Francia

Kingdom of the Franks Regnum Francorum (Latin)
481–800/843
Flag
Status	Kingdom
Capital	Aachen
Official languages	Latin
Religion	Catholicism
Government	Patrimonial monarchy
• first king	Clovis I
• last king	Charlemagne
Establishment
• Clovis I became king of Franks	481
• Charlemagne becomes the Holy Roman Emperor	800
• Treaty of Verdun	843
Preceded by Succeeded by Western Roman Empire Carolingian Empire
Today part of	France  Germany  Italy  Spain  Andorra  Belgium  Luxembourg

Francia was a kingdom founded in 481 AD. It may also be called the Kingdom of the Franks, Frankish Kingdom, or Frankish Empire. It was first a province of the Western Roman Empire founded by Clovis I. Before that it was a Germanic state. After the Treaty of Verdun in 843, West Francia became the predecessor of France, and East Francia became that of Germany.

History and Origins

Franks used to inhabit the area of the Rhine River (currently in Germany and the Netherlands). At the time the Roman Empire was losing control in the 400s, the Franks invaded an area known as Gaul (today, France).

The Two Dynasties

The kingdom was ruled by two main families, or "dynasties":

Key Events Timeline

How the Kingdom Ended

Franks also had a tradition in which when a king passed away the territory was distributed among all his sons. This caused many wars. The empire was officially divided into three parts in 843 in the Treaty of Verdun:

• West Francia: This was the nation of France.
• East Francia: This was turned into the German country.
• Middle Francia: This was an intermediate zone that was later to vanish.

Why It Matters

• The country is called France because of the term Frank.
• They were the ones who contributed to the proliferation of Christianity in Europe.
• They established numerous laws and orders, which defined the Middle Ages.

References