Pepin III the Short

Pepin III the Short

 

Born 714 or 715; died Sept. 24, 768, in St. Denis. Frankish king from 751 to 768 and founder of the Carolingian dynasty.

Majordomo from 741 to 751, Pepin overthrew the last Merovingian king in 751 and succeeded in having himself chosen king with papal sanction. Pepin followed the practice of his father, Charles Martel, in bestowing benefices for military service. He conquered Aquitaine, which had broken away from the kingdom, and conquered Septimania in campaigns against the Arabs. In 754 and 756, Pepin led campaigns in Italy; he donated some of the lands taken from the Lombards to the pope, thus establishing the Papal States.