Pepin the Short
Pepin rose to power and became king in 751, after the deposition of Childeric, the last of the weak Merovingian king. He was a brilliant leader who conquered the territory around Rome and gave it to the Pope as a gift and return for Papal recognition of his right to rule. This became known as the Donation of Pepin.
- The New American Desk Encyclopedia, Penguin Group, 1989