Editing Carolingian dynasty (section)

==== Pippin I (624–640) ====
Pippin was not immediately rewarded, but eventually was given the position of ''maior palatti'' or '[[Mayor of the Palace|mayor of the palace]]' of Austrasia in 624. This reward secured Pippin a position of prime importance with the Merovingian royal court. The mayor of the palace would act as the mediator between the King and the magnates of the region; as Paul Fouracre summarises, they were 'regarded as the most important non-royal person in the kingdom.'<ref name="Fouracre-2000b" /> The reason Pippin was not rewarded sooner is not certain, but two mayors, Rado (613 – {{Circa|617}}) and Chucus ({{Circa|617|624}}), are believed to have preceded him and were potentially political rivals connected to the fellow Austrasian 'Gundoinings' noble family.<ref name="Gerberding-1987" /><ref name="Fouracre-2000b" /> Once elected, Pippin served faithfully under Chlotar until the latter's death in 629, and solidified the Pippinids' position of power within Austrasia by supporting Chlotar's son Dagobert, who became King of Austrasia in 623.<ref name="Fouracre-2000b" /> Pippin, with support from Arnulf and other Austrasian magnates, even used the opportunity to support the killing of an important political rival [[Chrodoald]], an [[Agilolfings|Agilolfing]] lord.<ref name="Nelson-1960c" />

Following King Dagobert I's ascent to the throne in {{Circa|629}}, he returned the Frankish capital back to Paris in [[Neustria]], from whence it had been removed by Chlotar in 613. As a result, Pippin lost his position as mayor and the support of the Austrasian magnates, who were seemingly irritated by his inability to persuade the King to return the political centre to Austrasia.<ref name="Nelson-1960c" /> Instead, Dagobert turned to the Pippinids' political rival family, the [[Gundoinings]], whose connections in [[Adalgesil]], [[Cunibert|Cunibert, archbishop of Cologne]], Otto and [[Radulf, King of Thuringia|Radulf]] (who would later revolt in 642)<ref name="Nelson-1960c" /> once again removed the Pippinid and Arnulfing influence in the Austrasia assemblies.<ref name="Riché-1993c" />

Pippin did not reappear in the historical record until Dagobert's death in 638,<ref name="Gerberding-1987" /> when he had seemingly been reinstated as mayor of Austrasia and began to support the new young King [[Sigebert III]]. According to the ''Continuations'', Pippin made arrangements with his rival, Archbishop [[Cunibert]], to get Austrasian support for the 10-year-old King Sigibert III, who ruled Austrasia whilst his brother [[Clovis II]] ruled over Neustria and [[Burgundy]]. Soon after securing his position once again, he unexpectedly died in 640.<ref name="Nelson-1960c" />