Charles the Fat ' onMouseout='HidePop("15416")' href="http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/839">839
-Europe:* Louis the Pious attempts to divide his empire among his sons.* Ethelwulf succeeds Egbert as king of Wessex.* Uen is succeeded by Uurad as king of the Picts.* The reign of Alpin II of Dalriada begins ....
– 13 January
888-Europe:* January 13—With the death of Charles the Fat, the Frankish kingdom is split again, and this time permanently. Odo, Count of Paris becomes King of the Western Franks.* ‘Abdullah ibn Muhammad succeeds al-Mundhir as emir of Córdoba, Spain.-Deaths:...
) was the
King of AlemanniaThe following is a list of Dukes of Swabia in southwest Germany. Swabia was one of the five stem duchies of the medieval German kingdom, and its dukes were thus among the most powerful magnates of Germany. The most notable family to hold Swabia were the Hohenstaufen, who held it, with a brief...
from 876,
King of ItalyKing of Italy is a title adopted by many rulers of the Italian peninsula after the fall of the Roman Empire...
from 879,
Holy Roman EmperorCarolingian Empire is a historiographical term sometimes used to refer to the realm of the Franks under the Carolingian dynasty. This dynasty is seen as the founders of France and Germany...
(as
Charles III) from 881, King of East Francia from 882, and King of West Francia from 884. He was deposed in East Francia,
LotharingiaLotharingia was a region in northwest Europe, comprising the Low Countries, the western Rhineland, the lands today on the border between France and Germany, and what is now western Switzerland. It was born of the tripartite division in 855 of the kingdom of Middle Francia, itself formed of the...
, and possibly Italy, where the records are not clear, in 887. He died just a few weeks after his deposition in January 888.
Granted lordship over Alemannia in 876 by the
divisio regnorum (division) of
Louis the GermanLouis the German , was a grandson of Charlemagne and the third son of the succeeding Holy Roman Emperor Louis the Pious and his first wife, Ermengarde of Hesbaye.Louis II was made the King of Bavaria from 817 following the Emperor Charlemagne's practice of...
's kingdom, he succeeded in Italy upon the abdication of his older brother
CarlomanCarloman, was the eldest son of Louis the German, king of East Francia , and Emma, daughter of the count Welf...
, incapacitated by a
strokeA stroke is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by thrombosis or embolism or due to a hemorrhage...
. Crowned Emperor in 881 by
Pope John VIIIJohn VIII was pope from December 13, 872 to December 16, 882. He is often considered one of the ablest pontiffs of the ninth century and the last bright spot on the papacy until Leo IX two centuries later....
, his succession to the territories of his brother
Louis the YoungerLouis the Younger , sometimes Louis III, was the second eldest of the three sons of Louis the German and Emma. He succeeded his father as the King of Saxony on 28 August 876 and his elder brother Carloman as King of Bavaria from 880...
the following year reunited the entire Kingdom of the East Franks (later
GermanyThe Kingdom of Germany grew out of East Francia in the tenth century.The eastern partition of the Treaty of Verdun of 843 was never entirely Frankish and consisted also of large populations of Saxons, Bavarii, Thuringii, Alemanni and Frisii...
). Upon the death of his cousin
Carloman IICarloman II , King of Western Francia, was the youngest son of King Louis the Stammerer and Ansgarde of Burgundy, and became king, jointly with his brother Louis III of France, on his father's death in 879....
, he inherited all of West Francia (later
FranceFrance in the Middle Ages covers an area roughly corresponding to modern day France, from the death of Charlemagne in 814 to the middle of the 15th century...
) also, thus reviving, if only briefly, the entire
Carolingian EmpireCarolingian Empire is a historiographical term sometimes used to refer to the realm of the Franks under the Carolingian dynasty. This dynasty is seen as the founders of France and Germany...
.
Usually considered lethargic and inept — he is known to have had repeated illnesses and is believed to have suffered from
epilepsyEpilepsy is a common chronic neurological disorder characterized by recurrent unprovoked seizures...
— he twice purchased peace with
VikingA Viking is one of the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided and colonized wide areas of Europe from the late eighth to the early eleventh century. These Norsemen used their famed longships to travel as far east as Constantinople and the Volga River in Russia, and as far...
raiders, including at the famous
siege of ParisThe Siege of Paris of 885 to 886 was a Viking siege of Paris, then capital of the kingdom of the West Franks. It was, in hindsight, the most important event of the reign of the Emperor Charles the Fat and a turning point in the fortunes of the Carolingian dynasty and the history of France.The...
in 886. Nevertheless, contemporary opinion of him was not nearly so negative as modern historiographical opinion, which itself is seeing a turnaround.
