Roi fainéant, literally "lazy king", is a French term primarily used to refer to the later kings of the Merovingian dynasty, after they seemed to have lost their initial energy. They were considered and portrayed "useless" by Carolingian kings and even early modern historians, though current historical opinion is more nuanced.

Sigebert III

Sigebert III

Sigebert III was the king of Austrasia from 634 to his death; probably on 1 February 656, or maybe as late as 660. He was the eldest son of Dagobert I....

 is sometimes accredited the first roi fainéant of the Merovingian dynasty. The last Carolingian ruler, Louis V of France

Louis V of France

Louis V , called the Indolent or the Sluggard , was the King of Western Francia from 986 until his early death...

, was also nicknamed le Fainéant ("the Do-Nothing"), due to its effective rule being limited to the region around Laon

Laon

Laon is the capital city of the Aisne department in Picardy in northern France.-History:The hilly district of Laon, which rises a hundred metres above the otherwise flat Picardy plain, has always held strategic importance...

.

The following kings are sometimes alleged to have been part of the rois fainéants:

• Clovis III
  Clovis III
  Clovis III was the king of Austrasia from 675 to 676. Perhaps the son of Theuderic III or Clovis II, the Austrasian magnates who proclaimed him called him an illegitimate son of Clotaire III. They placed him on the throne in opposition to the young Dagobert II, the claimant of Wulfoald, the mayor...
  
  
• Clovis IV
  Clovis IV
  Clovis IV , son of Theuderic III, was the sole king of the Franks from 691 until his death. Although Clovis IV is called "King of the Franks", he was really a puppet—a roi fainéant—of his uncle Pepin II, mayor of the palace of Austrasia...
  
  
• Chlothar III
• Chlothar IV
• Theuderic III
  Theuderic III
  Theuderic III was the king of Neustria on two occasions and king of Austrasia from 679 to his death in 691. Thus, he was the king of all the Franks from 679...
  
  
• Theuderic IV
  Theuderic IV
  Theuderic IV or Theuderich, Theoderic, or Theodoric; in French, Thierry was the Merovingian King of the Franks from 721 until his death in 737...