King of the Franks in 954. Son of Louis IV d'Outremer, he let his uncle Bruno rule, archbishop of Cologne and Duke of Lorraine, and lost the support of Hugh Capet. His reign marks the weakening of Carolingian power, tainted by a conflict against the Emperor Otto.
The birth of Charles the Bald, resulting from second marriages, upsets the succession of Louis the Pious, son of Charlemagne. By favoring this one for his inheritance by offering him a larger territory, the Emperor Louis the Pious ends up being deposed by his other sons, including once in the field