Youth and inheritance
Charles was the youngest of the three sons of
Louis the GermanLouis the German , was a grandson of Charlemagne and the third son of the succeeding Holy Roman Emperor Louis the Pious and his first wife, Ermengarde of Hesbaye.Louis II was made the King of Bavaria from 817 following the Emperor Charlemagne's practice of...
, first King of East Francia, and
EmmaEmma of Altdorf, also known as Hemma was the wife of Louis the German, and Queen consort of Eastern Francia.Her father was Welf, Count of Altorf; her mother was Heilwig of Saxony , the daughter of Count Isanbart...
, a
WelfThe House of Welf is a European dynasty that has included many German and British monarchs from the 11th to 20th century.The House of Welf is the older branch of the House of Este, a dynasty whose oldest known members lived in Lombardy in the 9th century. For this reason, it is sometimes also...
. An incidence of demonic possession is recorded in his youth, in which he was said to have been foaming at the mouth before he was taken to the altar of the church. This greatly affected his father and himself, he was described as "a very Christian prince, fearing God, with all his heart keeping His commandments, very devoutly obeying the orders of the Church, generous in alms-giving, practising unceasingly prayer and song, always intent upon celebrating the praises of God."
In AD 859, Charles was made Count of the Breisgau, an Alemannic
marchMark and march refer to a border region similar to a frontier, such as the Welsh Marches, the borderland between England and Wales.In contrast to a buffer zone, a march could be dominated by a single given country, and rather than being demilitarized, it could be strongly fortified for defence...
against southern Lotharingia. In 863, his rebellious eldest brother
CarlomanCarloman, was the eldest son of Louis the German, king of East Francia , and Emma, daughter of the count Welf...
revolted against their father. The next year,
Louis the YoungerLouis the Younger , sometimes Louis III, was the second eldest of the three sons of Louis the German and Emma. He succeeded his father as the King of Saxony on 28 August 876 and his elder brother Carloman as King of Bavaria from 880...
followed Carloman in revolt and Charles joined him. Carloman was invested with
BavariaBavaria , with an area of and almost 12.5 million inhabitants, is located in the southeast of Germany and is the largest state of Germany by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
as co-king. In 865, the elder Louis was forced to divide his lands amongst his heirs: Bavaria went to Carloman;
SaxonyThe Free State of Saxony is a federal state of Germany, located in the southeastern part of present-day Germany. It is the tenth-largest German state in area and the sixth largest in population , of Germany's sixteen states.Long in the heart of German-speaking Europe, Saxony became one of the new...
(with
FranconiaFranconia is a region of Germany comprising the northern parts of the modern state of Bavaria, a part of southern Thuringia, and a much smaller region in northeastern Baden-Württemberg called Heilbronn-Franken...
and
ThuringiaThe Free State of Thuringia is located in central Germany. It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen
Bundesländer...
) went to Louis; and Alemannia (Swabia with Rhaetia) went to Charles.
LotharingiaLotharingia was a region in northwest Europe, comprising the Low Countries, the western Rhineland, the lands today on the border between France and Germany, and what is now western Switzerland. It was born of the tripartite division in 855 of the kingdom of Middle Francia, itself formed of the...
was to be divided between the younger two.
When, in 875, the Emperor Louis II, who was also
King of ItalyKing of Italy is a title adopted by many rulers of the Italian peninsula after the fall of the Roman Empire...
, died, having come to terms with Louis the German whereby Carloman would succeed in Italy,
Charles the BaldCharles the Bald , Holy Roman Emperor and King of West Francia , was the youngest son of the Emperor Louis the Pious by his second wife Judith.- Struggle against his brothers :He was born on 13 June 823 in Frankfurt, when his elder...
of West Francia invaded the peninsula and had himself crowned king and emperor. Louis the German sent first Charles and then Carloman himself, with armies containing Italian forces under Berengar of Friuli, their cousin, to possess the Italian kingdom. This was not, however, successful until the death of Charles the Bald in 877.
In 876, Louis died and the inheritance went as planned after a conference at
RiesRies is the German word for a unit of paper ream, derived from the Arabic word rizma.The term can refer to:Geography:* Nördlinger RiesPeople:* Adam Ries* Al Ries* Charles P...
, though Charles received less of his share of Lotharingia than planned. In his charters, Charles' reign in
Germania is dated from his inheritance in 876.
Acquisition of Italy
The brothers acted cooperatively and there was no war over the division of the patrimony: a rare occurrence in
Dark AgeThe Dark Ages is a term in historiography referring to a perceived period of cultural decline or societal collapse that took place in Western Europe between the fall of Rome and the eventual recovery of learning. Increased understanding of the accomplishments of the Middle Ages in the 19th century...
