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Today, only a few images from Epinal survive from the Merovingian era: the Soissons vase, the breeches of the good King Dagobert, etc. Although nothing predisposed the kings of the Franks to rule a vast territory in Europe, there was nevertheless a dynasty that occupied the throne for three centuries, longer than any other except the Capetians. How did the Merovingians achieve such success? To understand the creation of this informal empire and its longevity, Bruno Dumézil draws on all the documentation, freshly drawn on. From Childéric and his son Clovis to the "lazy kings", the author shows that the Merovingian world was maintained because it was constantly agitated by movements, which can be considered as crises or reforms, but which forced multiple actors to invest themselves in the life of the kingdom: institutions, relations with the king, present or past identities, everything could be discussed or reformulated. This was the world of Theodebert the Great, Brunehaut, Chilpéric I, Fredegund and their family, this was the empire of the Merovingians. During this evening, Bruno Dumézil will also discuss his latest publication, Charlemagne (PUF, 2024). Video produced by Antoine Bourlier - Flexi Prod, as part of the Agora des Savoirs: https://www.montpellier.fr/3806-savoi... This video is a production of Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole.