Lothair I: Difference between revisions

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imported>Roundman96
Changed "was a 9th-century Roman Emperor" and its link to the office of Roman Emperor to "was a 9th-century emperor of the Carolingian empire" with a link to the office of Holy Roman Emperor. This change is consistent with his predecessor Louis the Pious and his successor Louis II, and is clearer and more descriptive to a reader who might confuse that office with either the classical Roman emperor or the contemporary eastern Roman/Byzantine emperor.
 
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'''Lothair I''' (9th. C. [[Frankish language|Frankish]]: ''Ludher'' and [[Medieval Latin]]: ''Lodharius'';<ref>{{Cite book |title=Historiarum Libri|last=Nithard |author-link=Nithard |url=https://www.dmgh.de/mgh_ss_2/index.htm#page/665/mode/1up}}</ref> [[Dutch language|Dutch]] and [[Medieval Latin]]: ''Lotharius''; [[German language|German]]: ''Lothar''; [[French language|French]]: ''Lothaire''; [[Italian language|Italian]]: ''Lotario''; 795 – 29 September 855) was a 9th-century [[Holy Roman Emperor|emperor of the Carolingian empire]] (817–855, with his father until 840) and [[king of Italy]] (818–855) and [[Middle Francia]] (843–855).
'''Lothair I''' (9th. C. [[Frankish language|Frankish]]: ''Ludher'' and [[Medieval Latin]]: ''Lodharius'';<ref>{{Cite book |title=Historiarum Libri|last=Nithard |author-link=Nithard |url=https://www.dmgh.de/mgh_ss_2/index.htm#page/665/mode/1up}}</ref> [[Dutch language|Dutch]] and [[Medieval Latin]]: ''Lotharius''; [[German language|German]]: ''Lothar''; [[French language|French]]: ''Lothaire''; [[Italian language|Italian]]: ''Lotario''; 795 – 29 September 855) was a 9th-century [[Holy Roman Emperor|emperor of the Carolingian empire]] (817–855, with his father until 840) and [[king of Italy]] (818–855) and [[Middle Francia]] (843–855).


Lothair I was the eldest son of the Carolingian emperor [[Louis the Pious|Louis I]] and his wife [[Ermengarde of Hesbaye]],<ref name="eb11">{{EB1911|inline=1|wstitle=Lothair I.}}</ref> daughter of [[Ingerman of Hesbaye|Ingerman]] the duke of [[Hesbaye]]. On several occasions, Lothair led his full-brothers [[Pepin I of Aquitaine]] and [[Louis the German]] in revolt against their father to protest against attempts to make their half-brother [[Charles the Bald]] a co-heir to the Frankish domains. Upon the father's death, Charles and Louis joined forces against Lothair in [[Carolingian civil war|a three-year civil war (840–843)]]. The struggles between the brothers led directly to the breakup of the [[Frankish Empire]] assembled by their grandfather [[Charlemagne]], and laid the foundation for the development of modern [[France]] and [[Germany]].<ref name="KiblerZinn1995"/>
Lothair I was the eldest son of the Carolingian emperor [[Louis the Pious|Louis I]] and his wife [[Ermengarde of Hesbaye]],<ref name="eb11">{{EB1911|inline=1|wstitle=Lothair I.}}</ref> daughter of [[Ingerman of Hesbaye|Ingerman]] the duke of [[Hesbaye]]. On several occasions, Lothair led his full-brothers [[Pepin I of Aquitaine]] and [[Louis the German]] in revolt against their father to protest against attempts to make their half-brother [[Charles the Bald]] a co-heir to the Frankish domains. Upon the father's death, Charles and Louis joined forces against Lothair in [[Carolingian civil war|a three-year dynastic war (840–843)]]. The struggles between the brothers led directly to the breakup of the [[Frankish Empire]] assembled by their grandfather [[Charlemagne]], and laid the foundation for the development of modern [[France]] and [[Germany]].<ref name="KiblerZinn1995"/>


