Carloman (mayor of the palace)

Charles (b. before 714, possibly 706/708; † July 17 754 in Vienne) was of 741 /2 and 747 Franconian Meier house of the family of the Carolingian. He was the eldest son of the mayor of the palace, Charles Martel and his first wife Chrotrud.

Before the death of Charles Martel, the Frankish empire between the two sons from his first marriage, Carloman and Pippin the Younger was divided. Carloman should Meier house in Austrasia, Alemannia, and Thuringia, and Pippin should be home Meier in Neustria, Burgundy and Provence. However, the two brothers had shortly before Charles Martel death but then her heritage with Grifo, her half-brother to share. The half-brother Grifo was locked or end 741 of Carloman in a monastery. As their power seemed apparently not strengthened, put Carloman 743 again a Merovingian king, Childeric III. , One to give as her role as a royal house Meier legitimacy. Between the two brothers, it seems to have basically been no agreement, but when Carloman 747 resigned and retired to the monastery of San Silvestro on Monte Soracte and then to Monte Cassino, it seems to have at least been rumors that this retreat is not entirely voluntary had. Pippin can explicitly mentioned in contemporary sources, that it was solely the decision of his brother. Thus Pippin took over bypassing the inheritance rights of Carloman's children the reign of the whole Frankish Empire.

Carloman had a son, Drogo, who is mentioned 748 and 753, as well as other sons, who were transferred according to the Quellem 753 before her father's death on the orders of her uncle Pepin the monastery. 753 was also Grifo, the half-brother of Pepin and Carloman, Pippin killed by border guards.

Sustainable importance for the history to obtain Carloman through his Church policy. He seems to have been interested from highly religious and less political reasons at a conversion of the pagan peoples, and to a reformation of the church structures confusing this time. Unlike his father and brother, who tolerated the missionary activities of Anglo-Saxon monks, as they could support the position of power of the Carolingians by the Christianization of neighboring peoples, at all times but also by the insertion and withdrawal of bishops and abbots in the structures of largely independent of Rome Frankish Church intervention or church property began to reward his followers, Carloman sought the agreement of important church leaders to streamline the clerical organization. The legitimized by the Pope and of Charles Martel longer tolerated as a supported missionary and archbishop Winfried Boniface was able to hold a 742 first reform synod of Frankish bishops, the convened by Carloman Concilium Germanicum. Some of the decisions of this Synod still exists today, such as the ban on the clergy to bear arms and to hunt, or its obligation to the bishop lay annual accounts of life and administration. As a result, the influence of the local Frankish Church should slowly but steadily decline in favor of centralized papal organization. For his cooperation with the clergy is also known as Karl Mann - donation; when he handed over the Adelshof Eiloha an der Fulda, including surrounding areas within a radius of 4000 step to Boniface in 744 establishing a monastery. On behalf of Boniface Sturmi founded here on 12 March 744, the later very important Benedictine monastery of Fulda.

The character of Carloman is hardly known for lack of a suitable number of contemporary sources. But he also was able to tough measures, such as the blood Court of Cannstatt 746 shows, as he virtually the entire leadership of the Alemanni put to death for treason, thus ending the autonomy of the Alemanni Duchy abruptly under Frankish suzerainty. Consequently, the Frankish rulers continued the Count Alamannic personally.