What Frankish dynasty did Charlemagne replace by his family's rise?

The Merovingian dynasty was the Frankish dynasty that Charlemagne’s family replaced as it rose to power.

The Merovingians ruled the Franks from the fifth century until 751. Their name comes from Merovech, a semi-legendary early king, and their most famous ruler was Clovis I, who converted to Nicene Christianity and built a powerful Frankish kingdom.

By the eighth century, real political authority had shifted to the Carolingian mayors of the palace, especially Charles Martel and his son, Pepin the Short. In 751, Pepin deposed the last Merovingian king, Childeric III, with papal approval and became king himself. Pepin’s dynasty is called Carolingian after his son Charles Martel and grandson Charlemagne.

A common mix-up is to credit Charlemagne personally with founding the dynasty. He became its greatest ruler, but the formal dynastic change occurred under his father, Pepin, decades before Charlemagne’s imperial coronation in 800.