Every source I have seen agrees that Charlemagne's ancestral tree begins as follows:
- Charlemagne (c. 747 – 814)
- Pepin the Short (c. 714 – 768)
- Charles Martel (c. 688 – 741)
- Pepin of Herstal (c. 635 – 714)
- Ansegisel (c. 610 – 662)
- Arnulf of Metz (c. 582 – 640)
Before Arnulf, there seems to be considerable disagreement, with some sources (such as Settipani's Les ancêtres de Charlemagne) claiming to have established Charlemagne's descent from the Gallic elites of the late Roman empire (Agricola and Flavius Afranius Syagrius, both from around the mid to late 4th century, being among those individuals commonly proposed as Arnulf's direct ancestors).
What is the current academic consensus on the subject of Charlemagne's genealogy? Are "descent from antiquity" ideas actually taken seriously? Is it still beyond doubt that Charlemagne is descended from Arnulf, or has even that "fact" been called into question by now?