His son Bernard was named king of Italy after him, and his descendants were the longest-surviving direct male line of the Carolingian dynasty.

The reason behind the name change is obscure, but it was likely chosen to evoke the memory of his grandfather Pepin the Short, remembered as a staunch ally of the papacy, and this legacy was important to emphasize for the young king who was to rule Italy.

[5] Though only four years old, Pepin's coronation was not nominal—he was brought to Lombardy to live under the care of advisors provided by Charlemagne,the most important of which were Adalard of Corbie, Waldo of Reichenau, the Lombard duke Rotchild, and Angilbert.

[8] Pepin's court was based primarily at Verona,[9] though he also operated from palaces in Mantua and the traditional Lombard capital of Pavia.

Pepin was confirmed in this rule of Italy while also gaining most of Bavaria and Alamannia; Louis gained Provence, Septimania, and most of Burgundy in addition to Aquitaine; and Charles as his eldest son in good favour (Pepin the Hunchback having been confined to a monastery after a failed rebellion),[17] was given the largest share of the inheritance, with rule of Francia proper along with Saxony, Nordgau, and parts of Alemannia.

[25] His brother Louis would use the close relation between Pepin and his wife to portray the marriage as illegitimate in order to sideline Bernard.

[27] In addition to Bernard, Pepin had five daughters: Adalhaid (the wife of Lambert I of Nantes and mother of Guy I of Spoleto), Arula, Gundrada, Berthaid, and Theodrada.