25/04/2023
In 486, Gaul was conquered by the Franks under the leadership of Clovis. Thus, the Frankish state was established, and Clovis became the first king of the Merovingian dynasty. In the 7th century, the power of the king was significantly weakened, and the mayordoms possessed real power in the state, one of whom, Charles Martell, managed to defeat the Arab army in the Battle of Poitiers in 732 and prevent the conquest of Western Europe by the Arabs. The son of Charles Martell, Pepin the Short, became the first king of the Carolingian dynasty, and under the son of Pepin, Charlemagne, the Frankish state reached its highest peak in history and occupied most of the territory of present-day Western and Southern Europe. After the death of the son of Charlemagne - Louis the Pious - his empire was divided into three parts. In 843, according to the Treaty of Verdun, the West Frankish kingdom was formed, headed by Charles the Bald. It occupied approximately the territory of modern France; in the 10th century, the country began to be called France.