How to Draw a Merovingian Family Tree

The Merovingians, a line of Frankish Kings in early CE history, are the subjects of innumerable folklore and theoretical importance, from being of divine blood to having divine energy channeled through their hair. The myths of the Merovingians has generated such intense interest that the term continues to appear in pop lexicons such as the "Matrix" movies. Follow these steps to draw the broadest genealogical aspects of the Merovingian line, and as the customs of that day established, lines of kingship were made increasingly complex with successive generations.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Begin with Merovech (lat: Merovius) who was the king said to have given the lineage their name. The meaning of this name is debatable, but many equate it with some piscean characterization.
2. Add Childeric I, who took over the rule of the Frankish kingdoms from Merovech, battling Visigoths, Saxons and Alammani.
3. Below Childeric I, add Clovis I, who historians say united most of Gaul from around 481 C.E. Interestingly, the Merovingian "Clovis" is altered only slightly to produce the later popular "nom du roi" of "Louis."
4. From Clovis I, 4 lines are necessary to establish the 4 parts of the kingdom that he split between his sons Theodoric I, Cholodomer, Childebert and Lothair.
5. From here, the pieces get increasingly more diverse, as successive Merovingian sons take possession of parts of the empire. Toward the 700s, the lines are coming back together, with descendants such as Clovis III, Theodoric IV and Dagobert III given the title "King of all Franks." The prominence of Merovingian lineage ends when Childeric III was deposed in 751 after internecine wars and waning influence relegated the Merovingians to the sidelines.