Editing Merovingian dynasty (section)

=== Weakening of the kingdom ===
Clotaire's son [[Dagobert I]] (died 639), who sent troops to Spain and pagan Slavic territories in the east, is commonly seen as the last powerful Merovingian King. Later kings are known as ''rois fainéants''<ref name=EB1911/> ("do-nothing kings"), despite the fact that only the last two kings did nothing. The kings, even strong-willed men like [[Dagobert II]] and [[Chilperic II]], were not the main agents of political conflicts, leaving this role to their mayors of the palace, who increasingly substituted their own interest for their king's.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Merovingian-dynasty |title=Merovingian dynasty {{!}} Frankish dynasty |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopedia Britannica]] |access-date=2017-09-22 |language=en}}</ref> Many kings came to the throne at a young age and died in the prime of life, weakening royal power further.