== Early life and reign ==
== Early life and reign ==
[[File:Vertrag von Verdun en.svg|thumb|right|220px|Division of the Carolingian Empire under the [[Treaty of Verdun]] (843)]]
{{stack|
[[File:Vertrag von Verdun en.svg|thumb|Division of the Carolingian Empire under the [[Treaty of Verdun]] (843)]]
}}
Lothair was born in 795, to Louis the Pious and Ermengarde of Hesbaye. His father was the son of the reigning Emperor, [[Charlemagne]]. At the time of Lothair's birth, his father Louis was already the [[King of Aquitaine]]. Little is known of Lothair's early life, which was probably passed at the courts of his father and grandfather. In 814, the elderly emperor died, and left his sole surviving legitimate son Louis the Pious as successor to his vast empire. Being already of age, Lothair was sent to govern [[Duchy of Bavaria|Bavaria]] for his father, the new emperor.{{sfn|Scholz|1970|p=97}}


Lothair was born in 795, to Louis the Pious and Ermengarde of Hesbaye. His father was the son of the reigning Emperor, Charlemagne. Little is known of Lothair's early life, which was probably passed at the court of his grandfather [[Charlemagne]]. In 814, the elderly emperor died, and left his sole surviving legitimate son Louis the Pious as successor to his vast empire. The next year, Lothair would be sent to govern Bavaria for his father, the new emperor.<ref name=eb11 /> In 817, Louis the Pious<ref name=eb11 /> drew up his ''Ordinatio Imperii''.<ref name="Duckett">{{cite book|last1=Duckett|first1=Eleanor|title=Carolingian Portraits|date=1962|publisher=University of Michigan Press|pages=26, 34|ref=2}}</ref> In this, Louis designated Lothair as his principal heir and ordered that Lothair would be the overlord of Louis' younger sons Pippin of Aquitaine (who was 20) and Louis the German (who was 13), as well as his nephew (Lothair's cousin) [[Bernard of Italy]]. Lothair would also inherit their lands if they were to die childless. Lothair, aged 22, was then crowned joint emperor by his father at [[Aachen]].<ref name=eb11 /> At the same time, Aquitaine and Bavaria were granted to his brothers Pippin and Louis, respectively, as subsidiary kingdoms.<ref name="Duckett" /> Following the death of Bernard, brought on by his plotting against and blinding by Louis the Pious, Lothair also received the Kingdom of Italy.{{citation needed|date=August 2012}} In 821, Lothair married [[Ermengarde of Tours|Ermengarde]] (d. 851), daughter of [[Hugh of Tours|Hugh]] the [[Count of Tours]].<ref name=eb11 />
In 817, Louis the Pious drew up his ''[[Ordinatio Imperii]]''.{{sfn|Goldberg|2006|p=29-32}} By that act, Louis designated Lothair as his principal heir and ordered that Lothair would be the overlord of Louis' younger sons Pippin of Aquitaine (who was 20) and Louis the German (who was 13), and also the presumptive overlord of the [[Kingdom of Italy (medieval)|Kingdom of Italy]], that was ruled at this time by their cousin, king [[Bernard of Italy]]. Lothair would also inherit their lands if they were to die childless. Lothair was then crowned joint emperor by his father at [[Aachen]]. At the same time, Aquitaine and Bavaria were granted to his brothers Pippin and Louis, respectively, as subsidiary kingdoms.{{sfn|Scholz|1970|p=102-103}}{{sfn|Goldberg|2006|p=31}} 


In 822, he assumed the government of [[Italy]], and at Easter, 5 April 823, he was crowned emperor again by [[Pope Paschal I]], this time at [[Rome]]. In November 824, Lothair promulgated a statute, the ''[[Constitutio Romana]]'', concerning the relations of pope and emperor, which reserved the supreme power to the secular potentate, and he afterwards issued various ordinances for the good government of Italy.<ref name=eb11 />
Following the death of Bernard (818),{{sfn|Scholz|1970|p=130}} brought on by his plotting against and blinding by Louis the Pious, Italy was awarded to Lothair.{{citation needed|date=August 2012}} In 821, Lothair married [[Ermengarde of Tours|Ermengarde]] (d. 851), daughter of [[Hugh of Tours|Hugh]] the [[Count of Tours]].{{sfn|Scholz|1970|p=111}} In 822, he assumed the government of [[Kingdom of Italy (medieval)|Italy]],{{sfn|Scholz|1970|p=111}} and at Easter, 5 April 823, he received the royal crown of Italy, and was again crowned as emperor by [[Pope Paschal I]], this time at [[Rome]].{{sfn|Scholz|1970|p=112-113}} In November 824, Lothair promulgated a statute, the ''[[Constitutio Romana]]'', concerning the relations of pope and emperor, which reserved the supreme power to the secular potentate, and he afterwards issued various ordinances for the good government of Italy.<ref name=eb11 />


