Neustria
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Kingdom of Neustria Neustria, Neustrasia | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
511–751 | |||||||||
Christianity | |||||||||
Demonym(s) | Neustrian | ||||||||
Government | Feudal hereditary monarchy | ||||||||
King | |||||||||
• 511–561 | Chlothar I (first) | ||||||||
• 741–751 | Childeric III (last) | ||||||||
Mayor of the Palace | |||||||||
• 639–641 | Aega (first) | ||||||||
• 741–751 | Pepin III (last) | ||||||||
Historical era | Early Middle Ages | ||||||||
511 | |||||||||
751 | |||||||||
Currency | Denier | ||||||||
| |||||||||
Today part of | France |
Neustria was the western part of the Kingdom of the Franks during the Early Middle Ages, in contrast to the eastern Frankish kingdom, Austrasia.[1] It initially included land between the Loire and the Silva Carbonaria, in the north of present-day France, with Paris, Orléans, Tours, Soissons as its main cities. The population was therefore originally largely Romanised.
The same term later referred to a smaller region between the
Name
The name Neustria is mostly explained as "new western land",[2] although Taylor (1848) suggested the interpretation of "northeastern land".[3] Nordisk familjebok (1913) even suggested "not the eastern land" (icke östland).[4] Augustin Thierry (1825) assumed Neustria is simply a corruption of Westria, from West-rike "western realm".[5] In any case, Neustria contrasts with the name Austrasia "eastern realm". The analogy to Austrasia is even more explicit in the variant Neustrasia.[6]
Neustria was also employed as a term for northwestern Italy during the period of Lombard domination. It was contrasted with the northeast, which was called Austrasia, the same term as given to eastern Francia.
Merovingian kingdom
The predecessor to Neustria was a Roman rump state, the Kingdom of Soissons. In 486 its ruler, Syagrius, lost the Battle of Soissons to the Frankish king Clovis I and the domain was thereafter under the control of the Franks. Constant re-divisions of territories by Clovis's descendants resulted in many rivalries that, for more than two hundred years, kept Neustria in almost constant warfare with Austrasia, the eastern portion of the Frankish Kingdom.
Despite the wars, Neustria and Austrasia re-united briefly on several occasions. The first was under
After his mother's death and burial in
In Austrasia the
In 678, Neustria, under Mayor
Pippin's descendants, the
Neustria, Austrasia, and
Carolingian subkingdom
In 748, the brothers
The term "Neustria" took on the meaning of "land between the
In 817,
Carolingian march
In 861, the Carolingian king Charles the Bald created the Marches of Neustria that were ruled by officials appointed by the crown, known as wardens, prefects or margraves. Originally, there were two marches, one against the Bretons and one against the Norsemen, often called the Breton March and Norman March respectively.
In 911,
Rulers
Merovingian kings
- Childeric I 458–481
- Clovis I 481–511
- Chlodomer 511–524
- Childebert I 511–558
- Chlothar I 558–561
- Charibert I 561–567
- Chilperic I 567–584
- Gontran 561–592
- Chlothar II, 584–629
- Dagobert I, 629–639
- Clovis II, 639–657
- Chlothar III, 657–673
- Theuderic III, 673
- Childeric II, 673–675
- Theuderic III, 675–691
- Clovis IV, 691–695
- Childebert III, 695–711
- Dagobert III, 711–715
- Chilperic II, 715–721
- Theuderic IV, 721–737
- Childeric III, 743–751
Mayors of the palace
- Landric, until 613
- Gundoland, 613–639
- Aega, 639–641
- Erchinoald, 641–658
- Ebroin, 658–673
- Wulfoald, 673–675
- Leudesius, 675
- Ebroin, 675–680 (again)
- Waratton, 680–682
- Gistemar, 682
- Waratton, 682–686 (again)
- Berchar, 686–688
- Pepin of Heristal, 688–695
- Grimoald II, 695–714
- Theudoald, 714–715
- Ragenfrid, 715–718
- Charles Martel, 718–741
- Pepin the Short, 741–751
Carolingian sub-kings
- Charles the Younger, 790–811
- Lothair I, 817–831
- Pepin, 831–838
- Charles the Bald, 838–856
- Louis the Stammerer, 856–879
Louis was chased from Le Mans in 858 following the assassination of Erispoe in November 857.
Robertians
- Robert the Strong 853–866
- Eudes of France 888–898
- Robert of France, 911–922
- Hugh the Great, 922–956
- Hugh Capet, 956–987
Historiography
The chief contemporary chronicles written from a Neustrian perspective are the History of the Franks by
References
- ^ Pfister, Christian (1911). Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 19 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 441. . In
- ^ y J. B. Benkard, Historical Sketch of the German Emperors and Kings (1855), p.2 ;
e.g.
Will Slatyer, Ebbs and Flows of Ancient Imperial Power, 3000 BC - 900 AD (2012), p. 323;
ISBN 0-631-17936-4.
- ^ '"Ni-oster-rike" [That is, Northeastern kingdom.]'
Taylor, William Cooke (1848). A Manual of Ancient and Modern History. New York Public Library: D. Appleton. p. 342.
Oster-rike.
- ^ Meijer et al. (eds.), Nordisk familjebok, Ny, rev. och rikt illustrerad upplaga (1913), p. 841.
- ^ Augustin Thierry, History of the Conquest of England by the Normans (1825), p. 55.
- ^ Neustrasia appears to be preferred by some authors writing in Neo-Latin, e.g. by Caesar Baronius (d. 1607); Augustin Theiner (ed.) Caesaris S.R.E. Card. Baronii t. 11, (1867), p. 583.
- OCLC 617425106.
- ^ Hodgkin, vol. vii, p 25.
Further reading
- Oman, Charles. The Dark Ages 476–918. Rivingtons: London, 1914.
- Hodgkin, Thomas. Italy and her Invaders. Clarendon Press: 1895.