A new time. Mainz in the Merovingian period

From the end of the 5th century until 751, the Frankish royal dynasty of the Merovingians ruled over large parts of Western Europe. With the steady expansion of its power from France to the Elbe in the east, Mainz shifted from a border location to a central geographical one. The rivers Rhine and Main were still important traffic arteries for the port city. The Christian mission in the eastern part of the Empire favoured the construction of numerous churches and monasteries both inside and outside the city. Mainz began its religious and political rise in 746 with the takeover of the bishopric by Boniface.