General Notes

[Joanne's Tree.1 GED.GED]

[Etienne De Coligny.FTW]

[Charles II Emperor Of Holy Roman Empire.ged]

Louis I, byname Louis The Pious, or The Debonair, died June 20, 840, Petersaue, Germany, son of the Frankish ruler Charlemagne; he was crowned as co-emperor in 813 and became emperor in 814 on his father's death. Twice deprived of his authority by his sons (Lothair, Pepin, Louis, and Charles), he recovered it each time (830 and 834), but at his death the Carolingian empire was in disarray.

Louis was the fifth child of Charlemagne's second wife, Hildegard the Swabian. From 781 until 814 Louis ruled Aquitaine with some success, though largely through counsellors. When Charlemagne died at Aachen in 814 and was succeeded by Louis, by then his only surviving legitimate son, Louis was well experienced in warfare; he was 36, married to Irmengard of Hesbaye, and was the father of three young sons, Lothair, Pepin, and Louis (Louis the German); he had inherited vast lands, which seemed to be under reasonable control; there was no other claimant to the throne; and on Sept. 11, 813, shortly before his father's death, Louis had been crowned in Aachen as heir and co-emperor.

Louis' first task was to carry out the terms of Charlemagne's will. According to the Frankish chronicler Einhard, Louis did this with great scrupulousness, although other contemporary sources tell a different story. Louis next began to allocate parts of the empire to the various members of his family, and here began the difficulties and disasters that were to beset him for the remainder of his life. In August 814 he made Lothair and Pepin nominal kings of Bavaria and Aquitaine. He also confirmed Bernard, the son of his dead brother Pepin, as king of Italy, which position Charlemagne had allowed him to inherit in 813. But when Bernard revolted in 817, Louis had him blinded, and he died as a result of it. Louis sent his sisters and half sisters to nunneries and later put his three illegitimate half brothers--Drogo, Hugo, and Theodoric--into monasteries.

At the assembly of Aachen in July 817, he confirmed Pepin in the possession of Aquitaine and gave Bavaria to Louis the German; Lothair he made his co-emperor and heir. Charlemagne had been in his 70s and within a few months of death before naming his heir, and for Louis to give such premature expectations to a youth of 22 was to ask for trouble. Moreover, Louis did not anticipate that he would become father of another child: the empress Irmengard died in 818; and four months later Louis married Judith of Bavaria, who, in June 823, bore him a son, Charles (Charles the Bald), to whom the Emperor gave Alemannia in 829.

Backed by his two brothers, Lothair rose in revolt and deposed his father. The assembly of Nijmegen in October 830, however, restored Louis to the throne; and, the following February, at the assembly of Aachen, in a second partition, Lothair was given Italy. In 832 Louis took Aquitaine away from Pepin and gave it to Charles. The three brothers revolted a second time, with the support of Pope Gregory IV, and at a meeting near Sigolsheim, in Alsace, once more deposed their father. In March 834 Louis was again restored to the throne and made peace with Pepin and with Louis the German. Later in 834, Lothair rose again, but alone, and had to retreat into Italy. Encouraged by his success, Louis made over more territories to his son Charles at the assemblies of Aachen and Nijmegen (837-838)--a move the three brothers accepted but with bad grace. In 839 Louis the German revolted but was driven back into Bavaria.

Meanwhile, Pepin had died (December 838), and, at the assembly of Worms (May 30, 839), a fourth partition was made, the empire being divided between Lothair and Charles, with Bavaria left in the hands of Louis the German. Toward the end of 839 Louis the German marched his troops for the last time against his father, who once more drove him back. The Emperor called an assembly at Worms on July 1, 840. Before it could meet, however, Louis the Pious died at Petersaue, an island in the Rhine near Ingelheim. He was 62 and had ruled for nearly 27 years. He was buried in the Church of St. Arnulf in Metz by Bishop Drogo, his half brother.

