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- Chlothar (or Clotaire, Chlothachar) (584-629), King of Soissons (Neustria) (584), King of Metz (Austrasia) and Orléans(Burgundy), and sole King of the Franks (613-629).\cb3 He was born shortly after his father's death in 584 and immediately became King of Soissons. His mother ruled on his behalf until he turned 13, when they took possession of Paris in 597. He was attacked by his cousins Theudebert of Metz and Theuderic of Orléans,but defeated them. His cousins attacked again in 600, and were successful. Chlothar fled, and ultimately retained only 12 districts of his former kingdom, the area between the Oise, the Seine and the Atlantic. In 604, he sent an invasion force under his (Brother) Mérovicagainst Theuderic, but the army was defeated, Theudbert occupied Paris, and Mérovicwas captured.\cb3 Eventually his cousins turned to fighting each other. In 611, he made a pact with Theuderic that he would not give aid to Theudebert. Under the agreement, if Theuderic were to be successful, he would give the duchy of Dentelin to Chlothar. Theuderic defeated Theudebert in 612, and Chlothar occupied the duchy, while Theuderic captured and imprisoned Theudebert, taking his kingdom. The following year, Theuderic died, leaving the two kingdoms to his young son Siegbert II. Later that year, Chlothar had Siegbert II murdered. He annexed the kingdoms of Metz and Orléans,becoming King of the Franks and uniting them for the first time since the death of his grandfather Chlothar I in 561.\cb3 In 614/15 Chlothar signed the Perpetual Constitution, also called the Edict of Paris, an early Magna Carta. The charter preserved the rights of Frankish nobles and excluded Jews from civil employment. In 617 he canceled the annual tribute paid by the Lombards.\cb3 In 622 he turned over the government of Metz (Austrasia) to his son Dagobert I, whose councillors Arnulf, Bishop of Metz, and PépinI, Mayor of the Palace of Austrasia thereby gained a degree of autonomy. Chlothar died in 629 and was succeeded by his son Dagobert.\cb3 Ben M. Angel notes: Someone placed this person as having died at the "Abbaye de St. Vincent" in Paris, and buried in the Cathedral by the same name. First, no such cathedral. There is a church and abbey by the name of St. Vincent, but it's St Vincent de Paul, who lived a millennium after Clothar. The Franks can be argued as being forward looking, but probably not clairvoyant (certainly not to that degree). Death location has been left to Paris. Burial location has been left as unknown.\cb3 Source:\b3 Clotaire II 584-629 at Foundation for Medieval Genealogy, visited Aug. 23, 2013.
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584 - 629 (45 years)