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
. In 877, Carloman inherited Italy from their uncle
Charles the BaldCharles the Bald , Holy Roman Emperor and King of West Francia , was the youngest son of the Emperor Louis the Pious by his second wife Judith.- Struggle against his brothers :He was born on 13 June 823 in Frankfurt, when his elder...
of West Francia. Louis divided Lotharingia and offered a third to Carloman and a third to Charles. In 878, Carloman returned his Lotharingian share to Louis, who divided it evenly with Charles. In 879, Carloman was incapacitated by a stroke and divided his domains between his brothers: Bavaria to Louis and Italy to Charles. Charles dated his reign in
Italia from this point, and from then he spent most of his reign until 886 in his Italian kingdom.
In 880, Charles joined
Louis IIILouis III , King of Western Francia, was the second son of King Louis the Stammerer and Ansgarde, and became king, jointly with his brother Carloman, on his father's death in 879.He was a fourth generation descendant of Charlemagne....
and
CarlomanCarloman II , King of Western Francia, was the youngest son of King Louis the Stammerer and Ansgarde of Burgundy, and became king, jointly with his brother Louis III of France, on his father's death in 879....
, joint kings of West Francia, in besieging
Boso of ProvenceBoso was a Frankish nobleman from the Bosonid-family, who was related to the Carolingian dynasty, who rose to become King of Provence ....
in
VienneVienne is a département of France, named after the river Vienne.- Viennese History :Vienne is one of the original 83 departments, established on March 4, 1790 during the French Revolution...
from August to September, but they failed to dislodge him. Provence was legally a part of the Italian kingdom (from 863). In August 882, Charles sent
Richard the JusticiarRichard the Justiciar was Count of Autun from 880 and the first Margrave and Duke of Burgundy. He eventually attained suzerainty over all the counties of Burgundy save Mâcon and by 890 he was referred to as dux and by 900 as marchio...
, Count of Autun, to take the city, which he did (in September). After this, Boso could not regain most of his realm and was restricted to the vicinity of Vienne.
Imperial coronation and activities
On 18 July
880See Interstate 880 for the American freeway-Religion:* Pope John VIII issues the bull Industriae Tuae, creating an independent ecclesiastical province in Great Moravia with Archbishop Saint Methodius as its head. The Old Church Slavonic is recognized as the fourth liturgical language, besides...
,
Pope John VIIIJohn VIII was pope from December 13, 872 to December 16, 882. He is often considered one of the ablest pontiffs of the ninth century and the last bright spot on the papacy until Leo IX two centuries later....
sent a letter to
Guy II of SpoletoGuy II was the eldest son and successor of Lambert I as Duke of Spoleto and Margrave of Camerino. He was elected to succeed to these titles on his father's death in 880. He had an ambitious plan of expansion to the south and to the west that conflicted with the Papacy.He received a papal letter on...
to seek peace, but the duke ignored him and invaded the
Papal StatesThe Papal States, State of the Church or Pontifical States were one of the major historical states of Italy from roughly the 6th century until the Italian peninsula was unified in 1861 by the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia .The Papal States comprised territories under...
. John responded by begging the aid of Charles in his capacity as King of Italy. In gratefulness, he crowned him Emperor on 12 February
881-Europe:* Charles the Fat is crowned Western Emperor.* Battle of Saucourt-en-Vimeu: Louis III of France routs Norman pirates.* St. Cäcilien, Cäcilienstraße, is founded as a college for women. It is now the Schnütgen Museum.-Births:...
. His rise to power was accompanied by hopes of a general revival in western Europe, but he proved unequal to the task. Charles did little to help against Guy, however. Papal letters as late as November were still petitioning Charles for action.
As emperor, Charles began the construction of a palace at
SélestatSélestat is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.-Geography:Sélestat is located in central Alsace, north of Colmar and south of Strasbourg, on the left bank of the Ill River....
in
AlsaceAlsace is the fourth-smallest of the 26 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the sixth-most densely populated region in France , with 222 inhabitants per km²...
. He modelled it after the Palace at Aachen which
CharlemagneCharlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 to his death. He expanded the Frankish kingdoms into a Frankish Empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe...
, whom he consciously sought to emulate, as indicated by the
Vita Karoli Magni of Notker the Stammerer, had built. As Aachen was in the kingdom of his brother, it was necessary for Charles to build a new palace for his court in his own power base of western Alemannia. Sélestat was also more central to the Empire than Aachen.
In February 882, Charles convoked a diet in
RavennaRavenna is a city and comune in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. The city is inland, but is connected to the Adriatic Sea by a canal. Ravenna was the capital of the Western Roman Empire till 476. It was later the capital ofKingdom of the Ostrogoths and the Exarchate of Ravenna till 751...
