The power and influence of Merovingian women, 493-717

This paper is a study of the women of the ruling family of Frankish Gaul between the years 493-7l7. Literary sources from the period depict these Merovingian n queens as extremely powerful and yet the source and methods of using this authority is not clearly revealed. This thesis seeks to discover the origins and extent of queenly power by a careful examination of the extant charters, diplomas, letters and law codes of the period.

The conclusion reached is that power came to Merovingian women through their relationship to the king. Marriage to a king often brought them tremendous personal influence but little direct power and no legal rights. The unstable nature of marriage in Frankish royal families made the position of wives very insecure. Mothers of sons who were heirs to the throne were much more powerful than mere royal consorts. If the sons were minors when they ascended the throne, their mothers usually became regents. As regent they gained control of the government and the royal treasury. The last and most important way for women to become and remain powerful was through the accumulation of personal wealth. Wealth usually resulted from the woman's position as royal consort or regent.

Such a study is necessary to understand the origins of the powers of later medieval queens on whom some work has been done. Research on Merovingian queens is particularly necessary because they ruled the Franks whose institutions had the greatest impact on the development of those of the rest of Europe.