Louis the Pious

Louis the Pious, also called the Fair and the Debonaire, was King of the Franks and co-emperor with his father, Charlemagne. Born on April 16, 778, he became King of Aquitaine in 781 and was crowned co-emperor in 813. After Charlemagne’s death in 814, Louis became the sole ruler of the Frankish Empire.

During his time as King of Aquitaine, Louis defended the empire’s southwestern frontier. He conquered Barcelona from the Emirate of Córdoba in 801 and strengthened Frankish control over areas like Pamplona and the Basques south of the Pyrenees.

Louis tried to include his adult sons, Lothair, Pepin, and Louis, in governing the empire, planning to divide it among them. However, his reign faced many challenges, including family conflicts and civil wars. Despite these difficulties, Louis ruled until his death on June 20, 840.

Birth and rule in Aquitaine

Louis was born in 778 while his father Charlemagne was campaigning through the Pyrenees. He was the third son of Charlemagne and his wife Hildegard. At the age of three, Louis was crowned King of Aquitaine and sent to rule there with regents and a court. Charlemagne created this smaller kingdom to help protect the borders after wars with local groups.

Charlemagne wanted Louis to grow up understanding the customs and people of his kingdom. In 794, he gave Louis several villas to use as winter residences. Louis also led armies in battles, such as the siege of Barcelona, learning to rule through these experiences. When his brothers died, Louis became the sole ruler of the entire Frankish Empire after his father's death in 814.

Reign

While at his palace of Doué, Anjou, Louis received news of his father's death. He rushed to Aachen and crowned himself emperor. Upon arriving at the imperial court in Aachen, Louis's first act was to purge the palace of what he considered undesirable. He destroyed old Germanic pagan tokens and texts collected by Charlemagne. He also exiled members of the court he deemed morally "dissolute", including some of his own relatives.

He quickly sent his unmarried (half-)sisters and nieces to nunneries to avoid entanglements. He made Bernard, margrave of Septimania, and Ebbo, Archbishop of Reims his chief counsellors. He employed Benedict of Aniane, whom he made abbot of the newly established Inden Monastery at Aix-la-Chapelle and charged him with the reform of the Frankish church.

In 816, Pope Stephen IV, visited Reims and again crowned Louis on Sunday 5 October. As a result, most French kings were crowned in Reims, following the custom established by Louis the Pious.

On 9 April 817, Louis issued an imperial decree, the Ordinatio Imperii, that laid out plans for an orderly dynastic succession. He divided the empire among his three sons: Lothair was proclaimed co-emperor and promised the succession to most of the Frankish dominions; Pepin was proclaimed King of Aquitaine; and Louis, the youngest son, was proclaimed King of Bavaria.

The decree failed to create order as it omitted Bernard, who began to conspire. When Louis issued changes in favor of his second wife Judith's son Charles the Bald, his sons Lothar, Pepin and Louis refused to accept. The rule of sons being favoured over brothers in succession remained untouched.

Louis faced several rebellions during his reign. In 833, he was captured by his son Lothair and forced to undergo public penance. However, Louis was restored to power the next year. Further conflicts arose among his sons, leading to more divisions of the empire.

In the final civil war of his reign, Louis crowned his son Charles king over Alemannia and Burgundy. When Pepin died in 838, Louis declared Charles the new king of Aquitaine, leading to another conflict. By 839, Louis had subjugated Aquitaine and had Charles recognised by the nobles and clergy. The empire settled as he had declared it at Worms, and the final civil war of his reign ended.

Death

Louis fell ill after his last military campaigns and went to his summer hunting lodge near his palace at Ingelheim. He died on 20 June 840, surrounded by bishops and clerics, with his half-brother Drogo by his side. Before he passed, he forgave his son Louis, named Lothair as emperor, and asked for protection for Charles and Judith, who were not present.

After Louis's death, his surviving brothers fought in a civil war that lasted until 843. This ended with the Treaty of Verdun, which split the empire into three parts. West Francia and East Francia later became the roots of modern France and Germany. Middle Francia, which included areas such as Burgundy, the Low Countries, and northern Italy, existed only until 855 before becoming Lotharingia. The disagreement over who would rule Aquitaine wasn’t completely solved until 860. Louis was buried in the Abbey of Saint-Arnould in Metz.

Marriage and issue

Louis the Pious had many children with his wives and also one child outside of marriage. With his first wife, Ermengarde of Hesbaye, he had three sons and three daughters, including Lothair, who became king of Middle Francia, and Louis the German, who became king of East Francia. With his second wife, Judith of Bavaria, he had a son named Charles the Bald, who became king of West Francia, and a daughter named Gisela. He also had an illegitimate son named Arnulf of Sens and an illegitimate daughter named Alpaïs of Paris.