period are liturgical or altar books, however, surviving Merovingian manuscripts are
commonly doctrinal works, commentaries on Scripture, encyclopedias of Isidore, and
even secular law books—library rather than altar books, in other words, whose decoration
at any period is generally less elaborate, painstaking, and costly.
A notable feature of Merovingian art was the production of magnificent gold and
jeweled metalwork for ecclesiastical purposes. Techniques and styles developed for
luxurious secular objects during the “Migration” period, especially garnet and enamel
cloisonné work, were adapted for use in chalices, croziers, crosses, and reliquaries.
Among these the most notable include the small fragment of the large cross made by St.
Eligius, metalworker and bishop of Noyon in the 7th century (B.N., Cabinet des
Médailles), and the slightly later reliquary casket made by Undiho and Ello for the priest
Teuderigus (Saint-Maurice-d’Agaune, Treasury). The association of these works with
known artists bears witness to the high prestige of this form of artistic work, a prestige
clearly inherited from pre-Christian Frankish traditions.
Lawrence Nees
[See also: JOUARRE; MANUSCRIPTS, PRODUCTION AND ILLUMINATION;
MIGRATIONS ART; PALEOGRAPHY AND MANUSCRIPTS; POITIERS]
James, Edward. The Franks. Oxford: Blackwell, 1988.
Nees, Lawrence. From Justinian to Charlemagne: European Art 565–787: An Annotated
Bibliography. Boston: Hall, 1985.
Périn, Patrick, and Laure-Charlotte Feffer. Les Francs. Paris: Colin, 1987.
——, eds. La Neustrie: les pays au nord de la Loire de Dagobert à Charles le Chauve. Rouen:
Musées et Monuments Départementaux de Seine-Maritime, 1985.
Salin, Édouard. La civilisation mérovingienne d’après les sépultures: les textes et le laboratoire. 4
vols. Paris: Picard, 1950–59.
MEROVINGIAN DYNASTY
. The first dynasty of kings to rule over the Franks became known as the Merovingians.
Their realm included not only most of modern France but western Germany and the Low
Countries. The first Merovingian to rule over this area was Clovis 1 (r. 482–511), and the
last was Childeric 111, who was overthrown by the Carolingian mayor of the palace
Pepin the Short in 751. The Merovingians are considered to be the “first race” of French
kings, and their long retention of an old Germanic aristocratic hair fashion led to their
being called “the long-haired kings.” Their reputation is one of cruelty, violence,
immorality, and fraticidal warfare. The term “Merovingian” is also applied to the period
of Frankish history from 482 to 751, as well as to the culture and civilization of the lands
under the control of the Merovingians.
The Merovingians were named for Merovech, a semilegendary figure who was the
father of Childeric I. Their origins are as chieftains of one of the many bands of Salian
Franks living to the west of the lower Rhine, with their own center around Tournai and
Cambrai, along the modern frontier between France and Belgium, in an area known as
Toxandria. It is likely that all of the Salian chieftains were related, and their power would
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