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The Fall of the Roman Empire & the struggles for power
The history of the Romans, and their vast Empire, spans more than two millennium and five distinct phases - The Roman Republic (510 BC - 44 BC), The Roman Empire (44 BC - 285 AD), The Divided Roman Empire (285 AD - 476 AD), The Eastern Roman Empire (476 - 1453) and The Holy Roman Empire (800 - 1806*). Most historians agree that the height of the Roman Empire occurred during the rule of Emperor Trajan, in 117 AD. Yet, a fore-shadowing of what was to come, occurred in 285 AD, when the Empire was split in half, for better management purposes, by Diocletian Augustus. By 376 AD, nomadic tribes of western Europe began to assert pressures upon the Roman military and governing bodies of the vastly spread Empire. These nomadic tribes, with names such as the Franks (a 4th century Germanic word meaning: 'free men'), the Gauls, the Thervingians, the Ostrogoths, and the Visigoths, rose up against the Roman Empire in a series of revolts, re-claiming lands to themselves and crowning their own Kings. The story of the Salian Franks, and their King's rise to power from the ashes of a falling Roman Empire, is where our story of the Merovingian Dynasty begins.

Rising from the ashes of a falling Empire
Around 428 the Salian Frank, King Chlodio, whose kingdom included part of what is today the Netherlands and Belgium, launched an attack on the then poorly supplied and weakening Roman northern territory and he extended his realm into today's northern France. King Chlodio's descendant successors, Merovech (for whom the Dynasty was named), Childeric I, Clovis I, and Clotaire I, all steadily continued to expand the territories by defeating weak and unorganized tribes and isolated Roman encampments, so that by 507, "Francia" had become one the first super Kingdoms of Western Europe.

Webster's Dictionary describes a Dynasty as, "a succession of rulers of the same line of descent, or a powerful family that maintains its position for a considerable time"... For over 300 years, the Kings of the Merovingian Dynasty maintained dominance over the Frankish Kingdom - sometimes the Kingdom was partitioned among a King's sons, according to Frankish custom - yet, with a turn of events, the whole Kingdom could be reunified once again under a single King. They were often referred to as the "long-haired Kings" (Latin reges criniti) by contemporaries, for their symbolically unshorn hair (traditionally the tribal leader of the Franks wore his hair long, as distinction from the Romans and the tonsured clergy) yet, their 'royal long hair' was cut short in the final end.

The change of Law, Religion and Commerce
The Merovingian Kings appointed magnates to be comites (counts), in charge of defense, administration and the judgment of disputes. They created civil law, yet Merovingian law was not universal law equally applicable to all; it was applied to each man according to his origin: Ripuarian Franks were subject to their own Lex Ripuaria, while the the Salian clans were subject to Lex Salica. King Clovis I introduced Christianity to the Franks in a well-publicized Baptism in 496 and in the course of the next 200 years, more than 20 Merovingian Royals were canonized to 'Sainthood' after giving generously to the funding of Roman Catholic Abbeys and Monasteries. Coinage was nothing new, it had been used since ancient Roman times, yet a system of equivalent fair trade and Frankish coinage was developed as early as 450. Education was limited to 'Religious Clerics' through the Monasteries only - a policy that would lend all 'State Affairs' dependent upon ' Church Officials' for documentation - a practice that would not change until nearly 10 centuries later. All this happened against the backdrop of a newly isolated western Europe without its Roman systems of taxation and bureaucracy.

France continues
Officially the Merovingian Dynasty ended in 751, when Pippin the Short of Austrasia (Son of Charles Martel) formally deposed King Childeric III (by symbolically cutting off his hair), thus beginning the Carolingian Dynasty, which in turn, was then followed by the Capetian and then the Bonaparte Dynasties. Yet, despite the changes of Royal Families, France has managed to closely maintain it's borders that were initially established by the Frankish Kings of the Merovingian Dynasty. They are the recognized fore-fathers of that great nation.

Tracing our Roots
In the interest of following our lineal descent, I have opted to continue our story from the Merovingian Dynasty through the Carolingian Dynasty, through the House of Poitiers, through the Plantagenet Dynasty, through the English Peerage through the Immigration to the American Colonies and finally to modern times (See the chart below). This lineage encompasses nearly 1200 years of ancient royalty and 400 years of modern lineage. Royal marriages and births have been recorded since the dawn of history - weddings were often used to strengthen alliances, mend wars, increase territories and expand power - and births were recorded, most importantly for the purpose of determining the official "Line of Succession to the Throne"***. (Sources listed at bottom of page) Modern individuals were all documented through birth, death, marriage, census and other records.

The color coded chart below shows each Dynasty, House, etc. as it relates to each family grouping and each individual is a child of the individuals listed on the row above. This is just one direct line of descent from the dozens of lines available for us to follow (when spanning 1600 years - genealogical lines do branch out and then reconnect hundreds of years later). Other lines may be seen here.

The height of the Roman Empire in 117 AD,
under the rule of Emperor Trajan.

Western and Eastern Roman Empires by 476 AD

Division of Francia to Chlothar's sons in 561

Clovis I introduces Catholicism with his
own baptism in 496

King Childeric I coinage abt. 450

King Clovis I coinage

751 - Merovingian King Childeric III is removed from the throne by Pepin the Short,
in a ceremonial haircut - which removed the family's distinction as "The Long haired Kings"