# Pepin the Short becomes king (751)

URL: https://history-france.com/timeline/751-pepin-the-short-becomes-king
Location: Soissons
Categories: ruler-change

An assembly deposed Childeric III and elevated Pepin, ending Merovingian rule. Within the broader Frankish Kingdoms period, Merovingian and Carolingian rulers built large Frankish realms over former Roman Gaul. Conversion, aristocratic power, church institutions and imperial expansion laid foundations for medieval France. At this point in the timeline, the relevant governing authority is Pepin the Short (King of the Franks). Pepin the Short becomes king mattered because succession and legitimacy shaped alliances, institutions and the direction of state policy. The event is positioned here so visitors can read it alongside changes in government, warfare, society, religion, culture and France’s wider international setting.

## Why it matters
Pepin the Short becomes king mattered because succession and legitimacy shaped alliances, institutions and the direction of state policy.

Ruler at the time: [Pepin the Short](https://history-france.com/rulers/pepin-the-short)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia topic lookup — Pepin the Short becomes king](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Search?search=Pepin+the+Short+becomes+king&go=Go)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Pepin the Short becomes king](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Pepin+the+Short+becomes+king)
- [Wikipedia — Timeline of French history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_French_history)