On Lothair's return to his father's court, his stepmother [[Judith, daughter of Welf|Judith]] won his consent to her plan for securing a kingdom for her son [[Charles the Bald|Charles]], a scheme which was carried out in 829,<ref name=eb11 /> when the young prince was given [[Alemannia]] as king.{{citation needed|date=August 2012}} Lothair, however, soon changed his attitude and spent the succeeding decade in constant strife over the division of the Empire with his father. He was alternately master of the Empire, and banished and confined to Italy, at one time taking up arms in alliance with his brothers and at another fighting against them, whilst the bounds of his appointed kingdom were in turn extended and reduced.<ref name=eb11 /><ref name=jong/>
On Lothair's return to his father's court, his stepmother [[Judith, daughter of Welf|Judith]] won his consent to her plan for securing a kingdom for her son [[Charles the Bald|Charles]], a scheme which was carried out in 829, when the young prince was given [[Alemannia]] as king.{{sfn|Scholz|1970|p=131}} Lothair, however, soon changed his attitude and spent the succeeding decade in constant strife over the division of the Empire with his father. He was alternately master of the Empire, and banished and confined to Italy, at one time taking up arms in alliance with his brothers and at another fighting against them, whilst the bounds of his appointed kingdom were in turn extended and reduced.{{sfn|Scholz|1970|p=133-140}}


== Division of the kingdom ==
== Division of the kingdom ==
[[File:Vertrag von Prüm.svg|thumb|right|220px|Division of the Carolingian Empire under the [[Treaty of Prüm]] (855)]]
[[File:Vertrag von Prüm.svg|thumb|right|Division of the Carolingian Empire under the [[Treaty of Prüm]] (855)]]


The first rebellion began in 830. All three brothers fought their father, whom they deposed.  In 831, their father was reinstated and he deprived Lothair of his imperial title and gave Italy to Charles. The second rebellion was instigated by [[Angilbert II, Archbishop of Milan]] in 833, and again Louis was deposed in 834. Lothair, through the loyalty of the Lombards and later reconciliations, retained Italy and the imperial position through all remaining divisions of the Empire by his father.<ref name=jong>{{cite web |url= https://www.academia.edu/15388945 |title= The Penitential State. Authority and Atonement in the Ages of Louis the Pious (814–840) – 1. Louis the Pious – A boy who became a king|publisher= Academia | author=Mayke de Jong | access-date= 25 January 2020 }}</ref><ref name="Riche1993">{{cite book|author=Pierre Riche|title=The Carolingians: A Family Who Forged Europe|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Tcjy7bCmFL0C|year=1993|publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press|isbn=0-8122-1342-4}}</ref>
The first rebellion began in 830. All three brothers fought their father, whom they deposed.  In 831, their father was reinstated and he deprived Lothair of his imperial title and gave Italy to Charles. The second rebellion was instigated by [[Angilbert II, Archbishop of Milan]] in 833, and again Louis was deposed in 834. Lothair, through the loyalty of the Lombards and later reconciliations, retained Italy and the imperial position through all remaining divisions of the Empire by his father.<ref name=jong>{{cite web |url= https://www.academia.edu/15388945 |title= The Penitential State. Authority and Atonement in the Ages of Louis the Pious (814–840) – 1. Louis the Pious – A boy who became a king|publisher= Academia | author=Mayke de Jong | access-date= 25 January 2020 }}</ref>{{sfn|Riché|1993|p=}}


