The Death of Charles Martel and the…

The Death of Charles Martel and the Division of Francia (741)

On October 22, 741, Charles Martel, the undisputed ruler of the Franks, dies at Quierzy-sur-Oise, in what is today the Aisne département of the Picardy region, France. He is buried with honor at Saint Denis Basilica in Paris, alongside the earlier kings of the Frankish realm.

The Division of the Frankish Realm

A year before his death, Charles had divided his territories among his adult sons, following the Frankish tradition of partible inheritance:

• Carloman receives Austrasia and Alemannia, with Bavaria as a vassal.
• Pepin the Short is granted Neustria and Burgundy, with Aquitaine as a vassal.
• Grifo, Charles's younger son by his second wife Swanachild, is left with nothing, though some sources suggest Charles had intended to give him a territory between Neustria and Austrasia.

However, Grifo is regarded as illegitimate by Carloman and Pepin, who refuse to recognize any claim he might have had. Shortly after Charles’s death, they lure Grifo into a trap and imprison him in a monastery, eliminating him as a political rival.

The End of an Era and the Path to the Carolingian Dynasty

With Charles Martel’s passing, Francia is now ruled by his sons, but the kingdom remains fractured. Within a few years, Pepin the Short will move to unify the realm under Carolingian rule, paving the way for the formal replacement of the Merovingians and the rise of the Carolingian dynasty, a transformation set in motion by the power Charles Martel had amassed during his reign.