Carolingian Empire
Carolingian Empire – The Precursor of France and Germany
Carolingian Empire refers to the Realm of the Franks from the Imperial coronation of Charlemagne in 800 to election of the first non-Carolingian king in West Francia in 888. The Realm of the Franks under the Carolingian dynasty is traditionally viewed as precursor of both France and Germany because the fragmentation of the empire among the members of the Carolingian dynasty resulted in the rise of two independent political units that came to be known as the Kingdom of France and the Holy Roman Empire by the end of the Early Middle Ages.
Foundation of the Carolingian Dynasty
The coronation of Charlemagne as Imperator Romanorum (Emperor of the Romans) by Pope Leo III on Christmas Day in 800 emphasized the Frankish Kingdom as the leading power in medieval Europe because both the Empire and the rule of the Carolingians were actually established by Charles Martel (c. 688-741), an illegitimate son of Pepin of Herstal, Mayor of the Palace of Austrasia. Charles Martel officially served as Mayor of the Palace under the Merovingian dynasty although he was de facto ruler of the Frankish Kingdom. The Carolingian Empire achieved its greatest territorial extent during the reign of Charlemagne but Saxony, Lombardy, Danubian Plain and the Marca Hispanica (region between the Pyrenees and the Ebro River) were the only significant territorial additions after Martel’s death in 741. Charles Martel also went into history for stopping the Muslim conquests in Europe by decisively defeating the invading Umayyads in the Battle of Tours in 732.
Charlemagne – The Emperor of the West
Although Charles Martel never assumed the title of king, he divided the Frankish lands among his sons Carloman and Pepin the Short like the Merovingian kings. Carloman and Pepin the Short succeeded their father as Mayor of the Palace of Austrasia and Mayor of the Palace of Neustria, respectively, but Carloman went into monastery in 747 leaving Pepin as the sole Mayor of the Palace. After gaining Pope Zachary’s support, he deposed the last Merovingian King Childeric III and had himself crowned King of the Franks in 751. On Pepin’s death in 768, the Frankish Kingdom was divided the among his two sons Carloman and Charlemagne who became sole King of the Franks after his brother’s death in 771, made the Frankish Kingdom the most powerful early medieval kingdom and became the Emperor of the West, while the Carolingian Empire on his death in 814 stretched from the Elbe River in the north to the Mediterranean Sea in the south, and Atlantic Ocean in the west and the upper Danube in the east.
Carolingian Empire after Charlemagne’s Death
In 806, Charlemagne divided his empire among his three sons Charles, Pepin and Louis the Pious. Pepin died without a legitimate male heir in 810, while Charles died one year later leaving Louis the Pious as sole Emperor on Charlemagne’s death in 814. Despite that Louis spent most of his rule struggling to maintain his position and control of the Carolingian Empire. In 817, he had to deal with rebellion of Pepin’s illegitimate son Bernard and several rebellions of his sons after he tried to create another kingdom for his fourth son from his second marriage, Charles the Bald in 823. In 830, Lothair I who was made co-emperor rebelled and deposed his father but his brothers Pepin and Louis the German feared potential Lothair’s supremacy and restored Louis to the throne shortly thereafter. However, only three years later Louis’ eldest sons rebelled for the second time and imprisoned both their father and younger brother Charles the Bald. The conflict was settled in 835 and Louis was restored to the throne.
Division of the Carolingian Empire with the Treaty of Verdun in 843
Pepin, the second Louis’ son who was made King of Aquitaine died in 838. Louis gave his lands to Charles the Bald but the nobility elected Pepin’s son Pepin II resulting in a conflict that was not resolved until Pepin’s death in 860. In addition, Lothair I claimed the entire empire on the death of Louis the Pious in 840 provoking a civil war which ended with his defeat and the Treaty of Verdun in 843. Lothair retained the Imperial title but the Charlemagne’s empire was partitioned among the three brothers. Lothair received the central part of the Carolingian Empire between the Rhine and Rhone Rivers and Kingdom of Italy, Charles the Bald gained the eastern part of the empire west of Rhone or West Francia, while Louis the German was granted the lands east of the Rhine and north and east of Italy that came to be known as the Eastern Frankish Realm or East Francia.
Division of Lothair’s Kingdom between Charles the Bald and Louis the German
Lothair’s kingdom was on his death in 855 divided among his sons Louis II who got Italy, Charles of Burgundy who acquired Burgundy and Lothair II who received the remaining territory which came to be known as Lotharingia or Lorraine. All three Lothair’s sons died without legitimate male heirs and the former Lothair’s kingdom was divided between Louis the German and Charles the Bald. The latter also tried to gain the Eastern Frankish Realm after the death of Louis the German in 876 but he was defeated by Louis’ sons Louis the Younger, Carloman of Bavaria and Charles the Fat who divided East Francia among themselves according to the division made by their father one decade earlier.
Eastern Frankish Realm after the Death of Louis the German
Charles the Bald died in 877 while crossing the Pass of Mont Cenis at Brides-les-Bains. His eldest son Louis the Stammerer succeeded him as King of Western Francia, while Italy was granted to Carloman, son of Louis the German and King of Bavaria. However, after suffering a stroke in 879 Carloman ceded Bavaria to Louis the Younger and Italy to his youngest brother Charles the Fat who was crowned Emperor in 881 and united the Eastern Frankish Empire one year later when he also acquired the lands of Louis the Younger who died without a legitimate male heir.
Unification of Charlemagne’s Empire by Charles the Fat
The King of West Francia, Louis the Stammerer died only after two years of reign in 879 and was succeeded by his sons Carloman II and Louis III but following the death of the latter in 882 Carloman became sole ruler. He died in 884 while hunting and was succeeded by Charles the Fat who united the Charlemagne’s empire but only for a short period. He was deposed as King of East Francia in 887. The Illegitimate son of Carloman of Bavaria, Arnulf of Carinthia was elected King of East Francia, while Count Odo of Paris became King of West Francia after Charles’ death in 888. At the same time Italy was granted to Count Berengar of Friuli, Aquitaine to Ranulf II, Count of Poitou, Upper Burgundy to Rudolf I of the Elder House of Welf and Lower Burgundy to Louis the Blind, a Carolingian through his mother.
Carolingians After the Division of the Carolingian Empire
Carolingians continued to rule East Francia until 911 when the last Carolingian ruler Louis the Child died without a male heir. West Francia was ruled by the Carolingian dynasty intermittently until the death of Louis V in 987. The male line of Carolingians became extinct with the death of Odo the Insane, Count of Vermandois, while the last member of the Carolingian dynasty – Odo’s sister Adelaide of Vermandois died in 1122.
