Neustria facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kingdom of Neustria Neustria
511–751
Neustria (northwest) in 714, surrounded by Austrasia, Aquitaine and Burgundy
Status	Part of Kingdom of the Franks
Capital	Soissons
Common languages	Old Frankish, Vulgar Latin (Gallo-Roman), Latin
Religion	Christianity
Demonym(s)	Neustrian
Government	Feudal hereditary monarchy
King
• 511–561	Chlothar I (first)
• 741–751	Childeric III (last)
Mayor of the Palace
• 639–641	Aega (first)
• 741–751	Pepin III (last)
Historical era	Early Middle Ages
• Clovis I's death	511
• Pepin's ascension	751
Currency	Denier
Preceded by Succeeded by Francia Francia
Today part of	France

Neustria was an important western part of the Kingdom of the Franks in the Early Middle Ages. It was located in what is now northern France. Its main cities included Paris, Orléans, Tours, and Soissons.

The name Neustria was also used for a region in northwestern Italy during the time of the Lombards. This Italian Neustria was different from the Frankish one.

What's in a Name?

The name Neustria most likely means "new western land." It was used to show a difference from Austrasia, which meant "eastern realm." Some people thought it might mean "northeastern land" or even "not the eastern land." But the idea of "western land" is the most common.

The Merovingian Kingdom

Before Neustria became a Frankish kingdom, it was a Roman area called the Kingdom of Soissons. In 486, the Frankish king Clovis I defeated its ruler, Syagrius, at the Battle of Soissons. This brought the area under Frankish control.

Rivalry with Austrasia

After Clovis I died, his kingdom was divided among his sons. This led to Neustria and Austrasia (the eastern part of the Frankish kingdom) often fighting each other. This rivalry lasted for over 200 years.

Sometimes, Neustria and Austrasia were united. The first time was under Clotaire I, who ruled from 558 to 562. But the fighting soon started again. Queen Fredegund of Neustria, who was the mother of King Clotaire II, started a fierce war against Austrasia.

After his mother died, Clotaire II continued the fight against Queen Brunhilda. He finally won in 613. Clotaire II then ruled a united kingdom. However, he soon made his son Dagobert I king of Austrasia, which led to another split.

Mayors of the Palace Gain Power

Over time, the real power in Neustria shifted from the kings to officials called Mayors of the Palace. These mayors were like prime ministers who ran the government.

In 678, Neustria, led by its Mayor Ebroin, defeated Austrasia one last time. But Ebroin was killed in 680. Later, in 687, Pippin of Herstal, the Mayor of the Palace for Austrasia, defeated Neustria at Tertry. Pippin then became the Mayor of the Palace for Neustria as well.

Pippin's family, known as the Carolingians, continued to rule both kingdoms as mayors. In 751, with the Pope's support, Pippin's descendant, Pippin the Short, officially removed the Merovingian kings from power. Pippin the Short and his family then became the new kings of the Frankish Empire.

After this, Neustria, Austrasia, and Burgundy were united under one ruler. The names "Neustria" and "Austrasia" slowly faded away as political terms.

The Carolingian Subkingdom

In 748, Pepin the Short and his brother Carloman gave their younger brother Grifo twelve counties in Neustria. This area was called the ducatus Cenomannicus, or Duchy of Maine. This name was sometimes used instead of Neustria for a long time.

Neustria's New Role

The term "Neustria" later came to mean the land between the Seine and Loire rivers. In 790, Charlemagne gave this area as a kingdom to his second son, Charles the Younger. The main city of this kingdom was Le Mans, where Charles set up his royal court. Under the Carolingian dynasty, the king of Neustria's main job was to protect the Franks from the Bretons.

In 817, Louis the Pious gave Neustria to his oldest son Lothair I. But after Lothair rebelled in 831, Louis gave it to Pepin I of Aquitaine. After Pepin died in 838, Neustria went to Charles the Bald. Neustria, along with Aquitaine, became a major part of Charles's West Frankish kingdom, which was created by the Treaty of Verdun in 843.

Charles the Bald continued the tradition of making an older son king of Neustria. He made Louis the Stammerer king in 856. Louis married the daughter of the King of Brittany, Erispoe. This showed how Neustria had become smaller, no longer including Île de France or Paris, and was closer to the Breton ruler. Louis was the last Frankish king to be appointed to Neustria by his father. The practice of creating smaller kingdoms for sons eventually stopped among the later Carolingian rulers.

The Carolingian Marches

In 861, King Charles the Bald created the Marches of Neustria. A "march" was a special border area, and these marches were ruled by officials called margraves. There were two main marches: one against the Bretons and one against the Norsemen (Vikings). They were often called the Breton March and the Norman March.

In 911, Robert I of France became the margrave of both marches. His family, later known as the Capetians, ruled all of Neustria until 987. In that year, Hugh Capet was chosen as king. By this time, the local counts in Neustria had become more powerful than the margraves, and the Viking raids had mostly ended. After Hugh Capet became king, no more margraves were appointed, and the name "Neustria" stopped being used as a political term in Europe.

Important Rulers

Here are some of the main rulers and powerful officials of Neustria:

Merovingian Kings

• Childeric I (458–481)
• Clovis I (481–511)
• Chlodomer (511–524)
• Childebert I (511–558)
• Chlothar I (558–561)
• Charibert I (561–567)
• Chilperic I (567–584)
• Gontran (561–592)
• Chlothar II (584–629)
• Dagobert I (629–639)
• Clovis II (639–657)
• Chlothar III (657–673)
• Theuderic III (673)
• Childeric II (673–675)
• Theuderic III (675–691)
• Clovis IV (691–695)
• Childebert III (695–711)
• Dagobert III (711–715)
• Chilperic II (715–721)
• Theuderic IV (721–737)
• Childeric III (743–751)

Mayors of the Palace

• Landric (until 613)
• Gundoland (613–639)
• Aega (639–641)
• Erchinoald (641–658)
• Ebroin (658–673)
• Wulfoald (673–675)
• Leudesius (675)
• Ebroin (675–680) (again)
• Waratton (680–682)
• Gistemar (682)
• Waratton (682–686) (again)
• Berchar (686–688)
• Pepin of Heristal (688–695)
• Grimoald II (695–714)
• Theudoald (714–715)
• Ragenfrid (715–718)
• Charles Martel (718–741)
• Pepin the Short (741–751)

Carolingian Sub-Kings

• Charles the Younger (790–811)
• Lothair I (817–831)
• Pepin (831–838)
• Charles the Bald (838–856)
• Louis the Stammerer (856–879)

Robertians (Margraves)

• Robert the Strong (853–866)
• Eudes of France (888–898)
• Robert of France (911–922)
• Hugh the Great (922–956)
• Hugh Capet (956–987)

How We Know About Neustria

Historians learn about Neustria from old writings called chronicles. Some of the most important ones written from a Neustrian point of view include:

• The History of the Franks by Gregory of Tours
• The Book of the History of the Franks
• The Annals of St-Bertin
• The Annals of St-Vaast
• The Annals by Flodoard of Reims
• The History of the conflicts of the Gauls by Richer of Reims

See also

In Spanish: Neustria para niños