 The Merovingian realm was the largest and most powerful of the states of western Europe following the breaking up of the empire of Theoderic the Great.The dynastic name, medieval Latin "Merovingi" or "Merohingii" ("sons of Merovech"), derives from an unattested Frankish form, akin to the attested Old English "Merewīowing", with the final -"ing" being a typical Germanic patronymic suffix.The name derives from the possibly legendary King Merovech.