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 of Lies in 833 for the benefit of the eldest, Lothair. But Louis and Pépin changed their minds and returned the throne to their father (834), feeling threatened by Lothair.
When Pépin died in 838, Louis the Pious carried out a new division of his inheritance (Treaty of Worms 839 ). Considering himself aggrieved, Louis, known as the Germanic, was preparing to fight his father when the latter died in 840. Charles and Louis the Germanic leagued against Lothair, whom they considered too powerful and were victorious at Fontenoy-en- Puisaye in 841. The Oath of Strasbourg (842) seals the alliance between Louis and Charles. The Treaty of Verdun divides the Empire equally (843) between the three sons. Charles obtained Western Francia.
He was crowned king in 848. He saw his territory reduced against the Bretons (treaty of Angers in 851, of Compiègne in 867) and the Normans (siege of Paris in 845). He promulgates the edict of Pître which regulates the production of a single currency. He seized Provence, part of Lotharingia (kingdom of Lothair, who died in 855) in 870. Louis and Charles fought again; Charles was crowned emperor in 875. A great legislator, he wrote many capitularies (legislative documents), including that of Quierzy-sur-Oise which recognized the inheritance of fiefs.
823 - 877
Status
Head of State
King of West Francia
Emperor of the West