The empire he had inherited in peace, Louis left in disarray. He had engaged in no serious external conflict, although the Danes and others had continued to make inroads into the empire. From 829 his four sons had been a constant source of disruption; the quarrels among Lothair, Louis the German, and Charles the Bald were to continue for decades after his death. In many ways Louis seems to have been an estimable person. He was presumably given the epithet the Pious because of his devoutness, his liberality to the church, his interest in ecclesiastical affairs, and the good education he had received. Contemporary historians vary little in their judgment: the Astronomer of Limousin stresses his continued courage in the face of adversity; Thegan, bishop of Trier, gives a long and admiring description of his person, his talents, his Christian charity, his devoutness, and his skill as a hunter; and the poem of Ermoldus Nigellus is full of adulation. Like his father, Charlemagne, Louis the Pious is depicted in several of the chansons de geste of the 12th century, notably the Chanson de Guillaume, the Couronnement de Louis, and the Charroi de Nîmes: he appears as a kindly ruler but a weak and vacillating one. [Encyclopaedia Britannica CD '97, LOUIS I](Louis) Ludwig's father, the Emperor Charlemagne, who died in 814 , had intended to split his empire between his sons, but al l except Ludwig predeceased him. Ludwig, therefore became s ole heir to the Empire. His was a troubled reign. He exile d some of his father's closest advisors (including two cous ins) immediately upon his succession. In 817, Louis declare d that his eldest son, Lothar, would succeed him as Empore r and that his two younger sons, Ludwig and Pepin would b e given kingdoms within the Empire. The three sons were sat isfied with this arrangement. Louis had a nephew, Bernard , who had succeeded his father, Pepin, as King of Italy i n 812. Louis made no provision for Bernard in the successio n plan. Bernard, feeling he had been slighted, revolted aga inst Ludwig. Ludwig put down the revolt and had Bernard bl inded. In 823 Louis' second wife bore him a son, Karl. Ludw ig made known that he planned to include Karl in his succes sion plans. This was not acceptable to Karl's half brothers , Lothar and Ludwig. From the late 820s until his death i n 840, Ludwig was in a continual struggle with one or mor e of his sons. Three years of bitter civil war followed Lud wig's death. The Treaty of Verdun in 843 finally brought so me resolution. Lothar was recognized as Emporer and was giv en soverignty in an area which was to become known as "th e Middle Kingdom" stretching from the North Sea to Rome. Lu dwig became soverign over the portion of the old Empire eas t of Lothar's (basically modern day Germany) and Karl becam e soverign over the portion of the old Empire west of Lotha r's (modern day France). The other brother, Pepin had die d in 838. Lothar, even thouigh he retained the title of Emp orer, had no authority in Ludwig's or Karl's domains. It wa s during these times of unrest towards the end of Ludwig' s reign that the Vikings began to make their first raids al ong the northern coast of the Empire, occasionally venturin g inland as well.[Adalbert I King Of Italy.ged]

Louis I, byname Louis The Pious, or The Debonair, died June 20, 840, Petersaue, Germany, son of the Frankish ruler Charlemagne; he was crowned as co-emperor in 813 and became emperor in 814 on his father's death. Twice deprived of his authority by his sons (Lothair, Pepin, Louis, and Charles), he recovered it each time (830 and 834), but at his death the Carolingian empire was in disarray.

Louis was the fifth child of Charlemagne's second wife, Hildegard the Swabian. From 781 until 814 Louis ruled Aquitaine with some success, though largely through counsellors. When Charlemagne died at Aachen in 814 and was succeeded by Louis, by then his only surviving legitimate son, Louis was well experienced in warfare; he was 36, married to Irmengard of Hesbaye, and was the father of three young sons, Lothair, Pepin, and Louis (Louis the German); he had inherited vast lands, which seemed to be under reasonable control; there was no other claimant to the throne; and on Sept. 11, 813, shortly before his father's death, Louis had been crowned in Aachen as heir and co-emperor.