. The duke, emperor, and pope made peace and Guy and his uncle,
Guy of CamerinoGuy of Spoleto , sometimes known by the Italian version of his name, Guido, or by the German version, Wido, was the Margrave of Camerino from 880 and then Duke of Spoleto and Camerino from 883...
, vowed to restore stolen papal lands. In a March letter to Charles, John claimed that the vows went unfulfilled. In 883, Guy, now Duke of Spoleto, was accused of treason at an imperial synod held at Nonantula late in May. He returned to the Spoleto and made an alliance with the Saracens. Charles sent Berengar, equipped with an army, to deprive Guy of Spoleto. Berengar was initially successful until an epidemic of disease, which ravaged all Italy, affecting the emperor and his entourage as well as Berengar's army, forced him to retire.
In 883, Charles signed a treaty with
Giovanni II ParticipazioGiovanni II Participazio was the thirteenth or fifteenth Doge of Venice after the death of his father, Orso I, in 881 until his resignation in 887. Prior to that, he co-ruled with his father....
,
Doge of VeniceThe Doge was the chief magistrate and leader of the Most Serene Republic of Venice for over a thousand years. Doges of Venice were elected for life by the city-state's aristocracy. Commonly the person selected as Doge was the shrewdest elder in the city...
, granting that any assassin of a doge who fled to the territory of the empire would be fined 100
lbsThe pound or pound-mass is a unit of mass used in the imperial, United States customary and other systems of measurement...
of gold and banished.
East Francia
In the early 880s, the remnants of the
Great Heathen ArmyThe "Great Heathen Army", also known as the Great Army or the Great Danish Army, was a Viking army originating in Denmark which pillaged and conquered much of England in the late 9th century. The army was exceptionally large for the period, probably containing several thousand fighters...
, defeated by
Alfred the GreatAlfred the Great , was king of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Wessex from 871 to 899. Alfred is noted for his defence of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of southern England against the Vikings, becoming the only English king to be given the epithet "the Great". Alfred was the first King of the West Saxons to...
at the Battle of Ethandun in 878, began to settle in the
Low CountriesThe Low Countries, the historical region of de Nederlanden, are the countries on low-lying land around the delta of the Rhine, Scheldt, and Meuse rivers...
. They were opposed with some success by Louis, Charles' brother, but he died after a short campaign on 20 January
882-Europe:* Carloman, King of the West Franks, becomes sole king upon the death of his brother.* Oleg of Novgorod takes Kiev and makes it his capital.-Religion:* December 16—Pope Marinus I succeeds Pope John VIII as the 108th pope....
and Charles succeeded to his kingdom, thus reuniting the whole East Frankish realm again.
When he had returned from Italy, Charles held an assembly at Worms with the purpose of dealing with the Vikings. The army of the whole of East Francia was assembled in the summer under
Arnulf, Duke of CarinthiaArnulf of Carinthia was the Carolingian King of East Francia from 887 and Holy Roman Emperor from 896 until his death.-Biography:...
, and Henry, Count of Saxony. The chief Viking camp was
besieged at AsseltThe Siege of Asselt was a Frankish siege of the Viking camp at Asselt in Frisia in the year 882. Though the Vikings were not forced by arms to abandon their camp, they were compelled to come to terms whereby their leader, Godfrid, was converted to Christianity....
. Not long after Charles opened negotiations with the Viking chiefs,
GodfreyGodfrid, Godafrid, Gudfrid, or Gottfrid was a Danish Viking leader of the late ninth century. He had probably been with the Great Heathen Army, descended on the continent, and became a vassal of the emperor Charles the Fat, controlling most of Frisia between 882 and 885.In 880, Godfrid ravaged...
and
SigfredSigfred was the second official king of Denmark who ruled between the 780s and 790s. The precise date however remains unknown.He was the father of Gudfred, his youngest son who was his successor and who later reigned as king and ruler of Denmark. His father Ongendus was the reportedly the first...
. Godfrey accepted Christian baptism and agreed to become Charles's vassal. He was married to Gisela, daughter of
Lothair IILothair II , was the second son of Emperor Lothair I and Ermengarde of Tours. He was married to Teutberga, daughter of Boso the Elder...
. Sigfred was bribed off. Despite the insinuations of some modern chroniclers, no contemporary account criticises Charles actions during this campaign.
From 882 to 884, the
Wilhelminer WarWilhelminer War was a minor war fought in the March of Pannonia from 882 to 884. It was initially a rebellion of the sons of the margraves William II and Engelschalk I, led by Engelschalk II, against the new margrave Aribo. Svatopluk I of Great Moravia intervened as an ally of Aribo because he had...
dominated the
Marcha OrientalisThe March of Pannonia was a frontier march of the Carolingian Empire erected in the mid-ninth century against the threat of Great Moravia and lasting only as long as the strength of that state....
