79. The Carolingian Dynasty

The images are reprinted from the following sites.

From Romans to Franks

As I mentioned last time, Sura's Saadia ben Joseph (882/892–942), also known as Saadia Gaon (the headmaster), was the person who systematically integrated Jewish theology and ancient Greek philosophy in his book, 'The Book of Beliefs and Opinions'.

Saadia Gaon was also the person who had a formative influence on the Ashkenazi Hasidim.

Ashkenazi Hasidim means 'the pious ones of Germany' and refers to a mystical and ascetic movement in Judaism that arose in the Rhineland of Germany between the 12th and 13th centuries.

You might be thinking, 'Where is the Germany in Ashkenazi Hasidim?', but I will explain that later.

The Eastern mystical thought that Saadia Gaon transmitted to Germany would later develop into Kabbalah in southern France.

The Kabbalists of Germany and southern France shared the claim that they were descendants of King David. This is because most of the 'pious ones of Germany' were connected to the Kalonymus family, a noble family living in Lucca, Italy.

It might feel like 'David again?', but the blood of David is extremely important. It is no exaggeration to say that Western history is built on the foundation of David's blood.

I plan to talk about the Kalonymus family next time.

The teachings of Merkabah mysticism, a Jewish Gnosticism born in Alexandria during the Hellenistic period, and the Kabbalistic book 'Sefer Yetzirah' (Book of Formation) were already widespread in the Jewish communities of Italy and southern France by the late 9th century.

That influence played a role in connecting the Middle East with the subsequent development of Kabbalah in Germany and Septimania in southern France.

Just to be clear, Septimania is a place name. It sounds a bit strange, like 'railway mania', but it is a place name.

In the 6th century AD, it is recorded that Jews lived in what are now the French cities of Marseille, Arles, Uzès, Narbonne, Clermont-Ferrand, Orléans, Paris, and Bordeaux.

These places were generally administrative centers of the Roman Empire and were located on major trade routes.

When it comes to trade and business, it's the Jews. Since Jews were forbidden from owning land, as is well known, they were active as merchants, tax collectors, sailors, and doctors.

In 629, the Frankish king Dagobert I (603–) attempted to expel Jews who would not accept Christianity. He was the last king of the Merovingian dynasty to truly exercise royal power.

The founder of the Merovingian dynasty was a person named Francus. This person is also the ancestor of the Carolingian dynasty.

Francus was also a descendant of the Trojans and was the grandfather of Charlemagne (742–).

However, according to the 'Chronicle of Fredegar', a 7th-century Frankish chronicle, Charlemagne is not a descendant of Francus.

In other words, Francus was a legendary Frankish king created by Merovingian scholars. However, we cannot just leave it at "so what?"

The Roman Emperor Augustus (63 BC–) had the poet Virgil write the Aeneid. This established that the Julio-Claudian dynasty were descendants of the Trojans.

The Trojans are also important. The Trojans were descendants of Judah born through Zerah, which means they were descendants of Shem and part of the genealogy of the Messiah.

The Romans were descendants of the Zerah-Judah tribe of the Israelites. The prophecy entrusted to Abraham also came true, and the Romans widely gained control of the world.

The Merovingian kings also imitated the Aeneid to obtain a glorious lineage.

Incidentally, whether the genealogy of the Messiah and such are true or not does not really matter. It is a lie, so to speak, but the fact that history was moved by it is more important.

"Julius" is derived from Iulus, the son of Aeneas, and Iulus is also known as Ascanius.

And Ascanius is identified with Ashkenaz in the Bible.

Ezekiel chapter 38 says the following:

Gomer is the father of Ashkenaz. Here, Gomer is mentioned as an ally of Gog of the land of Magog.

I have told you persistently about Gog and Magog, so please read from 54. Altai Mountains to 66. Orkney Islands.

In rabbinic literature, the Kingdom of Ashkenaz was first associated with the land of Scythia, then with the land of the Slavs, and from the 11th century onwards, with Germany and Northern Europe.

Therefore, Ashkenazi Hasidim means "pious people of Germany."

Legends are immortal, but the lands and figures that support the legends seem to change with the times.

The Julii were, of course, the protagonists of the Roman Imperial era. And the protagonists of medieval Europe were the Franks.

And both ended up being descendants of the Trojans. As part of the de facto transfer of power, they also inherited the settings of the Julii.

The way that setting was established is, like the setting of the Kingdom of Ashkenaz, very Jewish.

Sicambria

The Chronicle of Fredegar, written in the seventh century, contains the oldest medieval legend linking the Franks to the Trojans.

The Liber Historiae Francorum, attributed to the ninth-century Welsh monk Nennius, states that 12,000 Trojans led by Priam and Antenor sailed from Troy to the Don River in Russia (the homeland of the Scythians) and then headed for Pannonia (parts of modern-day Hungary, Austria, and the northern Balkans), a province of the Roman Empire along the Danube.

There, the Trojans built a city called Sicambria, which became the origin of the name of the Sicambrians. The Merovingians are descendants of the Sicambrians.

Since their ancestors came all the way from Troy to the area of Germany and the Netherlands, the Franks, who are their descendants, are of course glorious Trojans.

Gregory of Tours (c. 538–) records in his book 'History of the Franks' that Clovis (c. 466–), the (true) first king of the Frankish Kingdom, was called a Sicambrian when he was baptized.

