Pippin II

Pippin II of Herstal
Image of Pippin II adapted from a 19th-century chromolithograph. Public Domain

Pippin II was also known as:

Pippin of Herstal (in French, Pépin d’Héristal); also known as Pippin the Younger; also spelled Pepin.

Pippin II was known for:

Being the first "Mayor of the Palace" to take effective control of the kingdom of the Franks, while the Merovingian kings ruled in name only.

Occupations:

King
Military Leader

Places of Residence and Influence:

Europe
France

Important Dates:

Born: c. 635
Becomes Mayor of the Palace: 689
Died: Dec. 16, 714

About Pippin II :

Pippin's father was Ansegisel, the son of Bishop Arnulf of Metz; his mother was Begga, the daughter of Pippin I, who had also been a mayor of the palace.

After King Dagobert II died in 679, Pippin established himself as mayor in Austrasia, defending the autonomy of the region against Neustria, its king Theuderic III, and Theuderic's mayor Ebroïn. In 680, Ebroïn defeated Pippin at Lucofao; seven years later Pippin won the day at Tertry. Although this victory gave him power over all the Franks, Pippin kept Theuderic on the throne; and when the king died, Pippin replaced him with another king who was, essentially, under his control. When that king died, two more puppet kings followed in succession.

In 689, after several years of military conflict on the northeastern border of the kingdom, Pippin conquered the Frisians and their leader Radbod. To solidify the peace, he married his son, Grimoald, to Radbod's daughter, Theodelind. He secured Frankish authority among the Alemanni, and he encouraged Christian missionaries to evangelize Alemannia and Bavaria.

Pippin was succeeded as mayor of the palace by his illegitimate son, Charles Martel.

More Pippin II Resources:

Pippin II in Print

The link below will take you to a site where you can compare prices at booksellers across the web. More in-depth info about the book may be found by clicking on to the book's page at one of the online merchants.

by Pierre Riché; translated by Michael Idomir Allen

Early Carolingian Rulers
The Carolingian Empire
Early Europe


Who's Who Directories:

Chronological Index

Geographical Index

Index by Profession, Achievement, or Role in Society

The text of this document is copyright ©2000-2016 Melissa Snell. You may download or print this document for personal or school use, as long as the URL below is included. Permission is  not granted to reproduce this document on another website. For publication permission, please  contact Melissa Snell.
The URL for this document is:
http://historymedren.about.com/od/pwho/fl/Pippin-II.htm
Format
mla apa chicago
Your Citation
Snell, Melissa. "Pippin II." ThoughtCo, Aug. 26, 2020, thoughtco.com/pippin-ii-profile-1789315. Snell, Melissa. (2020, August 26). Pippin II. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/pippin-ii-profile-1789315 Snell, Melissa. "Pippin II." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/pippin-ii-profile-1789315 (accessed March 28, 2024).