(later
AustriaThe March or Margraviate of Austria was created in 976 out of the territory that probably formed the earlier March of Pannonia. It is also called the Bavarian Eastern March, or Ostmark in German, or marcha Orientalis in Latin....
). Arnulf of Carinthia, Charles's illegitimate nephew, allied with the rebel
Engelschalk IIEngelschalk II was the margrave of the March of Pannonia in the late ninth century in opposition to Aribo...
against Charles' appointed margrave in the region,
AriboAribo or Arbo was the margrave of the March of Pannonia, from 871 until his death...
.
Svatopluk ISvatopluk I from the House of Mojmír was the prince of the Principality of Nitra and then the king of Great Moravia...
, ruler of
Great MoraviaGreat Moravia was a Slavic state that existed in Central Europe from the 9th century to the early 10th century. There is some controversy as to the actual location of its core territory...
, took up Aribo's cause and, at
KaumbergKaumberg is a town in the district of Lilienfeld in the Austrian state of Lower Austria....
, in 884, took oaths of fidelity to Charles. Though the emperor lost his vassals of the Wilhelminer family and his relationship with his nephew was broken, he gained powerful allies in the Moravian
dux and other Slavic
duces in the area.
In 885, fearing Godfrey and his brother-in-law,
Hugh, Duke of AlsaceHugh was the only son of Lothair II, an illegitimate child by his relationship with Waldrada. He did not inherit his father's kingdom, but he did receive a lot of lands and benefices in the Duchy of Alsace from Louis the German....
, Charles arranged for a conference at
SpijkSpijk may refer to several villages in the Netherlands:* Spijk , in Gelderland* Spijk , in Gelderland* Spijk...
, near
LobithLobith is a village in the Dutch province of Gelderland. It is located in the municipality of Rijnwaarden. Traditionally, it is said that the Rhine enters the Netherlands at Lobith, although in reality, this happens about 4 km further upstream, near Spijk.Lobith was a separate municipality for...
, inviting the Viking leader to fall into a trap. Godfrey was executed and Hugh was blinded and sent to
PrümPrüm is a medium sized city in the Westeifel , Germany. Formerly a district town, today it is the administrative seat of the Verbandsgemeinde Prüm.-Geography:...
.
Succession matters
Charles, childless by his marriage to
RichgardSaint Richardis, also known as Richardis of Swabia , was the Holy Roman Empress as the wife of of Charles the Fat. She was renowned for her piety.-Life:...
, tried to have his illegitimate son by an unknown concubine,
BernardBernard or Bernhard was the only child of Charles the Fat. He was born of an unknown concubine and was thus illegitimate. Charles tried to make him his heir, but failed in two attempts....
, recognised as his heir in 885, but met the opposition of several bishops. He had the support of Pope Hadrian III, whom he invited to an assembly in
WormsWorms is a city in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, on the Rhine River. At the end of 2004, it had 85,829 inhabitants.Established by the Celts who called it Borbetomagus, Worms today remains embattled with the cities Trier and Cologne over title of "Oldest City in Germany"...
in October 885, but who died on the way, just after crossing the river Po. Hadrian was going to depose the obstructing bishops, as Charles doubted he could do this himself, and legitimise Bernard.
[ Based on the unfavouring attitude of the chronicler of the Mainz continuation of the Annales Fuldenses]The Annales Fuldenses or Annals of Fulda are East Frankish chronicles that cover independently the period from the last years of Louis the Pious to the end of effective Carolingian rule in East Francia with the accession of the child-king, Louis III, in 900...
, the chief of Charles's opponents in the matter was probably Liutbert, Archbishop of MainzLiutbert or Ludbert was the Archbishop of Mainz from 863 until his death. He also became Abbot of Ellwangen in 874 and is reckoned the first Archchancellor of Germany...
. Because Charles had called together the "bishops and counts of Gaul" as well as the pope to meet him at Worms, it seems likely that he planned to make Bernard King of Lotharingia. Notker the Stammerer, who considered Bernard as a possible heir, wrote in his Deeds of Charlemagne:
- I will not tell you [Charles the Fat] of this [the Viking
A Viking is one of the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided and colonized wide areas of Europe from the late eighth to the early eleventh century. These Norsemen used their famed longships to travel as far east as Constantinople and the Volga River in Russia, and as far...
sack of the Abbey of Prüm] until I see your little son Bernard with a sword girt to his thigh.
Perhaps Notker was awaiting Bernard's kingship, when Prüm would be avenged.
