General Notes

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Charles II, King de France

(Andre Roux: Scrolls,191.)
(Stuart, Royalty for Commoners, Page 130, Line 171-39.)
(Rosamond, Frankish kingdom under Carolingians, Page 180.)
(Paul, Nouveau Larousse Universel.)
(Andre Castelot, Histoire de La France, Tome 1, Pages 369, 387).

AKA: Charles II, Emperor of the West. AKA: Charles II, King de Bourgogne. AKA: Charles II, King of Italy. Also Known As: Charles "Le Chauve".

Born: on 13 Jun 823 in Francfort-sur-le-Main, Germany, son of Louis I, King de France and Judith de Baviere , Some sources assert King Charles II was born in the year 829.

Note - between 824 and 875 in France: The birth of Charles II in 823 did not at first excite jealousy or rivalry among his brothers.  In 829, Charles was granted the region of Alemannia, Rhaetia and part of Burgundy. In 837, his Father Louis I "Le Debonnaire", by arrangement with Louis the German and Pepin gave Charles the land West of the Meuse, Burgundy, Chartres and Paris together with all the bishops, abbots and counts who held benefices in these territories.  A portion of Neustria was added in 838, and upon Pepin's death, Louis Le Pieux made Charles King of Aquitaine.  On 24 July 840, the new Emperor, Lothar, in Strasburg, refuses to support the land claims of Charles (from the agreement of Worms on 30 May 839). The two brothers, Louis and Charles, unite against Lothar and the War of the Three Brothers begins. Meanwhile, on 12 May 841, the Normands ravage Rouen and all the localities along the Seine, increasing their wealth considerably. At Fontenoy-en-Puisaye (24 June 841), Charles defeats his brothers Lothar (in spite of the arrival of the Army of Aquitaine in the Imperial ranks -- and at a total loss of 40,000 lives at the battle) and Louis Le Germanique. Charles and Louis signed an alliance on 14 February 842 at Strasbourg. Leaving Strasbourg, the two brothers defeat the imperial army of Lothar just West of Comblence. Lothar leaves Aix-le-Chapelle precipitously, pursued by the two brothers. In Mellecey, not far from Chalon-sur-Saone, Lothar proposes a plan to establish perpetual peace which is acceptable to both Louis and Charles. On 15 June, they sign the preliminary peace document. On 1 October 842, each of them sends 40 commissioners to Metz to forge the official document.  Prudence, the Bishop of Troyes, notes that Louis regained Germania in the East, Lothar gets the middle part of the Franc Kingdom, including Italy, and Charles obtains the Western lands (West of the Rhone, including Soissons). After that Charles goes to the Palace in Quierzy, where he marries Ermentrude.

Charles signed the Treaty of Verdun (843) which split the Kingdom of Charlemagne. By the Treaty, the destiny of Occidental Europe would be heavily influenced to this day. Louis obtains all lands East of the Rhine, including the cities of Spire, Worms, Mayence. Lothar gets all the lands extending between the Rhine and the Escaut, the Cambresis, the Hainaut, the country of Mezieres, and all the countships neighboring the Meuse, through the Saone and the Rhone, the Artois and Italy. Charles got all the lands East all the way to Spain. The Kingdom of Charlemagne thus was split forever, with the most serious rift between the germanic lands of Louis, and the French lands of Charles.  The intervening lands extending from Frisia to Rome, from the North Sea to the Mediterranean including what would become Holland, Belgium, Lorraine and Switzerland would become a sore point of contention between these two peoples.  The only thing that mattered to Lothar was the fact that both capitals (Aix and Rome) were located within his territory, thus legitimizing the title of Emperor.

Meanwhile, the Normands pillage Nantes and lower Aquitaine.  Charles laid siege to Toulouse in vain (May to July 844).  The Normands led by Ragnar Lodbrog arrive in Paris and must be heavily bribed to leave. Other Normand armies ravage Toulouse and Bordeaux (burned to the ground in 848). On 6 May 848, Duke Nomenoe proclaims the indepence of the Church of Bretagne and the following year proclaims himself King of Bretagne. Charles fought Brittany (Bretagne) in 845-851 and was victorious. Not liking Pepin II, the people of Aquitaine request Charles' help, and he obliges by accepting the Crown, and on 6 June 848 is consecrated King of Aquitaine, though he could not defend his kingdom against the Normands. He had Charles of Aquitaine jailed (849 in Corbie). In 850 Charles attacks Bretagne and leaves a garrison in Rennes. No sooner does he leave, that Nomenoe takes the city and then takes Nantes as well. The next year, Nomenoe ravages Maine, but, fortunately for Charles, the King of Bretagne dies suddenly on 7 March in Vendome. Charles has Pepin II locked in the Monastery of Saint-Medard de Soissons in 852. The Normands under Godfrid pillage Tours and Angers and penetrate via the Valley of Escaut all the way to the Seine.  The loyalty of Aquitaine shifts in 853, and Louis the German is called upon to help against Charles le Chauve. He in turn defeats Louis and offers Aquitaine his son by Ermentrude, Charles, who would be crowned sovereign in Limoges in October 855. Both Pepin II and Charles d'Aquitaine escape raise armies against Charles le Chauve. Charles fought against Louis for Lorraine (859, 870 [Treaty of Mersen] and 875).

