The Carolingians

The Carolingians offered an early medieval take on HBO's historical drama "The Tudors". It followed the lives of the the women of the Carolingian court from its beginning c. 751 with Pippin and continuing with his son, the famous Charlemagne. Where the show differed from its HBO counterpart is that it followed the women of the court and their intrigues, trials, and glories. Spanning several seasons, the show was unfortunately lost in a freak network computer failure; these few synopsis are all that remain.

Season 1, Episode 2

After a harrowing pilot episode, Pippin is now king. He has taken care of his brother Carloman, his two bastard brothers, and his half brother ,ensuring he would have no inheritance challenges. Carloman and his sons remain a distant threat, as hinted at by the last scene of the pilot. With his new status he begins to question his marriage to his wife Bertrada. While she was a good match for him as a noble, he begins to doubt her political advantages as a queen. Bertrada is not unaware of his new thoughts, and worries for her position as his wife and what will happen if he sets her aside. Tensions begin to rise between the two as Bertrada takes note of the her husband’s wandering gaze. She worries more and more about her young sons and what would happen to their inheritance if he set her aside for someone else. Bertrada begins to look for ways to cement her relationship with her husband, and Pippin looks to the pope for advice. In a twist of luck for Bertrada, the pope advises Pippin against setting her aside for a politically-advantageous bride. The episode ends with Pippin and Bertrada getting consecrated, and in the last few minutes of the episode a missive arrives declaring that Carloman is coming to visit with his brother.

Season 1, Episode 3

The royal court is thrown into an uproar after the previous episode, in which it was revealed that Pippin’s brother Carloman was returning from Montecassino to visit the king. As the reason for this visit is yet unknown, it worries both Pippin and Bertrada, as there is still the issue of Carloman’s sons’ inheritance. This tension adds to the growing rift between Pippin and Bertrada after his move to put her aside and take another queen. Carloman arrives, and soon it is revealed that it is his intention to plead his case for his sons, as they had received no inheritance when he withdrew to the monastery. There is much debate over how to respond to his pleas. Together Pippin and Bertrada decide that Carloman’s fate as well as those of his sons will come under her purview. Bertrada thinks of her own sons, and what they stand to inherit from their father. She also speaks of her concern that Carloman's sons pose a threat to her children's inheritance--and possibly their lives--if she does not play her hand well. Carloman is put under house arrest and is forbidden from leaving the castle. Bertrada eavesdrops on her husband being propositioned, and is surprised when he turns the woman away. She enters, pretending to not know of what happened, and a new seed of trust is sown between the two. The episode ends with Carloman’s sons being tonsured, as Pippin and Bertrada look lovingly upon their sons.

Season 2, Episode 3

Season two ended with the death of Pippin and the division of the kingdom between Charlemagne and his brother Carloman.  Bertrada has outlived Pippin and now has a new importance and new title in the kingdom. The people are hailing her as “mother of kings”. Her time as queen, however, has changed Bertrada. Charlemagne has a wife of Frankish descent when he ascends to the throne. Bertrada seems to forget her own fears when she was a younger woman, and encourages her son to give up his wife for a better political alliance by marrying a Lombard princess. There is much political intrigue and gossip surrounding this decision, as Bertrada herself was once on the chopping block. In a tense scene, Charlemagne begins to question his mother’s decision to forge a new, politically-advantageous marriage alliance. She reminds him how she kept her brother-in-law, his uncle, in her custody until his death, and sent his cousins to be tonsured to clear Charlemagne's path to the crown. She tells him she will do anything to ensure his success. Shortly afterwards, she leaves to reconcile with the pope. He agrees with the match, fearing Lombard aggression, and Bertrada herself escorts the new bride to Francia. The episode ends with their marriage.