From Gaul to Francia

The ways in which “Gaul” became “Francia” have been regarded as key to the development of Europe as a whole during the Middle Ages and beyond. This has led to a “Francocentric” view of west European history. This chapter considers how that view was constructed from a canon of narrative and normative sources. It examines the emergence of a Frankish polity and asks why that polity was so large. It then considers why the Frankish kingdoms did not disintegrate over the course of the seventh century, given the political conflict evident in the later narrative sources. The aristocracy and the church were considered cohesive as well as disruptive forces. A high level of social, political, cultural, and religious integration against a background of diminishing economic resources is seen as central to long-term stability in the polity. Shorter-term outbreaks of violence are analyzed in terms of factional politics that ultimately worked to restore balance. The chapter closes with a discussion of how the balance of power was finally upset, leading to the demise of the Merovingian dynasty and the rise of the Carolingians. Emphasis, however, is given to the strong cultural and religious continuities that were the fruit of a long period of stability and that became the basis of Carolingian power.