For the Burgundian king ruling 443–480, see Chilperic II of Burgundy.
Not to be confused with Childeric II.
Chilperic II
King of the Franks
Chilperic's seal
King of the Franks
Reign
715–721
Predecessor
Dagobert III
Successor
Theuderic IV
Born
672
Died
13 February 721 (aged 48–49) Attigny, Ardennes
Issue
Childeric III?
Dynasty
Merovingian
Father
Childeric II
Mother
Bilichild
Confirmation of privileges of the Abbey of Saint-Denis issued by Chilperic II
Chilperic II (c. 672 – 13 February 721) was king of the Franks from 715 until his death.
He was a son of Childeric II and his half-cousin wife, Bilichild. As an infant, he was spirited to a monastery to protect his life from the internecine feuding of his family. There, he was raised as Daniel until the death of Dagobert III in 715, when he was taken from the monastery – at the age of forty-three – and raised on the shield of the Neustrian warriors as king.
First, it appears he was supposed to be but a tool in the hands of Ragenfrid, the mayor of the palace of Neustria, acclaimed in 714 in opposition to Theudoald, Pepin of Heristal's designated heir. Chilperic, however, was his own man: both a fighter and a leader, always at the forefront in battle at the head of his troops. In 716, he and Ragenfrid together led an army into Austrasia, then being warred over by Plectrude, on behalf of her grandson Theudoald, and Charles Martel, the son of Pepin of Heristal. The Neustrians allied with another invading force under Radbod, King of the Frisians and met Charles in battle near Cologne, then held by Plectrude. Chilperic was victorious and Charles fled to the mountains of the Eifel. The king and his mayor then turned to besiege their other rival in the city. Plectrude acknowledged Chilperic as king, gave over the Austrasian treasury, and abandoned her grandson's claim to the mayoralty.
At this juncture, events took a turn against Chilperic. As he and Ragenfrid were leading their triumphant soldiers back to Neustria, Charles fell on them near Malmedy and in the Battle of Amblève, Charles routed them and they fled. Thereafter, Charles Martel remained virtually undefeated and Chilperic's strong will was subdued in a series of campaigns waged in Neustrian territory.
In 717, Charles returned to Neustria with an army and confirmed his supremacy with a victory at Vincy, near Cambrai. He chased the fleeing king and mayor to Paris before turning back to deal with Plectrude and Cologne. On succeeding there, Charles Martel immediately proclaimed Chlothar IV king of Austrasia in opposition to Chilperic. In 718, Chilperic, in response, allied with Odo the Great, the duke of Aquitaine who had made himself independent during the contests in 715, but he was again defeated by Charles, at Soissons in 718. King Chilperic II fled with his ducal ally Odo to the land south of the Loire and his mayor Ragenfrid fled to Angers. Soon Chlothar IV died in 718, which might be a suspicious death. Duke Odo then handed over Chilperic II to Charles Martel and, in exchange for Charles recognising Chilperic's kingship over all the Franks, the king surrendered his political power to Charles, whom he recognized as Mayor over all the kingdoms (718).
In 719, Chilperic II was officially raised on the shield as King of all the Franks, but he survived but a year and his successors were mere rois fainéants. He died in Attigny and was buried in Noyon. Chilperic II may have been the father of Childeric III, but this remains uncertain.[1]
ChilpericII (c. 672 – 13 February 721) was king of the Franks from 715 until his death. He was a son of Childeric II and his half-cousin wife, Bilichild...
ChilpericII (Latin: Chilperikus; c. 450–493 AD) was the King of Burgundy from 473 until his death. Before that he co-ruled with his father Gondioc beginning...
Chilperic I (c. 539 – September 584) was the king of Neustria (or Soissons) from 561 to his death. He was one of the sons of the Frankish king Clotaire...
Chilperic (also Chilpéric or Chilperich) can refer to: Chilperic I, king of Neustria ChilpericII, king of the Franks Chilperic I of Burgundy Chilperic...
