Pépin The Short (714 † 768), Palace Mayor from 741 to 751, king of the Franks from 751 to 768, son of Charles Martel and of Rotrude, and husband of Bertrada of Laon, known as Bertha Broadfoot or Bertrada the Younger (726 † 783), queen of France.
Pépin The Short, Bertrada of Laon and their son, the future Charlemagne, were crowned by Pope Étienne II in July 754. The coronation by a clergyman demonstrated that the king was not only king on earth but also the representative of God on earth. This ritual marked the Carolingian dynasty and its aura was to have an impact on the abbey which was to shine throughout Europe before the Carolingians abandoned the place (only five Carolingians are found in Saint-Denis).
Recumbent statue of Pépin the Short. © Jean-Christophe Ballot - Centre des monuments nationaux.
Recumbent statue of Bertrada of Laon. © Jean-Christophe Ballot - Centre des monuments nationaux.
