The Mérovingiens last, stripped capacity by the leaders, preserved of them nothing any more but the title and appearances.

They were satisfied to have the floating hair and the long beard, to sit down on the throne and to receive the ambassadors.

They lived withdrawn in a modest house, with a very small number of servants, never showed themselves with horse with the head of an army, and when they went to the general assembly of the nation, they travelled lying in a carriage trailed by oxen.

The Arabs, Masters of Spain, had invaded France, and threatened to destroy Christendom; but they met between Poitiers and Tours the mayor of the palate of Austrasie, Charles, son of Pépin of Héristal: they broke on the franque cavalry as on a wall, and those which were not killed fled until Narbonne (732).

Charles, whose arm had not ceased striking terrible blows, accepted the nickname of Martel, and was regarded as the liberator and the chief of Gaule.

Charles Martel, after his victory of Poitiers, divided with his army the immense spoils which it found in the enemy camp, herds of oxen and sheep, rich fabrics, vases invaluable, and gold ingots, which the Arable ones had removed with the Aquitanian ones, then it returned to Paris in triumph to the head of its victorious Franks.

One looked it like the saver of Christendom, and it had been due only to him to take the title of king; it was satisfied to exert the power and to prepare the advent of his Pépin son of it.

The Zacharie pope having mandé with the people of the Franks which the honors of the royalty were to belong to that which had the power of it, Pépin convened at once in Soissons the bishops and the large ones to put an end to the dynasty mérovingienne (751).

Childéric III, which had carried the title of king for ten years, was solemnly deposited; nobody defended it; one locked up it in a convent of Saint-Omer; one put on a dress of monk to him and one cut his royal hair to him.

He died out obscurely three years afterwards.