[[File:Karolingische denier Lotharius Dorestad.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Denier of Lothair I, struck in [[Dorestad]] ([[Middle Francia]]) after 850]]
[[File:Karolingische denier Lotharius Dorestad.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Denier of Lothair I, struck in [[Dorestad]] ([[Middle Francia]]) after 850]]
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When Louis the Pious was dying in 840, he sent the imperial insignia to Lothair, who, disregarding the various partitions, claimed the whole of the Empire. He was 45 years old when his father died. Negotiations with his brother Louis the German and his half-brother Charles, both of whom resisted this claim, were followed by an alliance of the younger brothers against Lothair.<ref name="KiblerZinn1995">{{cite book|author1=William W. Kibler|author2=Grover A. Zinn|title=Medieval France: An Encyclopedia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MQoKeohhNkMC&pg=PA1065|year=1995|publisher=Psychology Press|isbn=978-0-8240-4444-2|pages=1065–}}</ref> A decisive battle was fought at [[Battle of Fontenay (841)|Fontenay-en-Puisaye]] on 25 June 841, when, in spite of his<ref name=eb11 /> and his allied nephew [[Pepin II of Aquitaine]]'s{{citation needed|date=August 2012}} personal gallantry, Lothair was defeated and fled to Aachen. With fresh troops he began a war of plunder, but the forces of his brothers were too strong, and taking with him such treasure as he could collect, he abandoned his capital to them.<ref name=eb11 />{{Clarify|date=June 2011}} He met with the leaders of the ''[[Stellinga]]'' in [[Speyer]] and promised them his support in return for theirs, but Louis and then the native Saxon nobility put down the ''Stellinga'' in the next years.{{citation needed|date=August 2012}}
When Louis the Pious was dying in 840, he sent the imperial insignia to Lothair, who, disregarding the various partitions, claimed the whole of the Empire. He was 45 years old when his father died. Negotiations with his brother Louis the German and his half-brother Charles, both of whom resisted this claim, were followed by an alliance of the younger brothers against Lothair.<ref name="KiblerZinn1995">{{cite book|author1=William W. Kibler|author2=Grover A. Zinn|title=Medieval France: An Encyclopedia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MQoKeohhNkMC&pg=PA1065|year=1995|publisher=Psychology Press|isbn=978-0-8240-4444-2|pages=1065–}}</ref> A decisive battle was fought at [[Battle of Fontenay (841)|Fontenay-en-Puisaye]] on 25 June 841, when, in spite of his<ref name=eb11 /> and his allied nephew [[Pepin II of Aquitaine]]'s{{citation needed|date=August 2012}} personal gallantry, Lothair was defeated and fled to Aachen. With fresh troops he began a war of plunder, but the forces of his brothers were too strong, and taking with him such treasure as he could collect, he abandoned his capital to them.<ref name=eb11 />{{Clarify|date=June 2011}} He met with the leaders of the ''[[Stellinga]]'' in [[Speyer]] and promised them his support in return for theirs, but Louis and then the native Saxon nobility put down the ''Stellinga'' in the next years.{{citation needed|date=August 2012}}


Peace negotiations began, and in June 842 the brothers met on an island in the [[Saône]]. They agreed to an arrangement which developed, after much difficulty and delay, into the [[Treaty of Verdun]], signed in August 843. By this, Lothair received the imperial title as well as northern Italy and a long stretch of territory from the [[North Sea]] to the [[Mediterranean Sea|Mediterranean]], essentially along the valleys of the [[Rhine]] and the [[Rhône]]; this territory includes the regions [[Lorraine]], [[Alsace]], [[Burgundy]], and [[Provence]]. He soon ceded Italy to his eldest son, [[Louis II of Italy|Louis]], and remained in his new kingdom, engaging in alternate quarrels and reconciliations with his brothers and in futile efforts to defend his lands from the attacks of the Northmen (as [[Vikings]] were known in Frankish writings) and the [[Saracens]] (as those loyal to the various Fatimids, Umayyads and Abbasides are known in Frankish writings).<ref name=eb11 /><ref name="Riche1993"/>
Peace negotiations began, and in June 842 the brothers met on an island in the [[Saône]]. They agreed to an arrangement which developed, after much difficulty and delay, into the [[Treaty of Verdun]], signed in August 843. By this, Lothair received the imperial title as well as northern Italy and a long stretch of territory from the [[North Sea]] to the [[Mediterranean Sea|Mediterranean]], essentially along the valleys of the [[Rhine]] and the [[Rhône]]; this territory includes the regions [[Lorraine]], [[Alsace]], [[Burgundy]], and [[Provence]]. He soon ceded Italy to his eldest son, [[Louis II of Italy|Louis]], and remained in his new kingdom, engaging in alternate quarrels and reconciliations with his brothers and in futile efforts to defend his lands from the attacks of the Northmen (as [[Vikings]] were known in Frankish writings) and the [[Saracens]] (as those loyal to the various Fatimids, Umayyads and Abbasides are known in Frankish writings).<ref name=eb11 />{{sfn|Riché|1993|p=}}


