Chlothar IV

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Chlothar IV (or Chlotar, Clothar, Clotaire, Chlotochar, or Hlothar, giving rise to Lothair; died ca 719), king of Austrasia (717-718), was installed by the mayor of the palace, Charles Martel, as an ally during the civil war that was then raging.

In 717, Charles, returning to Neustria with an army to assault King Chilperic II and his mayor Ragenfrid, confirmed his supremacy with a victory at Vincy, near Cambrai. He chased the fleeing king and mayor to Paris before turning back to remove his other opponent Plectrude from Cologne. On succeeding there, he proclaimed one Clotaire king of Austrasia in opposition to Chilperic, who supported Ragenfrid, not Charles, for the mayoralty. In 718, Chilperic was again defeated, at Soissons, by Charles. The king fled with his ally Odo the Great, duke of Aquitaine, to the duke's territory. Soon Odo gave up on Chilperic and sued for peace. In exchange for recognising his kingship over all the Franks, Chilperic surrendered his kingdom to the mayoralty of Charles, who gained a monopoly on power and royal offices.

In 718, it seems, Clotaire died. In 719, Chilperic was raised on the shield as king and it may have been the result of Clotaire's death that Charles was willing to recognise Chilperic. It is possible that Chlotaire survived on and died in 719, 720, or even 721.

It is also possible that Clotaire was a son (or grandson) of Childebert III or, perhaps, not even a Merovingian at all, and merely a convenient puppet or place-man who served Charles Martel's political purposes at the time. His reign, if it can be called that, was completely inconsequential in and of itself, for he had no real power whatsoever.

v • d • e Merovingian monarchs Childeric I (457–481) • Clovis I (481–511) • Childebert I (511–558) • Chlodomer (511–524) • Theuderic I (511–533) • Theudebert I (533–548) • Theudebald (548–555) • Chlothar I the Old (511–561) • Charibert I (561–567) • Guntram (561–592) • Sigebert I (561–575) • Childebert II (575–595) • Theudebert II (595–612) • Theuderic II (612–613) • Sigebert II (613) • Chilperic I (561–584) • Chlothar II the Great (584–623) • Dagobert I (623–634) • Charibert II (629–632) • Chilperic (632) • Sigebert III (634–656) • Childebert the Adopted (656–661) • Clovis II (639–657) • Chlothar III (657–673) • Childeric II (662–675) • Theuderic III (675–691) • Dagobert II (675–679) • Clovis IV (691–695) • Childebert III the Just (695–711) • Dagobert III (711–715) • Chilperic II (715–721) • Chlothar IV (717–720) • Theuderic IV (721–737) • Childeric III (743–751)