ABSTRACT
The late seventh and eighth centuries saw considerable changes in the political structure of the Merovingian kingdom. There were economic changes as well. These were most notable in the north, particularly in the region of the lower Rhine and on the North Sea and Channel coast, where a number of major trading centres emerged. This development has often been set alongside the rise of the Pippinids. 1 Since, however, the authority of the Pippinids seems not to have been established as early as is assumed by many historians, following the account in the Annales Mettenses Priores, it is necessary to be cautious about attributing to Pippin II and Charles Martel a prime role in the developments of the seventh and early eighth centuries. Given the long and interrupted nature of the rise of the Pippinids to political dominance, it is unlikely that they will have had a significant impact on the economy of the Merovingian kingdom. There can be no a priori case for assuming that the development of emporia in Neustria and even on the fringes of Austrasia and Frisia was dependent on Pippinid influence.