Louis' first task was to carry out the terms of Charlemagne's will. According to the Frankish chronicler Einhard, Louis did this with great scrupulousness, although other contemporary sources tell a different story. Louis next began to allocate parts of the empire to the various members of his family, and here began the difficulties and disasters that were to beset him for the remainder of his life. In August 814 he made Lothair and Pepin nominal kings of Bavaria and Aquitaine. He also confirmed Bernard, the son of his dead brother Pepin, as king of Italy, which position Charlemagne had allowed him to inherit in 813. But when Bernard revolted in 817, Louis had him blinded, and he died as a result of it. Louis sent his sisters and half sisters to nunneries and later put his three illegitimate half brothers--Drogo, Hugo, and Theodoric--into monasteries.

At the assembly of Aachen in July 817, he confirmed Pepin in the possession of Aquitaine and gave Bavaria to Louis the German; Lothair he made his co-emperor and heir. Charlemagne had been in his 70s and within a few months of death before naming his heir, and for Louis to give such premature expectations to a youth of 22 was to ask for trouble. Moreover, Louis did not anticipate that he would become father of another child: the empress Irmengard died in 818; and four months later Louis married Judith of Bavaria, who, in June 823, bore him a son, Charles (Charles the Bald), to whom the Emperor gave Alemannia in 829.

Backed by his two brothers, Lothair rose in revolt and deposed his father. The assembly of Nijmegen in October 830, however, restored Louis to the throne; and, the following February, at the assembly of Aachen, in a second partition, Lothair was given Italy. In 832 Louis took Aquitaine away from Pepin and gave it to Charles. The three brothers revolted a second time, with the support of Pope Gregory IV, and at a meeting near Sigolsheim, in Alsace, once more deposed their father. In March 834 Louis was again restored to the throne and made peace with Pepin and with Louis the German. Later in 834, Lothair rose again, but alone, and had to retreat into Italy. Encouraged by his success, Louis made over more territories to his son Charles at the assemblies of Aachen and Nijmegen (837-838)--a move the three brothers accepted but with bad grace. In 839 Louis the German revolted but was driven back into Bavaria.

Meanwhile, Pepin had died (December 838), and, at the assembly of Worms (May 30, 839), a fourth partition was made, the empire being divided between Lothair and Charles, with Bavaria left in the hands of Louis the German. Toward the end of 839 Louis the German marched his troops for the last time against his father, who once more drove him back. The Emperor called an assembly at Worms on July 1, 840. Before it could meet, however, Louis the Pious died at Petersaue, an island in the Rhine near Ingelheim. He was 62 and had ruled for nearly 27 years. He was buried in the Church of St. Arnulf in Metz by Bishop Drogo, his half brother.

The empire he had inherited in peace, Louis left in disarray. He had engaged in no serious external conflict, although the Danes and others had continued to make inroads into the empire. From 829 his four sons had been a constant source of disruption; the quarrels among Lothair, Louis the German, and Charles the Bald were to continue for decades after his death. In many ways Louis seems to have been an estimable person. He was presumably given the epithet the Pious because of his devoutness, his liberality to the church, his interest in ecclesiastical affairs, and the good education he had received. Contemporary historians vary little in their judgment: the Astronomer of Limousin stresses his continued courage in the face of adversity; Thegan, bishop of Trier, gives a long and admiring description of his person, his talents, his Christian charity, his devoutness, and his skill as a hunter; and the poem of Ermoldus Nigellus is full of adulation. Like his father, Charlemagne, Louis the Pious is depicted in several of the chansons de geste of the 12th century, notably the Chanson de Guillaume, the Couronnement de Louis, and the Charroi de Nîmes: he appears as a kindly ruler but a weak and vacillating one. [Encyclopaedia Britannica CD '97, LOUIS I](Louis) Ludwig's father, the Emperor Charlemagne, who died in 814 , had intended to split his empire between his sons, but al l except Ludwig predeceased him. Ludwig, therefore became s ole heir to the Empire. His was a troubled reign. He exile d some of his father's closest advisors (including two cous ins) immediately upon his succession. In 817, Louis declare d that his eldest son, Lothar, would succeed him as Empore r and that his two younger sons, Ludwig and Pepin would b e given kingdoms within the Empire. The three sons were sat isfied with this arrangement. Louis had a nephew, Bernard , who had succeeded his father, Pepin, as King of Italy i n 812. Louis made no provision for Bernard in the successio n plan. Bernard, feeling he had been slighted, revolted aga inst Ludwig. Ludwig put down the revolt and had Bernard bl inded. In 823 Louis' second wife bore him a son, Karl. Ludw ig made known that he planned to include Karl in his succes sion plans. This was not acceptable to Karl's half brothers , Lothar and Ludwig. From the late 820s until his death i n 840, Ludwig was in a continual struggle with one or mor e of his sons. Three years of bitter civil war followed Lud wig's death. The Treaty of Verdun in 843 finally brought so me resolution. Lothar was recognized as Emporer and was giv en soverignty in an area which was to become known as "th e Middle Kingdom" stretching from the North Sea to Rome. Lu dwig became soverign over the portion of the old Empire eas t of Lothar's (basically modern day Germany) and Karl becam e soverign over the portion of the old Empire west of Lotha r's (modern day France). The other brother, Pepin had die d in 838. Lothar, even thouigh he retained the title of Emp orer, had no authority in Ludwig's or Karl's domains. It wa s during these times of unrest towards the end of Ludwig' s reign that the Vikings began to make their first raids al ong the northern coast of the Empire, occasionally venturin g inland as well.[Alberade De Lorraine.ged]

