed the Franks as mayor.
Assured of Austrasia, Charles now attacked Neustria itself, finally subdui
ng it in 724. This freed Charles to deal with hostile elements elsewher
e. He attacked Aquitaine, whose ruler, Eudes (Odo), had been an ally of Ra
genfrid, but Charles did not gain effective control of southern France unt
il late in his reign. He also conducted long campaigns, some as late as t
he 730s, against the Frisians, Saxons, and Bavarians, whose brigandage end
angered the eastern frontiers of his kingdom. In order to consolidate h
is military gains, Charles supported St. Boniface and other missionari
es in their efforts to convert the German tribes on the eastern fronti
er to Christianity.
Ever since their arrival in Spain from Africa in 711, the Muslims had raid
ed Frankish territory, threatening Gaul and on one occasion (725) reachi
ng Burgundy and sacking Autun. In 732 'Abd ar-Rahman, the governor of Córd
oba, marched into Bordeaux and defeated Eudes. The Muslims then proceed
ed north across Aquitaine to the city of Poitiers. Eudes appealed to Charl
es for assistance, and Charles' cavalry managed to turn back the Muslim on
slaught at the Battle of Poitiers. The battle itself may have been on
ly a series of small engagements, but after it there were no more great Mu
slim invasions of Frankish territory.
In 733 Charles began his campaigns to force Burgundy to yield to his rul
e. In 735 word arrived that Eudes was dead, and Charles marched rapidly ac
ross the Loire River in order to make his power felt around Bordeaux. By 7
39 he had completely subdued the petty chieftains of Burgundy, and he cont
inued to fend off Muslim advances into Gaul during the decade.
Charles' health began to fail in the late 730s, and in 741 he retired to h
is palace at Quierzy-on-Oise, where he died soon after. Before his dea
th he divided the Merovingian kingdom between his two legitimate sons, Pep
in and Carloman. He continued to maintain the fi
-
Ancestor Pedigree Chart
-
- b.Bet 602 and 607 in Austrasia, France d.Bet 678 and 698 in Andene Monastery
- b.~ 0635 in Heristal, Liege, Belgium d.16 Dec 714 in Junille-on-the-Meuse, Leige, Belgium
- b.~ 0613 in Landen, Liege, Belgium d.Bet 689 and 694 in Andenne, France
- b.Wft Est 666-693 in Heristal, Liege, Belgium d.Bet 15 Oct and 22 Nov 741 in Quierzy-on-Oise, Aisne, France
- b.Bet 645 and 654 in Heristal, Liege, Belgium d.Wft Est 679-748 in Orp-le-Grand, Brabant, Vosges, Belgium
-
King, the Hammer, of the Franks Martel and of Alemania Rotrude were married in a religious ceremony.2 They had three sons and two daughters, named of St. Quentin, King III , the Short, of the Franks Martel, Mayor, of the Palace Martel, of the Franks Landree and of the Franks Aude.
-
Children
King III , the Short, of the Franks Martel Pepin
King III , the Short, of the Franks Martel was born in Austrasia, France and his baptism took place in 0754 in St. Denis.3 He died in Paris, Seine, France. He was buried in Paris, Seine, France.1
1 World Family Tree Vol. 8, Ed. 1 @ Tree #2932
2 GEDCOM File : Lisa's family tree.ged
3 World Family Tree Vol. 8, Ed. 1 @ Tree #3267
2 GEDCOM File : Lisa's family tree.ged
3 World Family Tree Vol. 8, Ed. 1 @ Tree #3267
Page last modified