#28 Plectrude - The Rise of the Carolingians in Cologne

At the beginning of the 8th century, the power of the Merovingian kings has declined. The high officials at the royal court hold the real power. It is the rise of the Carolingians, who gradually worked their way up from the Merovingians as court officials. So powerful are they now that they even fight among themselves for power and who can continue to make the Merovingian king dance like a puppet to be the real ruler of the Frankish Empire. A bloody conflict arises between two Carolingians: stepmother Plektrudis in Cologne and her stepson Karl Martell. The conflict has its beginning but also its end in Cologne.