Clodion’s only son was Sigimberus  I, Bishop of Auvergne, b. 419; Sigimberus I had one son, Ferreolus, Duke of Moselle, b. 465. It wasn’t until the marriage of Saint Itta (b. 592 d. 652) [44th GGM), daughter of Arnoldus of  Saxony and Doda Of Heristal, b. in 592, that our ancestors rejoined the  ranks of royalty - well sort of. The period from 490 - 840 AD is  characterized as the Early Dark Ages.€

By the 6th century, the western Germanic Franks had been Christianized, and Francia, ruled  by the Merovingians, was the most powerful of the kingdoms that  succeeded the Western Roman Empire. By the 9th century the Frankish  Empire stretched north of Spain across much of Europe, south to Northern Italy.

Following the Battle of Tertry,  however, the Merovingians declined into a state of powerlessness, for  which they have been dubbed the "do-nothing kings". Almost all government powers of any consequence were exercised by their chief officer, the Mayor of the Palace.

In 687, Pepin of Herstal, Mayor of the Palace of Austrasia (b. 635 – d. 16 Dec 714) [44nd GGF], ended the strife between various kings and their mayors with his victory at Tertry and became  the sole governor of the entire Frankish kingdom. Pepin himself was the  grandson of two of the most important figures of the Austrasian Kingdom, Saint Arnulf of Metz and Pepin of Landen. Pepin the Middle was  eventually succeeded by his illegitimate son Charles, later known as  Charles Martel (b. 688  d. 11 Oct 741) [41st GGF]).

After 737, Charles governed the Franks without a king on the throne but declined to call himself "king." Charles was succeeded in 741 by his sons Carloman (b. 706 d. 17 Aug 754) and Pepin the Short (b. 714 d. 24 Sep 768) [42th GGF], the father of Charlemagne (b. 742 d. 28 Jan 813) [41th GGF]. To curb separatism in the periphery of the realm,  in 743 the brothers placed on the throne Childeric III, who was to be  the last Merovingian king.

After  Carloman resigned office in 746 to enter the church by preference as a monk, Pepin [40th GGF] brought the question of the  kingship before Pope Zachary, asking whether it was logical for a king  to have no royal power. The pope handed down his decision in 749. He  decreed that it was better for Pepin, who had the powers of high office  as Mayor, to be called king, so as not to confuse the hierarchy. He  therefore ordered him to become true king.

In 750, Pepin was elected by an assembly of the Franks, anointed by the archbishop, and then  raised to the office of king. Branding Childeric III as "the false  king," the Pope ordered him into a monastery. Thus was the Merovingian  dynasty replaced by the Carolingian dynasty, named after Pepin's father, Charles Martel.

In 753 Pope Stephen II  fled from Italy to Francia appealing for assistance for the rights of  St. Peter to Pepin. He was supported in this appeal by Carloman,  Charles' brother. In return the pope could only provide legitimacy,  which he did by again anointing and confirming Pepin, this time adding  his young sons Carolus and Carloman to the royal patrimony, now heirs to the great realm that already covered most of western and central  Europe. In 754 Pepin accepted the Pope's invitation to visit Italy on  behalf of St. Peter's rights, dealing successfully with the Lombards.

Under the Carolingians,  the Frankish kingdom spread to encompass an area including most of  Western Europe; the division of the kingdom formed the bases for modern France and Germany. The religious, political, and artistic  evolutions originating from a centrally positioned Francia made a  defining imprint on the whole of Europe.

Pepin's son Charlemagne (b. 2 Apr 742, d. 28 Jan 814) [41th GGF] became King of the Franks upon the death of his  father, Pepin. He was also awarded the title of King of Italy in 774 and became the first Roman Emperor in 300 hundred years. On December 25,  800, Pope Leo III had Charlemagne crowned Holy Roman Emperor (HRE).

During the course of Charlemagne’s reign, he controlled lands from northern  Italy; west to the Atlantic; and south to the modern day border of  Spain; and northward to modern day Denmark.

When Charlemagne died, his son, Louis the Pious (b. 778, d. 20 Jun 840) [40th GGF], had already been crowned co-emperor by his father  the year before. Louis set about dividing up his kingdom in such a way  that his sons and one nephew would each have a part of his empire BUT  his oldest son, Lothair, would reign as emperor. His youngest son,  Louis, was proclaimed King of Baveria; his middle son, Pepin, was  proclaimed King of Aquitaine; his oldest son, Lothair, was proclaims  co-emperor; and his nephew Bernard was proclaimed King of Italy.

In addition to his sons, Louis the Pious had a daughter, Princess Gisela  Friukli [39th GGM]). She was married to Eberhard of Friuli  and they had a daughter, Ingeltrude of Franconia [38th GGM]). She married Henry of Franconia who's father was Count  Poppa of Grapfeld [39th GGF].

Ingeltrude and Henry of Franconia had a son, Berengar II of Bayeux and Rennes  [37th GGF], who married and had daughter, Poppa [36th  GGM]. She was abducted by the viking, Rollo [36th GGF] to whom she bacame his concubine, and the mother of Duke  William I of Normandy.