Editing History of France (section)

== Frankish kingdoms (486–987) ==
{{Main|Francia}}
{{See also|List of Frankish kings|Merovingian|Carolingian Renaissance|Carolingian Empire|Carolingian dynasty|Early Middle Ages}}
[[File:Steuben - Bataille de Poitiers.png|thumb|Victory over the Umayyads at the [[Battle of Tours]] (732) marked the furthest Muslim advance and enabled Frankish domination of Europe for the next century.]]
In 486, [[Clovis I]], leader of the [[Salian Franks]], defeated [[Syagrius]] at [[Battle of Soissons (486)|Soissons]] and subsequently united most of northern and central Gaul under his rule. Clovis then recorded a succession of victories against other Germanic tribes such as the [[Alamanni]] at [[Battle of Tolbiac|Tolbiac]]. In 496 Clovis started a [[First Franco-Visigothic war (496–498)|war against the Goths in Aquitanië]], which was mainly aimed for gathering loot. It took the Gothic king [[Alaric II]] two years to push back the Franks. In 507 a [[Franco–Gothic War (507–511)|second war]] started. This time Clovis defeated [[Alaric II]] at [[Battle of Vouillé|Vouillé]] and annexed Aquitaine, and thus Toulouse, into his Frankish kingdom.<ref name="autogenerated3">{{Cite book |last=James |first=Edward |title=The Franks |date=1981}}</ref> After his victory the [[pagan]] Clovis adopted [[Catholicism]]. This gave him greater legitimacy and power over his Christian subjects and granted him clerical support against the [[Arian]] Visigoths.

{{Main|Franco-Visigothic Wars}}
The Goths retired to [[Toledo, Spain|Toledo]] in what would become Spain. Clovis made Paris his capital and established the [[Merovingian dynasty]] but his kingdom would not survive his death in 511. Under Frankish inheritance traditions, all sons inherit part of the land, so four kingdoms emerged: centered on [[Paris]], [[Orléans]], [[Soissons]], and [[Rheims]]. Over time, the borders and numbers of Frankish kingdoms were fluid and changed frequently. Also during this time, the [[Mayor of the Palace|Mayors of the Palace]], originally the chief advisor to the kings, would become the real power in the Frankish lands; the Merovingian kings themselves would be reduced to little more than figureheads.<ref name=autogenerated3/>

By this time [[Muslim]]s had [[Umayyad conquest of Hispania|conquered Hispania]] and [[Septimania]] became part of the Al-Andalus, which were threatening the Frankish kingdoms. Duke [[Odo the Great]] defeated a major invading force at [[Battle of Toulouse (721)|Toulouse]] in 721 but failed to repel a raiding party in 732. The mayor of the palace, [[Charles Martel]], defeated that raiding party at the [[Battle of Tours]] and earned respect and power within the Frankish Kingdom. The assumption of the crown in 751 by [[Pepin the Short]] (son of Charles Martel) established the [[Carolingian dynasty]] as the kings of the Franks.

[[File:Sacre de Charlemagne.jpg|thumb|The coronation of [[Charlemagne]] (painting by [[Jean Fouquet]])]]
Carolingian power reached its fullest extent under Pepin's son, [[Charlemagne]]. In 771, Charlemagne reunited the Frankish domains after a further period of division, subsequently conquering the [[Lombards]] under [[Desiderius]] in what is now northern Italy (774), incorporating [[History of Bavaria#Bavaria and the Agilolfings under Frankish overlordship|Bavaria]] (788) into his realm, defeating the [[Avars (Carpathians)|Avars]] of the [[Danube|Danubian]] plain (796), advancing the frontier with [[Al-Andalus]] as far south as [[Barcelona]] (801), and subjugating [[Lower Saxony]] after a prolonged campaign (804).

In recognition of his successes and his political support for the [[papacy]], [[Charlemagne]] was crowned Emperor of the Romans by [[Pope Leo III]] in 800. Charlemagne's son [[Louis the Pious]] (emperor 814–840) kept the empire united; however, this Carolingian Empire would not survive Louis I's death. Two of his sons — [[Charles the Bald]] and [[Louis the German]] — swore allegiance to each other against their brother — [[Lothair I]] — in the [[Oaths of Strasbourg]], and the empire was divided among Louis's three sons ([[Treaty of Verdun]], 843). After a last brief reunification (884–887), the imperial title ceased to be held in the western realm, which was to form the basis of the future French kingdom. The eastern realm, which would become Germany, elected the Saxon dynasty of [[Henry the Fowler]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Wilson |first=Derek |title=Charlemagne |date=2007}}</ref>

Under the [[Carolingian]]s, the kingdom was ravaged by [[Siege of Paris (885-886)|Viking raiders]]. In this struggle some important figures such as [[Odo, Count of Paris|Count Odo of Paris]] and his brother [[Robert I of France|King Robert]] rose to fame and became kings. This emerging dynasty, whose members were called the [[Robertian dynasty|Robertines]], were the predecessors of the [[Capetian dynasty]]. Led by [[Rollo of Normandy|Rollo]], some Vikings had settled in Normandy and were granted the land, first as counts and then as dukes, by King [[Charles the Simple]], in order to protect the land from other raiders. The people that emerged from the interactions between the new Viking aristocracy and the already mixed Franks and Gallo-Romans became known as the Normans.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Van Houts |first=Elisabeth M. C. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IarkHmOdjnsC&pg=PA23 |title=The Normans in Europe |date=2000 |publisher=Manchester University Press |isbn=978-0-7190-4751-0 |page=23}}</ref>