Louis I, byname Louis The Pious, or The Debonair, died June 20, 840, Petersaue, Germany, son of the Frankish ruler Charlemagne; he was crowned as co-emperor in 813 and became emperor in 814 on his father's death. Twice deprived of his authority by his sons (Lothair, Pepin, Louis, and Charles), he recovered it each time (830 and 834), but at his death the Carolingian empire was in disarray.

Louis was the fifth child of Charlemagne's second wife, Hildegard the Swabian. From 781 until 814 Louis ruled Aquitaine with some success, though largely through counsellors. When Charlemagne died at Aachen in 814 and was succeeded by Louis, by then his only surviving legitimate son, Louis was well experienced in warfare; he was 36, married to Irmengard of Hesbaye, and was the father of three young sons, Lothair, Pepin, and Louis (Louis the German); he had inherited vast lands, which seemed to be under reasonable control; there was no other claimant to the throne; and on Sept. 11, 813, shortly before his father's death, Louis had been crowned in Aachen as heir and co-emperor.

Louis' first task was to carry out the terms of Charlemagne's will. According to the Frankish chronicler Einhard, Louis did this with great scrupulousness, although other contemporary sources tell a different story. Louis next began to allocate parts of the empire to the various members of his family, and here began the difficulties and disasters that were to beset him for the remainder of his life. In August 814 he made Lothair and Pepin nominal kings of Bavaria and Aquitaine. He also confirmed Bernard, the son of his dead brother Pepin, as king of Italy, which position Charlemagne had allowed him to inherit in 813. But when Bernard revolted in 817, Louis had him blinded, and he died as a result of it. Louis sent his sisters and half sisters to nunneries and later put his three illegitimate half brothers--Drogo, Hugo, and Theodoric--into monasteries.

At the assembly of Aachen in July 817, he confirmed Pepin in the possession of Aquitaine and gave Bavaria to Louis the German; Lothair he made his co-emperor and heir. Charlemagne had been in his 70s and within a few months of death before naming his heir, and for Louis to give such premature expectations to a youth of 22 was to ask for trouble. Moreover, Louis did not anticipate that he would become father of another child: the empress Irmengard died in 818; and four months later Louis married Judith of Bavaria, who, in June 823, bore him a son, Charles (Charles the Bald), to whom the Emperor gave Alemannia in 829.

