Pepin the Short: The Carolingian King Who Founded the Papal States and Set the Stage for Charlemagne

Pepin III, known as Pepin the Short, ruled as the first Carolingian king of the Franks from 751 to 768 AD. He was the son of Charles Martel and father of Charlemagne. After his father's death, Pepin and his brother Carloman divided the Frankish kingdom, with Pepin taking the western portion. They excluded their half-brother Grifo from inheritance, and in 741 AD, they besieged and captured him at Laon. The brothers cooperated until 747 AD, when Carloman retired to a monastery, leaving Pepin in control under the last Merovingian king, Childeric III. In 751 AD, with the approval of Pope Zachary, Pepin deposed Childeric, sent him to a monastery, and crowned himself King of the Franks. Grifo later escaped and attempted to seize territory but was defeated and killed at the Battle of Saint-Jean de Maurienne in 753 AD. Pepin continued his father's relationship with Saint Boniface, who may have anointed him at his coronation. In the 750s, Pope Stephen II appealed for aid against the Lombards under Aistulf, who threatened the Duchy of Rome. Pepin invaded, forced Aistulf out, and donated the conquered lands to the papacy, creating the Papal States and granting the Pope temporal power. At his death in 768 AD, Pepin divided the kingdom between his sons Charles (later Charlemagne) and Carloman. His reign expanded Frankish territory and strengthened the Carolingian dynasty, laying the foundation for Charlemagne's future empire.