When Louis le Germanique becomes ill in 869 near Rastisbonne, shortly after his nephew Lothar II died, Charles see the opportunity to claim his heritage as Uncle of the deceased. He has himself annointed King of Lorraine in Metz on 9 September, by the Bishop Hincmar. In March, 867, Charles d'Aquitaine dies, and his father Charles le Chauve is recognized as King by the Assembly in Pouilly-sur-Loire. Upon the death of his nephew, Lothar II on 8 August 869, Charles sped to Lotharingia and had himself crowned King of Lotharingia annointed on 9 September in the cathedral at Metz by Bishop Adventius of Metz and Archbishop Hincmar of Rheims. In 9 August 870, through the Treaty of Meerseen, Louis "Le Germanique" and Charles "Le Chauve" reach an agreeable compromise whereby they divide the lands of Lothar II between themselves, leaving Louis II no part of the inheritance. As soon as Louis II died on 12 August 875, Charles rushed to Italy and received the imperial crown and is annointed by Pope John VIII on 25 December 875. In Pavia on 5 January 876, by acclamation of the counts and nobles of Italy, Charles becomes King of Italy. On 31 January 876, the Archbishop of Milan proclaims Charles as Emperor. The French ecclesiasticals and nobles, having some misgivings about Charles' ability to take care of his Kingdom meet in Ponthion. Charles joins them dressed in the attire of the Frankish King. As soon as they declare him elected and recognize his imperial authority, Charles donned the Byzantine crown, and purple vestment of emperor. When Louis le Germanique dies on 28 August 876, Charles claims Lorraine as his own. While on an expedition in Italy against the Sarrasins, through the specific request of Pope Jean VIII, Charles le Chauve dies at the foot of Mount Cenis.

Married on 13 Dec 842 in Quierzy-sur-Oise, Aisne, Ile-de-France, France: Ermentrude d'Orleans , daughter of Odon=Eudes, Count d'Orleans and Ingeltrude de Paris; Ermentrude was crowned Queen of France in 866, having already produced a number of children including 6 sons but none of them was satisfactory as far as Charles Le Chauve was concerned. By September 866, four of them were dead.

Married on 25 Nov 869 in Aix-la-Chapelle, France: Richilde de Bourgogne, daughter of Beuve=Bouin, Comte de Bourgogne and Richilde d'Arles; The honeymoon is short-lived, as Louis le Germanique demands, as part of his heritage from the death of his nephew Lothar II, a part of Lorraine. Died: on 6 Oct 877 in Avrieux, Dauphine, France, at age 54 Charles II is buried at Saint Denis although originally he was buried in Nantua. Before expiring, he named his son, Louis Le Begue as his successor, and the Empress Richilde, crowned by Pope Jean VIII earlier that year, is charged with taking the royal garbs and sword to her step-son.

*  King of the West Franks

Charles II (Holy Roman Empire), called The Bald (823-877), Holy Romanemperor (875-877), and, as Charles I, king of France, born in Frankfurtam Main, Germany. He was the fourth son of Holy Roman Emperor Louis I;his mother, Louis's second wife, was Judith of Bavaria. Judith'sdetermination to secure a kingdom for her only son led to civil war withLouis's other two surviving sons, Holy Roman Emperor Lothair I and KingLouis II of Germany. The war ended with the signing of the Treaty ofVerdun in 843. Charles received the western portion of the empire, whichfrom this time may be called the kingdom of France, or the West FrankishKingdom. Charles was a weak ruler; the great nobles were rapidly becomingindependent, and the Vikings pillaged the country without meeting muchresistance from Charles, who preferred to buy them off. Nevertheless,when Holy Roman Emperor Louis II died in 875, Charles received theimperial crown through the favor of Pope John VIII. Charles was succeededas king of France by his son, Louis II, but the imperial throne wasvacant until 881.