After the failure of his first attempt, Charles set about to try again. He had the term proles (offspring) inserted into his charters as it had not been in previous years, probably because he desired to legitimise Bernard. In early 886, Charles met the new Pope Stephen VPope Stephen V, , succeeded Pope Adrian III, and was in turn succeeded by Pope Formosus. In his dealings with Constantinople in the matter of Photius, as also in his relations with the young Slavonic church, he pursued the policy of Pope Nicholas I....
and probably negotiated for the recognition of his son as his heir. An assembly was planned for April and May of the next year at WaiblingenWaiblingen is a town in the southwest of Germany, located in the center of the densely populated Stuttgart Region, directly neighboring Stuttgart. It is the capital of the Rems-Murr district...
. Pope Stephen cancelled his planned attendance on 30 April 887-Europe:* Charles the Fat is deposed from the entire Carolingian Empire.* Odo, Count of Paris ascends to the throne of Western Francia .* Berengar of Friuli ascends to the throne of Italy....
. Nevertheless, at Waiblingen, Berengar, who by a brief feud with Liutward had lost the favour of the emperor, came in early May 887, made peace with the emperor, and compensated for the actions of the previous year by dispensing great gifts.
Charles probably abandoned his plans for Bernard and instead adopted Louis of Provence as his son at an assembly at KirchenKirchen is a town in the district of Altenkirchen in the north of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated on the river Sieg, approx. 12 km southwest of Siegen. Among its notable features is the Freusburg castle....
in May. It is possible, however, that the agreement with Louis was only designed to engender support for Bernard's subkingship in Lotharingia. In June or July, Berengar arrived in Kirchen, probably pining to be declared Charles's heir; he may in fact have been so named in Italy, where he was acclaimed (or made himself) king immediately after Charles's deposition. Odo, Count of ParisOdo was King of Western Francia . He was a son of Robert the Strong, count of Anjou, and is sometimes referred to as duke of France and also as count of Paris...
, may have had a similar purpose in visiting Charles at Kirchen. On the other, hand the presence of these magnates at these two great assemblies may merely have been necessary to confirm Charles' illegitimate son as his heir (Waiblingen), a plan which failed when the pope refused to attend, and then to confirm Louis instead (Kirchen).
West Francia
When Carloman II of West Francia died on 12 December 884-Europe:* March 1—Diego Rodríguez Porcelos founds and repopulates Burgos.* December 12 – Charles the Fat becomes King of Western Francia, thus for the last time reuniting the Frankish kingdom.* Frodo becomes King of Denmark.-Asia:...
, the nobles of that kingdom invited Charles, to assume the kingship. Charles gladly accepted, it being the third kingdom to "fall into his lap." According to the Anglo-Saxon ChronicleThe Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is a collection of annals in Old English chronicling the history of the Anglo-Saxons. The annals were initially created late in the 9th century, probably in Wessex, during the reign of Alfred the Great. Multiple manuscript copies were made and distributed to monasteries...
, Charles succeeded to all of the kingdom of Carloman save BrittanyBrittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Brittany was previously a kingdom and then as a duchy it was a fief of the Kingdom of France. It was at one time called Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
, but this does not seem to have been true. It is likely that Charles was crowned by Geilo, Bishop of LangresGeilo or Gilon was the Bishop of Langres from 880 until his death. His episcopate coincided mostly with the emperorship of Charles the Fat and after 885 he is a leading ecclesiastical figure at the imperial court...
, as rex in Gallia on 20 May 885For the 885 Thyratron Tube, see 885 Tube-Europe:* The Vikings besiege Paris.* Godfrith, the Sea King is killed in Lobith. The Vikings lose control of most of the modern Netherlands.* Oldest known mention of Baky, Azerbaijan.-Religion:...
at GrandGrand is a village and commune in the French département of Vosges. Grand is famous for its Roman amphitheatre, mosaics and aqueduct.-External links:*...
in the VosgesThis article is about the department of France named Vosges. For the mountain range, see Vosges Mountains.Vosges is a French department, named after the local mountain range. It contains the hometown of Joan of Arc, Domrémy.-History:...
in southern Lorraine. Though Geilo even developed a special West Frankish seal for him, Charles's government in the West, however, was always very impersonal and he left most day-to-day business to the higher nobility.
Though West Francia (the future France) was far less menaced by the Vikings than the Low Countries, it was heavily hit nonetheless. In 885, a huge fleet led by Sigfred sailed up the SeineThe Seine is a slow-flowing major river and commercial waterway within the regions of Île-de-France and Haute-Normandie in France and famous as a romantic backdrop in photographs of Paris, France. It is also a tourist attraction, with excursion boats offering sightseeing tours of the Rive Droite...
, for the first time in years, and besieged ParisThe Siege of Paris of 885 to 886 was a Viking siege of Paris, then capital of the kingdom of the West Franks. It was, in hindsight, the most important event of the reign of the Emperor Charles the Fat and a turning point in the fortunes of the Carolingian dynasty and the history of France.The...
