ABSTRACT
Every human ethnic group, clan, tribe, nation, or people has myths about its origins, and the Germanic Franks were no exception. The "Merovingian" Franks were a royal Salian Frankish dynasty who believed that they were descended from a legendary king named Mariwig. The fascinating psychological aspect of the Fredegarii chronicon, however, is its myth of origin. As the Franks became the major European power in the seventh and eighth centuries, they needed myths of origin to match their greatness. In the eighth century, the Frankish empire, or Francia, comprised Neustria in the northwest, Aquitania in the southwest, Austrasia in the northeast, Burgundia in the south, Lombardia in northern Italy, and several other kingdoms. The Frankish empire, which became the "Holy Roman Empire", had begun with small Germanic tribes. The Merovingian Frankish leader Charles Martel, or Charles the Hammer, was a brilliant military leader. He helped found the Carolingian Frankish empire, which succeeded the Merovingian one.
