ABSTRACT
The reigns of Clovis II and Sigibert III suggest that developments within the Merovingian kingdom after Dagobert's death did not all point in the same direction. While the revolt of Radulf marked a set-back for the Merovingians east of the Rhine, the ecclesiastical policies of Clovis II and Balthild reveal the ability of the monarchy to extend its authority in new ways. The history of the kings of the next generation seems to suggest yet more new developments. Sigibert III's son, Dagobert II, was exiled, and although he subsequently succeeded to his father's throne (676), he was murdered three years later. His cousin Childeric II (662–75) was also murdered. Childeric's brother Theuderic III was deposed (673), but subsequently reinstated (675–690/1). Certainly they were not the first Merovingians to face exclusion from the throne or murder. Nevertheless they differ from their predecessors in that those who engineered their exclusion from the throne and their murders were members of the aristocracy, not fellow Merovingians. The nature of politics had, therefore, changed.