This Sicamber is, of course, Sicambria. The Sicambri tribe was a Germanic tribe that formed a branch of the Franks.

According to the 'Chronicle of Fredegar,' the Franks believed the Sicambri were a tribe of Scythian or Cimmerian descent, and that they renamed themselves Franks in 11 BC in honor of their chieftain, Franco.

Although 'Sicambria' should be important, there is no page for it on the Japanese Wikipedia.

Important figures and items are all missing. One could think of it in terms of conspiracy theories, but in reality, it is likely because they disregard 'legends' in history.

The Mithraic Bloodline

In 751, the Merovingian dynasty, which ruled the Germanic Frankish Kingdom, was overthrown with the consent of the Papacy and the nobility, and Pepin the Short was crowned King of the Franks.

Pepin's father, Charles Martel, was also a member of the Carolingian family; the Carolingians did not appear as a replacement for the Merovingians. They politically overthrew the Merovingians and rose to power.

The kings of the Carolingian dynasty inherited the Mithraic bloodline, which was created through the intermarriage of the Herodian, Julio-Claudian, Commagene, and Emesa priest-king families.

Please read my past articles regarding these families and Mithraism.

This lineage branched into two important directions.

One was the imperial lineage that produced Constantine I (early 270s–), and the other was the lineage that included the Neoplatonist Syrian Iamblichus (245–).

Constantine was the first emperor to believe in Christianity, but he is a controversial figure.

It is said that he did not convert to Christianity, and in fact, the worship of Sol Invictus (the Unconquered Sun) was continued by Constantine.

Constantine was a descendant of the founder of the Severan dynasty, Septimius Severus (a Carthaginian). He was one of the last rulers belonging to the Mithraic lineage.

And as I mentioned before, the Labarum was actually derived from Cronus.

As for Iamblichus, he was a person who seriously tried to revive paganism. He was a descendant of the priest-kings of Emesa.

These two branches were reunited by the Bishop of Metz, Arnulf (582–).

Arnulf married a noblewoman named Dode (or Doda) around 596.

And Arnulf's second son, Ansegisel, married Begga, the daughter of Pepin I (c. 580–), and became the father of Pepin II (c. 635–).

In other words, Arnulf was the paternal grandfather of Pepin II, the great-grandfather of Charles Martel, and the great-great-great-grandfather of Charlemagne.

Charles Martel is the most heroic character in French history, and thanks to him, the Muslims were forced to remain on the Iberian Peninsula.

Alliance with the Jews

Between the reign of Dagobert I of the Merovingian dynasty and the reign of Pepin III (714–) of the Carolingian dynasty, no records regarding Jews can be found.

However, in southern France, then known as Septimania, the Jews continued to prosper.

Septimania had Narbonne as its capital and was an autonomous Moorish (Muslim) principality. It only pledged nominal loyalty to the Emir (ruler) of Cordoba (Spain).

The Moors of Septimania began moving north from Narbonne and occupied cities deep within Frankish territory, such as Lyon.

However, by 798, Charles Martel had driven the Moors back, invaded Septimania in turn, and besieged the cities. This was still during the Merovingian dynasty.

Narbonne was defended by Jews and Moors and was impregnable. Charles Martel died in 741, and his son Pippin III succeeded him.

Pippin's army continued to besiege Narbonne for seven years, but the Moors and Jews held out. This was still during the Merovingian dynasty.

So Pippin secretly made an agreement with the Jews of Narbonne. This was still during the Merovingian dynasty.

In 751, Pippin was crowned king by the local lords and bishops, and from this point, the Carolingian dynasty began.

According to American historian Arthur Zuckerman, in 759, the Jews of Narbonne suddenly turned against the Muslim garrison and began a massacre.

They then opened the city gates from the inside for Pippin. Long ago, the Jews did the same thing to the Babylonians in Babylon. It is said that Cyrus the Great was able to take Babylon with almost no fighting thanks to the Jews.

And just as the Jews described Cyrus the Great as the only non-Jewish messiah, they also recognized Pippin as a nominal ruler.

Of course, they also asserted their claim: the legitimate right of succession to the Bible. Pippin kept his promise, and in 768, a Jewish principality was born in Septimania.

A Jewish state existed in early medieval Europe. There are websites like the one below, and I suspect about 800 people in Japan might know about it.

However, the Japanese Wikipedia page for "Septimania" does not even mention the word Jew.

The Jewish astrologer, historian, and philosopher born in Cordoba, Abraham ibn Daud (1110–), wrote in his book 'Sefer Haqabbalah' about the gift the Frankish king gave to the Jews after conquering the city of Narbonne.

Rabbi Machir is an important enough figure to warrant an article of his own. So, I will tell you about him again.

The Principality of Septimania pledged nominal loyalty to Pippin, but it was effectively independent.

And the ruler of Septimania was officially recognized as a descendant of David. These are the descendants of the Rabbi Machir mentioned earlier.

The descendants of Rabbi Machir were recognized as descendants of King David not only by Pippin but also by the Caliph of Baghdad.

At its peak, Septimania controlled northeastern Spain, the Pyrenees, and the Septimania region.

It was a situation where something was bound to happen, and indeed, something did: the establishment of monasteries and the famous Crusades.