The rule of the Merovingians begins and ends in one of the murkiest epochs of Western history. Very little is known about Merovée, founder of the dynasty, save that he was a Sicambrian chieftain who probably served in the legions shortly before the fall of Rome. He became King of the Franks in 448, and died 10 years later.
The Merovingians were supposed to have magical powers, derived from the fact that Merovée’s father was a supernatural sea-creature. Mostly figurehead rulers, they were very susceptible to the machinations of their “mayors of the court,” the men who actually performed the administrative duties of running the kingdom (see Pepin d’Heristal, Pepin III, Charles Martel).