Bilichild, Who gave birth to two sons: Dagobert and the future king ChilpericII. After the death of Chlothar in 673, Theuderic III, his youngest brother...
a contender for the office of mayor of the palace, in opposition to ChilpericII, whose rule was thereby restricted to Neustria. This marked the first...
of the Franks, ChilpericII, and his mayor of the palace, Ragenfrid, on the other. After the Battle of Amblève in 716, King Chilperic and Ragenfrid returned...
Childeric II, 662–675 Dagobert II, 675–679 Theuderic III, 679–691 Clovis IV, 691–695 Childebert III, 695–711 Dagobert III, 711–715 ChilpericII, 715–717...
Neustria (584–629), Burgundy (613–629) and Austrasia (613–623). The son of Chilperic I and his third wife, Fredegund, he started his reign as an infant under...
siege to King Chilperic and the Neustrians. The Neustrians compelled Plectrude to acknowledge as king Chilperic, the son of Childeric II, having taken...
Merovingian family are uncertain. He may have been either the son of ChilpericII or Theuderic IV. According to Einhard, Charlemagne's biographer, Childeric...
his younger brother Chilperic I. After the death of Chilperic, Burgundy was divided among the sons of Gondioc: Gundobad, ChilpericII of Burgundy, Godomar...
sons: Gundobad (473–516 in Lyon, king of all of Burgundy from 480), ChilpericII (473–493 in Valence), Gundomar/Godomar (473–486 in Vienne) and Godegisel...
kings did nothing. The kings, even strong-willed men like Dagobert II and ChilpericII, were not the main agents of political conflicts, leaving this role...
III died and the Neustrians proclaimed ChilpericII, the cloistered son of Childeric II, as king. In 716, Chilperic and Raganfrid together led an army into...
his brother Gundioch and co-ruled with his nephews Godomar, Gundobad, ChilpericII, and Godegisel. Gregory of Tours. Historia Francorum. Archived 2014-08-14...
Lines of Clothar I and Chilperic I (Kings at Soissons) Chlothar II defeated Brunhilda and her great-grandson, Sigibert II, reunifying the kingdom. By...
as a domesticus under Clovis. Warno, the Neustrian comes palatii of ChilpericII, also began his career at the court of Clovis. In 692, Clovis confirmed...
Lyon and Geneva. He rules the Kingdom of Burgundy with his brothers ChilpericII, Gundomar and Godegisel. Syagrius, ruler of Domain of Soissons, manages...
she is brought up in the Catholic faith and is the daughter of King ChilpericII. Her father is murdered in the same year by his brother Gundobad. Emperor...
their own Merovingian king ChilpericII. Charter evidence suggests that Chilperic was the son of the former King Childeric II, but this would make Daniel...
Theuderic IV King of the Franks Reign 721–737 Predecessor ChilpericII Successor Childeric III Born c. 712 Died 737 (aged 24–25) Issue Childeric III? Dynasty...
defeated the armies of ChilpericII and Aquitaine at Soissons. ChilpericII fled to Aquitaine. Charles recognized ChilpericII as king of the Franks in...
Theudoald by the king (now ChilpericII) and Ragenfrid, Charles briefly raised a king of his own, Chlothar IV, in opposition to Chilperic. Finally, at a battle...
Fredegund of Neustria, the widow of King Chilperic I (reigned 566–584) and the mother of the new king Clotaire II (reigned 584–628), unleashing a bitter...
magnates. The Vita Dagoberti, a late and unreliable biography of Dagobert II, partially conflates him with Dagobert I and Dagobert III. His son, Theuderic...
Neustrasian mayor of the palace, Ragenfrid. In 716, the king of the Franks, ChilpericII, and Ragenfrid, the mayor of the palace of Neustria, invaded Austrasia...
of the palace of Austrasia, is defeated by the Neustrians under King ChilpericII and his mayor Ragenfrid near Cologne (now part of Germany), who have...
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