THE CAROLINGIAN DYNASTY.

The Carolingian dynasty was a noble family of Frankish tribe aristocrats who came to rule over much Western Europe from 751 to 987. The dynasty's most prominent member was Charlemagne.
The family originally served as hereditary mayors of the palace of Austrasia, the North Eastern section of the kingdom of the Franks comprising modern-day Eastern France, Western Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands, under the Merovingian rule.
Pepin I of Landen (580-640) assumed the position of mayor of the palace during the reign of the Merovingian king, Clotaire II, (584-629). The post of mayor of the palace, known in Latin as "mayor-domus," came to hold decision-making authority, while the king served as reigning figurehead.
Pepin's daughter married the son of Arnulf, bishop of Metz (582-640), uniting two of the most prominent Frankish noble families. Their son, Pepin II of Heristal (635-714), continued the family's dominance, conquering Neustria, the Western section of the kingdom of the Franks comprising most of present-day Northern France, in 687. He became mayor of the palace in Austrasia, Neustria, and Burgundy. The names used to identified the family (Pippinid or Arnulfing) derived from one of Pepin II's grandfathers.
Later known as the Carolingian family, the Pippinid family made the post of mayor of the palace hereditary. The most famous Carolingian mayor of the palace was Charles Martel (686-791) -known variously as Carolus Martellus in Latin or Charles "the Hammer"in English- who served as mayor of the palace of the 3 Frankish kingdoms.
In 732 Charles Martel won the Battle of Tours, which halted an advancing army from overturning Western Europe. The first wave of Muslim expansion into Iberia, present-day Spain and Portugal, began in 711. This expedition landed in Gibraltar and was followed by further Muslim expansion. The Muslims were able to overcome the small states that existed in Iberia because of the fractured nature of Iberian Christendom. In 730 the Umayyad caliph appointed a new governor on the Iberian Muslim state known in Arabic as al-Andalus. Despite the religious differences, some Muslim and Christian rulers signed treaties with one another and formed alliances in order to further their political goals. In 721 the army of Eudes, Christian duke of Aquitaine, defeated an Umayyad invasion force at Toulousse. However Muslim incursions into France continued, reaching as far North as the province of Burgundy by the mid-720s. Eudes was defeated in a fierce battle near the city of Bordeaux and the Garonne River and desperate for aid, he turned toward Charles Martel, the Carolingian Frankish ruler, agreeing to submit to his authority. On October 732 Charles positioned the Frankish army, which was made up entirely of armory infantrymen equipped with heavy shields and long spears, between the Muslim invasion force and the monastery of St. Martin. The Muslim army, which was made up entirely of Arab and Berber cavalry, met the Franks near Tours and the two sides scouted one another's positions and skirmished for nearly a week before commencing battle on the 7th day. the Muslim army was the larger of the two. The Frankish infantry formed into a tightly grouped phalanx and managed to repel successive Muslim cavalry charges throughout the day. Late in battle the Muslim commander was killed while trying to rally waning Muslim forces and his army halted their attacks. With a substantial amount of captured treasure from their campaign in Southern France, the Muslims decided to withdraw South back toward Iberia. In later campaigns, Charles continued to push the Iberian Muslims back across the Pyrenees Mountains and out of France.
Following Charles Martel's death, his position was divided between his two sons, Pepin III (714-768) known as "the Short," in Neustra, and Carloman (710-754) in Austrassia. Pepin III secured papal and noble support to seize power. He, reuniting Austrassia and Neustria into one kingdom, usurped the Crown of the Merovingians to become the ruling king in 751. He became the founder of the Carolingian dynasty as King Pepin I. The pope annointed Pepin I, also granting him the title of Roman Patrician. Pepin I also created the Papal States out of conquered territory in Central Italy, giving it to the pope to administer. Following Pepin I's death, his kingdom was divided equally among his two sons, Carloman (755-771) and Charlemagne (742-814). Following Carloman's death in 771, Charlemagne became sole ruler. He expanded the Frankish empire toward the South, conquering much of Southern Germany, including Bavaria and Saxony, and Northern and Central Italy, to reunite most of the former Western Roman Empire. Charlemagne's empire came to include present-day France, Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxem'Bourg, and parts of Italy and Spain. He continued his alliance with the pope in Rome, promoting religious reform and cultural growth. Consequently Pope Leo III (d.816) crowned Charlemagne Roman emperor on December 25, 800.
In 806 Charlemagne created a plan for the division of his empire among his sons. however on the day of his death in 1814, his sole surviving son, Louis I (778-840), known as "the Pious," came to the throne. Both Charlemagne and Louis I worked to centralize authority throughout the empire. Nobles and administrators were appointed that led to the development of a feudalistic society under the emperor. After Louis I's death, his three sons, Lothair (795-855), Louis "the German"(804-876), and Charles "the Bald"(823-877), fought for control of te Frankish empire. In 1843 the Treaty of Verdum divided the empire into three segments (West Francia, Middle Francia, and East Francia) among each of Louis I's sons. Following Lothair I's death in 855, Middle Francia was divided among his sons and renewed tensions arose between the various factions of the Carolingians. Despite ensuing rivalries and invasions, the Carolingians retained control of the Eastern portion of the Frankish empire until 911. Over time East Francia's political centralization dissolved into regional duchies, which operated as petty kingdoms.  The Western portion was dominated by several feudal lords, who elected the count of Paris, Hugh Capet (938-996), as king of France in 987 following the death of the last Carolingian ruler. he became the founder of the French royal house, the Capetians (987-1328), which included the later cadet branches: the Valois (1328-1589), the Bourbons (1589-1792; 1814; 1815-30), and the Bourbon-Orleans (1830-48).