. Sigfred demanded a bribe again, but this time Charles refused. He was in Italy at the time and Odo, Count of ParisOdo was King of Western Francia . He was a son of Robert the Strong, count of Anjou, and is sometimes referred to as duke of France and also as count of Paris...
, sneaked some men through enemy lines to seek his aid. Charles sent fHenry of Saxony to Paris. In 886, as disease began to spread through Paris, Odo himself went to Charles to seek support. Charles brought a large army and encircled the army of RolloRollo , baptised Robert, was the founder and first ruler of the Viking principality in what soon became known as Normandy.The name Rollo is a Frankish-Latin name probably taken from the Old Norse name Hrólfr Rollo (c. 860 – c. 932), baptised Robert, was the founder and first ruler of the...
and set up a camp at MontmartreMontmartre is a hill which is 130 meters high, giving its name to the surrounding district, in the north of Paris in the 18th arrondissement, a part of the Right Bank. Montmartre is primarily known for the white-domed Basilica of the Sacré Cœur on its summit and as a nightclub district...
. However, Charles had no intention of fighting. He sent the defenders down the Seine to ravage Burgundy, which was in revolt. When the Vikings withdrew from France next spring, he gave them 700 pounds of promised silver. Charles' prestige in France was greatly diminished.
Charles issued a number of charters for West Frankish recipients during his stay in Paris during and after the siege. He recognised rights and privileges granted by his predecessors to recipients in the Spanish March and Provence, but especially in NeustriaThe territory of Neustria or Neustrasia, meaning "new [western] land", originated in 511, made up of the regions from Aquitaine to the English Channel, approximating most of the north of present-day France, with Paris and Soissons as its main cities...
, where he had contact with NantesNantes is a city in western France, located on the Loire River, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the sixth largest in France, while its metropolitan area is the eighth with 804,833 inhabitants at a 2008 estimate....
at a time when the Breton dukeThe Duchy of Brittany was a medieval tribal and feudal state covering the Armorican peninsula west of Mont-Saint-Michel and north of Nantes/Naoned, including Rennes/Roazhon and Vannes/Gwened...
Alan I was known to be powerful in the county of NantesThe counts of Nantes were originally the Frankish rulers of the Nantais under the Carolingians. Their county served as a march against the Bretons of the Vannetais...
. It is probable that Charles granted Alan the right to be titled rex; as emperor he would have had that prerogative and Alan's use of the title appears legitimate. A charter datable to between 897 and 900 makes reference to the soul of Karolus on whose behalf Alan had ordered prayers to be said in the monastery of Redon. This was probably Charles the Fat.
Deposition, death, and legacy
With Charles increasingly seen as spineless and incompetent, matters came to a head in late 887. In the summer of that year, having given up on his son's succession, Charles received Odo and BerengarBerengar of Friuli was the Margrave of Friuli from 874 until no earlier than 890 and no later than 896, King of Italy from 887 until his death, and Holy Roman Emperor from 915 until his death.Berengar rose to become one of the most influential laymen in the empire of Charles the Fat before he...
, Margrave of Friuli, a relative of his, at his court. He may have accepted neither, one, or both of these as his heir in their respective kingdoms. His inner circle then began to fall apart. First, he accused his wife RichardisSaint Richardis, also known as Richardis of Swabia , was the Holy Roman Empress as the wife of of Charles the Fat. She was renowned for her piety.-Life:...
of having an affair with his chief minister and archchancellorAn archchancellor or chief chancellor was a title given to the highest dignitary of the Holy Roman Empire, and also used occasionally during the Middle Ages to denote an official who supervised the work of chancellors or notaries....
, LiutwardLiutward was the archchancellor of the Carolingian Empire from 878 and the bishop of Vercelli from 880 by appointment of Charles the Fat, whose chief minister he was. He should not be confused with his predecessor in this office of the same name, who would be archbishop of Mainz...
, bishop of Vercelli. She proved her innocence in an ordeal of fire and left him for the monastic life. He then turned against Liutward, who was hated by all, and removed him from office, appointing Liutbert, Archbishop of MainzLiutbert or Ludbert was the Archbishop of Mainz from 863 until his death. He also became Abbot of Ellwangen in 874 and is reckoned the first Archchancellor of Germany...
, in his stead.
In that year, his first cousin once removed, ErmengardErmengard was the only surviving daughter of Louis II, Holy Roman Emperor. In 876, she married Boso, from the Bosonid, Count of Vienne, who declared himself King of Provence in 879....
, daughter of the Emperor Louis II and wife of Boso of ProvenceBoso was a Frankish nobleman from the Bosonid-family, who was related to the Carolingian dynasty, who rose to become King of Provence ....