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Charles I, Western Frankish King  843-877  (France)
Frankish Emperor  875-877

Louis the Pious became Frankish Emperor in 814 with no rivals to the throne.  He had three sons, Lothar, Pepin and Louis.  In 817, Lothar was made co-Emperor with his father and King of Italy to replace Bernard, Pepin made King of Aquitaine, and Louis made King of Bavaria.  In 823, Louis had another son, Charles, this one by a new wife (the mother of the three brothers had died).  Louis tried desperately t work Charles in as a successor, bt the three brothers fought him every time he tried to reform his will.  After much conflict, Emperor Louis dropped Lothar's imperial title, and had Judith, the mother of Charles, sent off to a nunnery.  By 831, Louis had regained his power, brought back his wife and again dropped Lothar's titles, this time all of them, and refused him to return to court ever again without permission.  That year Pepin revolted.  In 832, Louis of Bavaria joined pepin, and the Emperor Louis declared Pepin deposed of all royal titles but he had no power to enforce this declaration, so Pepin continued to rule.  In 833, the three again attached with support from Louis' own generals and from Pope Gregory IV himself.  They imprisoned their father and brother, and exiled Judith to italy under watch of Lothar, and Louis and Pepin gained territory.  The next year, however, Louis and Pepin released their father and brother, brought back his wife, and peace was made.  In 835, Louis was re-crowned Emperor with great pomp.  Pepin died in 838, and while Louis tried to have Charles crowned king in Aquitaine, the nobles crowned Pepin's son Pepin II.  Neither had the authority to rule in the country.  In 840, Louis the pious died, and the three surviving brothers began a civil war for the division of the Empire.

In 841, Charles and Louis of Bavaria ganged up on their brother Lothar, who had the support of Pepin II, who was defeated at Fotenay, France.  In 842, Charles and Louis made a formal alliegance and together put down a Saxon revolt that year and a revolt in Acquitaine under Pepin II.  In 843, the Treaty of Verdum was made between the three brothers, by which Charles would rule the Western Frankish Kingdom (France0, with Pepin's Acquaitaine a subkingdom under the ultimate authority of Charles; Lothar would rule the Middle Frankish Kingdom (italy, Provence, and Lorraine) with the imperial title, and Louis would rule the Eastern Frankish Kingdom (Germany).

During his reign in France, Charles suffered the awesome attacks of the Danes, starting in 853.  In 846, he ceded Brittany to its Breton inhabitants, and due to force he had to give to them the Breton March in 851 and Maine in 857.  In 853 and 855 he was forced to allow Danish immigration into his kingdom.  Another Danish army invaded in 856-9, destroying many French cities.  In 858 Charles met with King Lothar II who controlled the area near Denmark, to discuss a formal defense.  Two years later, Louis the German invaded France on the invitation of Pepin II and the Burgundian nobles, and Charles had so little authority that he couldn't even raise an army.  The clerly finally pushed him out.  In 868 Lothar died, and Louis the German and Charles the Bald divided up Lotharingia between them, just as they had done on the death of Charles of Provence in 863.  865-6 saw more Danish invasions into France.  In 866 Charles finally bribed them to leave, and the east Frankish noble Hugh was made Duke to right off the Norse.  In 875, Emperor Louis II died and on Christmas Day Pope John VIII crowned Charles Emperor in Rome.  Two years later Charles died and the French throne went to his son Louis II.

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Microsoft Encarta:
Charles II (Holy Roman Empire), called The Bald (823-877), Holy Romanemperor (875-877), and, as Charles I, king of France, born in Frankfurtam Main, Germany. He was the fourth son of Holy Roman Emperor Louis I;his mother, Louis's second wife, was Judith of Bavaria. Judith'sdetermination to secure a kingdom for her only son led to civil war withLouis's other two surviving sons, Holy Roman Emperor Lothair I and KingLouis II of Germany. The war ended with the signing of the Treaty ofVerdun in 843.

Charles received the western portion of the empire, which from this timemay be called the kingdom of France, or the West Frankish Kingdom.Charles was a weak ruler; the great nobles were rapidly becomingindependent, and the Vikings pillaged the country without meeting muchresistance from Charles, who preferred to buy them off. Nevertheless,when Holy Roman Emperor Louis II died in 875, Charles received theimperial crown through the favor of Pope John VIII.

Charles was succeeded as king of France by his son, Louis II, but theimperial throne was vacant until 881.