Backed by his two brothers, Lothair rose in revolt and deposed his father. The assembly of Nijmegen in October 830, however, restored Louis to the throne; and, the following February, at the assembly of Aachen, in a second partition, Lothair was given Italy. In 832 Louis took Aquitaine away from Pepin and gave it to Charles. The three brothers revolted a second time, with the support of Pope Gregory IV, and at a meeting near Sigolsheim, in Alsace, once more deposed their father. In March 834 Louis was again restored to the throne and made peace with Pepin and with Louis the German. Later in 834, Lothair rose again, but alone, and had to retreat into Italy. Encouraged by his success, Louis made over more territories to his son Charles at the assemblies of Aachen and Nijmegen (837-838)--a move the three brothers accepted but with bad grace. In 839 Louis the German revolted but was driven back into Bavaria.

Meanwhile, Pepin had died (December 838), and, at the assembly of Worms (May 30, 839), a fourth partition was made, the empire being divided between Lothair and Charles, with Bavaria left in the hands of Louis the German. Toward the end of 839 Louis the German marched his troops for the last time against his father, who once more drove him back. The Emperor called an assembly at Worms on July 1, 840. Before it could meet, however, Louis the Pious died at Petersaue, an island in the Rhine near Ingelheim. He was 62 and had ruled for nearly 27 years. He was buried in the Church of St. Arnulf in Metz by Bishop Drogo, his half brother.

The empire he had inherited in peace, Louis left in disarray. He had engaged in no serious external conflict, although the Danes and others had continued to make inroads into the empire. From 829 his four sons had been a constant source of disruption; the quarrels among Lothair, Louis the German, and Charles the Bald were to continue for decades after his death. In many ways Louis seems to have been an estimable person. He was presumably given the epithet the Pious because of his devoutness, his liberality to the church, his interest in ecclesiastical affairs, and the good education he had received. Contemporary historians vary little in their judgment: the Astronomer of Limousin stresses his continued courage in the face of adversity; Thegan, bishop of Trier, gives a long and admiring description of his person, his talents, his Christian charity, his devoutness, and his skill as a hunter; and the poem of Ermoldus Nigellus is full of adulation. Like his father, Charlemagne, Louis the Pious is depicted in several of the chansons de geste of the 12th century, notably the Chanson de Guillaume, the Couronnement de Louis, and the Charroi de Nîmes: he appears as a kindly ruler but a weak and vacillating one. [Encyclopaedia Britannica CD '97, LOUIS I](Louis) Ludwig's father, the Emperor Charlemagne, who died in 814 , had intended to split his empire between his sons, but al l except Ludwig predeceased him. Ludwig, therefore became s ole heir to the Empire. His was a troubled reign. He exile d some of his father's closest advisors (including two cous ins) immediately upon his succession. In 817, Louis declare d that his eldest son, Lothar, would succeed him as Empore r and that his two younger sons, Ludwig and Pepin would b e given kingdoms within the Empire. The three sons were sat isfied with this arrangement. Louis had a nephew, Bernard , who had succeeded his father, Pepin, as King of Italy i n 812. Louis made no provision for Bernard in the successio n plan. Bernard, feeling he had been slighted, revolted aga inst Ludwig. Ludwig put down the revolt and had Bernard bl inded. In 823 Louis' second wife bore him a son, Karl. Ludw ig made known that he planned to include Karl in his succes sion plans. This was not acceptable to Karl's half brothers , Lothar and Ludwig. From the late 820s until his death i n 840, Ludwig was in a continual struggle with one or mor e of his sons. Three years of bitter civil war followed Lud wig's death. The Treaty of Verdun in 843 finally brought so me resolution. Lothar was recognized as Emporer and was giv en soverignty in an area which was to become known as "th e Middle Kingdom" stretching from the North Sea to Rome. Lu dwig became soverign over the portion of the old Empire eas t of Lothar's (basically modern day Germany) and Karl becam e soverign over the portion of the old Empire west of Lotha r's (modern day France). The other brother, Pepin had die d in 838. Lothar, even thouigh he retained the title of Emp orer, had no authority in Ludwig's or Karl's domains. It wa s during these times of unrest towards the end of Ludwig' s reign that the Vikings began to make their first raids al ong the northern coast of the Empire, occasionally venturin g inland as well.