Childeric II ( 653 – 675) was

King of the Franks The Franks, Germanic peoples that invaded the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century, were first led by individuals called dux, dukes and monarch, reguli. The earliest group of Franks that rose to prominence was the Salian Franks, Salian Mero ...

in the 7th century. He ruled

Austrasia Austrasia was the northeastern kingdom within the core of the Francia, Frankish Empire during the Early Middle Ages, centring on the Meuse, Middle Rhine and the Moselle rivers. It included the original Frankish-ruled territories within what had ...

from 662 and

Neustria Neustria was the western part of the Kingdom of the Franks during the Early Middle Ages, in contrast to the eastern Frankish kingdom, Austrasia. It initially included land between the Loire and the Silva Carbonaria, in the north of present-day ...

and

Burgundy Burgundy ( ; ; Burgundian: ''Bregogne'') is a historical territory and former administrative region and province of east-central France. The province was once home to the Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th until the late 15th century. ...

from 673 until his death, making him sole king for the final two years of his life. Childeric was the second eldest son of King Clovis II and grandson of King

Dagobert I Dagobert I (; 603/605 – 19 January 639) was King of the Franks. He ruled Austrasia (623–634) and Neustria and Burgundy (629–639). He has been described as the last king of the Merovingian dynasty to wield real royal power, after which the ...

and Queen Nanthild.Detlev Schwennicke, ''Europäische Stammtafeln: Stammtafeln zur Geschichte der Europäischen Staaten'', Neue Folge, Band I (Marburg, Germany: Verlag von J. A. Stargardt, 1980), Tefel 1 His mother was Saint Balthild and his elder brother was Chlothar III, who was briefly sole king from 661 but gave Austrasia to Childeric the next year. Childeric was still a mere child when he was raised on the shields of his warriors and proclaimed king in Austrasia. Childeric married his cousin Bilichild, who gave birth to two sons: Dagobert and the future king

Chilperic II Chilperic II ( 672 – 13 February 721) was King of the Franks from 715 until his death. He was a son of Childeric II and his half-cousin wife, Bilichild, both of whom were assassinated, along with their eldest son Dagobert, in 675. Still a ...

. After the death of Chlothar in 673,

Theuderic III Theuderic III (also spelled Theuderich, Theoderic or Theodoric; , 651–691) was King of the Franks in the 7th century. He ruled Neustria and Burgundy on two occasions (in 673 and again from 675 to 691), as well as Austrasia from 679 until his ...

, his youngest brother, inherited his kingdoms, but a faction of prominent Burgundian nobles led by Saint Leodegar and Adalrich rebelled against Theuderic and

Ebroin Ebroin (died 680 or 681) was the Frankish mayor of the palace of Neustria on two occasions; firstly from 658 to his deposition in 673 and secondly from 675 to his death in 680 or 681. In a violent and despotic career, he strove to impose the ...

Mayor of the Palace Under the Merovingian dynasty, the mayor of the palace or majordomo, ( or ) was the manager of the household of the Frankish king. He was the head of the Merovingian administrative ladder and orchestrated the operation of the entire court. He ...

, inviting Childeric to become king in Neustria and Burgundy.Patrick J. Geary, ''Before France & Germany, The Creation & Transformation of the Merovingian World'' (New York, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988), pp. 189–190 He soon invaded his brother's kingdom and displaced him, becoming sole king. He made his Austrasian

, Wulfoald, mayor in Neustria and Burgundy as well, upsetting his supporters in Burgundy who did not wish to see functionaries active in a kingdom other than their native one. In March 675, Childeric granted '' honores'' in

Alsace Alsace (, ; ) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in the Grand Est administrative region of northeastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine, next to Germany and Switzerland. In January 2021, it had a population of 1,9 ...

to Adalrich with the title of '' dux''. This grant was most probably the result of Adalrich's continued support for Childeric in Burgundy, which had often disputed possession of Alsace with Austrasia. The final straw for the magnates of Neustria was Childeric's illegal corporal punishment of a nobleman named Bodilo. In 675, Bodilo and his friends Amalbert and Ingobert conspired to assassinate the king, who was killed, along with his wife Bilichild and his five-year-old son Dagobert, while hunting in the forest of Livry (present-day Lognes). Childeric's younger son, Chilperic, was absent and thus survived. He grew up in a monastery. Childeric, his wife, and their son Dagobert were buried in

Saint-Germain-des-Prés Saint-Germain-des-Prés () is one of the four administrative quarters of the 6th arrondissement of Paris, France, located around the church of the former Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés. Its official borders are the River Seine on the nor ...

, near

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, where their tombs were discovered in 1645 and the contents pilfered.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Childeric 02 Merovingian kings Frankish warriors 650s births 675 deaths Medieval child monarchs 7th-century murdered monarchs Burials at Saint-Germain-des-Prés (abbey) 7th-century Frankish kings