List of Frankish kings

The Franks, Germanic-speaking peoples that invaded the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century, were first led by individuals called dukes and reguli.

The earliest group of Franks that rose to prominence was the Salian Merovingians, who conquered most of Roman Gaul, as well as the Gaulish territory of the Visigothic Kingdom, following the Battle of Vouillé in 507 AD.

As inheritance traditions changed over time, the divisions of Francia (the lands of the Franks) started to become kingdoms that were more permanent.

In order to appease the local nobility, Clothar made his young son, Dagobert I, king of Austrasia.

This is the period of the roi fainéant, "do-nothing kings" who were increasingly overshadowed by their mayors of the palace.

Finally, in 747 Pepin the Short became Mayor of the Palace of Austrasia in addition to that of Neustria, making him ruler of the entire Frankish kingdom.

The office of Mayor was absorbed into the Crown, and this marked the start of the Carolingians as the ruling dynasty.

Lothair was allowed to keep his imperial title and his kingdom of Italy, and granted the newly created Kingdom of Middle Francia, a corridor of land stretching from Italy to the North Sea, and including the Low Countries, the Rhineland (including Aachen), Burgundy, and Provence.

The following table does not provide a complete listing for some of the various regna of the empire, especially those who were subregna of the Western, Middle, or Eastern kingdom such as Italy, Provence, Neustria, and Aquitaine.

After Lothair's death in 855, his realm was divided between his sons: Louis divided his lands between his three sons, but they all ended up in the hands of the youngest by 882: On the deposition of Charles the Fat, East Francia went to his nephew: Louis the Child was the last East Frankish Carolingian ruler.