of the Annales. This story is found in no other written source, and it is often cited from the Annales purely due to its unique nature. This incident is the earliest that the Annales records; it depicts the murder of Gundoin by Pepin probably in the 670s. Gundoin supposedly murdered Pepin's father Ansegisel and then Pepin, when he was of age, tracked down and killed Gundoin, and seized power in Austrasia. – according to the Annales, which is also the earliest source for the Merovingian "decline" narrative, and it offers a basis upon which the Carolingian's eventual ascendance to the throne is legitimate. Upon thus rightly conquering Gundoin, Pepin is then primed to act, as the king Theuderic III, according to the Annales, had become oppressive and unjust, forcing Pepin to invade and defeat him in the great Battle of Tertry in 687. Thereafter, we are told, Pepin held the reins of the kingdom even though he oversaw the succession of Theuderic's sons. As Fouracre argues, this source demonstrates how Carolingian historians, and potentially writings that had connections to the royal courts, were actively attempting to embellish history and Carolingian lineage to further establish their claim. Notes Carolingian Latin historical texts Carolingian dynasty Carolingian Latin literature