, brought her son LouisLouis the Blind was the king of Provence from 887, king of Italy from 900, and briefly Holy Roman Emperor, as Louis III, between 901 and 905. He was the son of Boso, the usurper king of Provence, and Ermengard, a daughter of the Emperor Louis II...
to him for protection. Charles confirmed Louis in Provence (he may even have adopted him) and allowed them to live at his court. He probably intended to make Louis heir to the whole realm and the imperium. On 11 November, he called an assembly to FrankfurtFrankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2008 population of 670,000. The urban area had an estimated population of 2.26 million in 2001...
. While there he received news that an ambitious nephew, Arnulf of CarinthiaArnulf of Carinthia was the Carolingian King of East Francia from 887 and Holy Roman Emperor from 896 until his death.-Biography:...
, had fomented a general rebellion and was marching into Germany with an army of Bavarians and Slavs. The next week saw the collapse of all his support in East Francia. The last to abandon him were his loyal Alemanni, though the men of Lotharingia never seem to have formally accepted his deposition. By 17 November, Charles was out of power, though the exact course of events is unknown. Asides from rebuking his faithlessness, he did little to prevent Arnulf's move — he had recently been ill again — but assure that Bernard was entrusted to his care and possibly Louis too. He asked for a few estates in Swabia on which to live out his days and thus received Neidingen. There he died six weeks later, on 13 January 888-Europe:* January 13—With the death of Charles the Fat, the Frankish kingdom is split again, and this time permanently. Odo, Count of Paris becomes King of the Western Franks.* ‘Abdullah ibn Muhammad succeeds al-Mundhir as emir of Córdoba, Spain.-Deaths:...
.
The Empire fell apart, never to be restored. According to Regino of PrümReginon or Regino of Prüm was a Benedictine abbot and medieval chronicler.-Biography:According to the statements of a later era, Regino was the son of noble parents and was born at the stronghold of Altrip on the Rhine near Speyer at an unknown date...
, each part of the realm elected a "kinglet" from its own "bowels". It is probable that Arnulf desired the whole empire, but the only part he received other than East Francia was Lotharingia. The French elected Odo, though he was opposed at first by Guy III of SpoletoGuy of Spoleto , sometimes known by the Italian version of his name, Guido, or by the German version, Wido, was the Margrave of Camerino from 880 and then Duke of Spoleto and Camerino from 883...
, who also opposed Arnulf in Lotharingia. Guy sought the kingship in Italy after his failures in Francia, though there Berengar had already been crowned. Louis was crowned in Provence as Charles had intended and he sought the support of Arnulf and gained it, probably through supplication to him. Odo would eventually submit to Arnulf's supremacy as well. In Upper BurgundyUpper Burgundy is the part of Burgundy east of the Jura mountains, but in fact encompassing both sides of the Jura mountains range...
, one Rudolph, a dux of the region, was elected as king in a distinctly non-Carolingian creation, probably the result of his failure to succeed in the whole of Lotharingia. In Aquitaine, Ranulf IIRanulf II was Count of Poitou from 866 and Duke of Aquitaine from 887...
declared himself king and took the guardianship of the young Charles the SimpleCharles III , called the Simple or the Straightforward , was the undisputed King of France from 898 until 922 and the King of Lotharingia from 911 until 919/23...
, the Carolingian heir to the West, refusing to recognise Odo's election.
It is unknown if these elections were a response to Charles's East Frankish deposition or to his death. Only those of Arnulf and Berengar can be certainly placed before his death. Only the magnates of the East ever formally deposed him. He was buried with honour in ReichenauReichenau is a village in the municipality of Tamins in the canton of Graubünden, Switzerland, where the two Rhine tributaries Vorderrhein and Hinterrhein meet...
after his death and the Annales FuldensesThe Annales Fuldenses or Annals of Fulda are East Frankish chronicles that cover independently the period from the last years of Louis the Pious to the end of effective Carolingian rule in East Francia with the accession of the child-king, Louis III, in 900...
heap praises on his piety and godliness. Indeed, contemporary opinion of Charles is consistently kinder than later historiography, though it is a modern suggestion that his lack of apparent successes is the excusable result of near constant illness and infirmity.
Charles was the subject of a hortative piece of Latin prose, the Visio Karoli GrossiThe Visio Karoli Crassi or Visio Karoli Grossi , also called the Visio Karoli Imperatoris , is an anonymous work of Latin prose from around 900...
, designed to champion the cause of Louis the Blind and warn the Carolingians that their continued rule was not certain if they did not have "divine" (i.e. ecclesiastical) favour.
See also
- Kings of Germany family tree. He was probably related to every other king of Germany.