Editing Austrasia (section)

== History ==
{{No sources|section|date=March 2025}}[[File:Metz_st_pierre_nonnains.jpg|thumb|Ancient [[Basilica of Saint-Pierre-aux-Nonnains]] from the 4th century in [[Metz]], capital of the kingdom of Austrasia]]

After the death of the Frankish king [[Clovis I]] in 511, his four sons partitioned his kingdom amongst themselves, with [[Theuderic I]] receiving the lands that were to become Austrasia. Descended from Theuderic, a line of kings ruled Austrasia until 555, when it was united with the other Frankish kingdoms of [[Chlothar I]], who inherited all the Frankish realms by 558. He redivided the Frankish territory amongst his four sons, but the four kingdoms coalesced into three on the death of [[Charibert I]] in 567: Austrasia under [[Sigebert I]], [[Neustria]] under [[Chilperic I]], and [[Kingdom of Burgundy|Burgundy]] under [[Guntram]]. These three kingdoms defined the political division of Francia until the rise of the [[Carolingian dynasty|Carolingians]] and even thereafter.

From 567 to the death of [[Sigebert II]] in 613, Neustria and Austrasia fought each other almost constantly, with Burgundy playing the peacemaker between them. These struggles reached their climax in the wars between [[Brunhilda of Austrasia|Brunhilda]] and [[Fredegund]], queens, respectively, of Austrasia and Neustria. Finally, in 613, a rebellion by the nobility against Brunhilda saw her betrayed and handed over to her nephew and foe in Neustria, [[Chlothar II]]. Chlothar then took control of the other two kingdoms and set up a united Frankish kingdom with its capital in [[Paris]]. During this period the first ''majores domus'' or [[mayors of the palace]] appeared. These officials acted as mediators between the king and the people in each realm. The first Austrasian mayors came from the [[Pippinid]] family, which experienced a slow but steady ascent until it eventually displaced the Merovingians on the throne.

[[File:Francia 714.png|thumb|Map of Francia in 714 (Austrasia shown in green)]]
In 623, the Austrasians asked Chlothar II for a king of their own and he appointed his son [[Dagobert I]] to rule over them with [[Pepin of Landen]] as regent. Dagobert's government in Austrasia was widely admired. In 629, he inherited Neustria and Burgundy. Austrasia was again neglected until, in 633, the people demanded the king's son as their own king again. Dagobert complied and sent his elder son [[Sigebert III]] to Austrasia. Historians often categorise Sigebert as the first ''[[roi fainéant]]'', or do-nothing king, of the Merovingian dynasty. His court was dominated by the mayors. In 657, the mayor [[Grimoald the Elder]] succeeded in putting his son [[Childebert the Adopted]] on the throne, where he remained until 662. Thereafter, Austrasia was predominantly the kingdom of the [[Arnulfing]] mayors of the palace and their base of power. With the [[Battle of Tertry]] in 687, [[Pepin of Heristal]] defeated the Neustrian king [[Theuderic III]] and established his mayoralty over all the Frankish kingdoms. This was even regarded by contemporaries as the beginning of his "reign". It also signalled the dominance of Austrasia over Neustria, which would last until the end of the Merovingian era.

In 718, [[Charles Martel]] had Austrasian support in his war against Neustria for control of all the Francian realms. He was not king himself, but appointed [[Chlothar IV]] to rule in Austrasia. In 719, Francia [[Carolingian Empire|was united]] by Martel's family, the [[Carolingian dynasty]], under Austrasian hegemony. While the Frankish kings continued to divide up the Frankish realm in different ways over subsequent generations, the term Austrasia was only used occasionally after the Carolingian dynasty.
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