Knife's Edge (S2: E14)

This week we’re finally looking at the do-nothing kings, les rois fainéants, as exactly that: kings who sat the throne, and besides the title and crown, had very little to say in the actual administration of the land over which they nominally ruled. In this case, we’re looking at Theuderic III, whose Mayor of the Palace was the aforementioned Ebroin, and Dagobert II, led by Martin and Pépin d’Herstal. Looking deeper, we’re going to examine the knife’s edge that not only victory sits upon, but history as a whole. I say this because quite simply, and as evidenced in the opening story, things could easily have broken Ebroin’s way as much as they did Pépin’s. And let’s face it: the two men were really not all that dissimilar, even though the scribes advocating for the Carolingians in later years would do their best to hide this fact.

So with all of that said, let's get into the heavyweight fight that would determine the future of Francia. Ebroin and Pépin entered the ring nearly equally matched; the difference between winning and losing, between immortality and obscurity, danced on a knife's edge...

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