The Frankish Merovingians shaped the early 5th to mid-8th centuries as the first long-term successful royal dynasty of the Middle Ages. Although their era was overshadowed by military conflicts with neighbors and bloody disputes within the ruling family, they managed to establish a stable empire, which transitioned to the Carolingians with the dethronement of the last Merovingian, Childerich III. This volume provides an overview of the course of Merovingian history and illuminates the fundamental aspects of society, culture, religion, economy, law, life, and daily life of the Merovingians.