In 845 the count of Arles, [[Fulcrad]], led a rebellion in [[Provence]]. The emperor put it down and the count joined him in an expedition against the Saracens in Italy in 846.<ref>{{cite book |last=Reuter |first=Timothy |authorlink=Timothy Reuter |title=The Annals of Fulda |series=Manchester Medieval series, Ninth-Century Histories |volume=II |location=Manchester |publisher=Manchester University Press |year=1992 |page=24}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |authorlink=René Poupardin |last=Poupardin |first=René |title=Le royaume de Provence sous les Carolingiens (855–933?) |year=1901 |location=Paris |publisher=É. Bouillon |pp=3-4 |url=https://archive.org/details/leroyaumedeprove00poupuoft}}</ref>
In 845 the count of Arles, [[Fulcrad]], led a rebellion in [[Provence]]. The emperor put it down and the count joined him in an expedition against the Saracens in Italy in 846.{{sfn|Reuter|1992|p=24}}<ref>{{cite book |authorlink=René Poupardin |last=Poupardin |first=René |title=Le royaume de Provence sous les Carolingiens (855–933?) |year=1901 |location=Paris |publisher=É. Bouillon |pp=3-4 |url=https://archive.org/details/leroyaumedeprove00poupuoft}}</ref>


== Death and aftermath ==
== Death and aftermath ==
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*Hiltrude (826–865) Married [[Berengar of Spoleto]].
*Hiltrude (826–865) Married [[Berengar of Spoleto]].
*Bertha (c. 830–852) Married to an unknown man, but later Abbess of Avenay.
*Bertha (c. 830–852) Married to an unknown man, but later Abbess of Avenay.
*Gisela (c. 830–856) abbess of San Salvatore at Brescia<ref>Constance Brittain Bouchard, ''Those of My Blood: Creating Noble Families in Medieval Francia'', (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2001), 106.</ref>
*Gisela (c. 830–856) abbess of San Salvatore at Brescia.{{sfn|Bouchard|2001|p=106}}
*[[Lothair II of Lotharingia|Lothair II]] (835–869) Succeeded his father. Married [[Teutberga]],{{sfn|McKitterick|1983|loc=table 3}} daughter of [[Boso the Elder]], Count of Arles.
*[[Lothair II of Lotharingia|Lothair II]] (835–869) Succeeded his father. Married [[Teutberga]],{{sfn|McKitterick|1983|loc=table 3}} daughter of [[Boso the Elder]], Count of Arles.
*Rotrude (c. 840) Married [[Lambert II of Nantes]].
*Rotrude (c. 840) Married [[Lambert II of Nantes]].
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==See also==
==See also==
{{col div}}
* [[Middle Francia]]
* [[Middle Francia]]
* [[History of Italy]]
* [[History of Burgundy]]
* [[History of Burgundy]]
* [[History of Provence]]
* [[History of Provence]]
* [[History of Italy]]
{{col div end}}


== References ==
== References ==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist|2}}


== Sources ==
== Sources ==
{{refbegin|30em}}
{{refbegin|2}}
* {{Cite book|last=Goldberg|first=Eric J.|title=Struggle for Empire: Kingship and Conflict under Louis the German, 817-876|year=2006|location=Ithaca, NY|publisher=Cornell University Press|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oyiTg0wgl58C}}
* {{Cite book|last=Bouchard|first=Constance B.|title=Those of My Blood: Creating Noble Families in Medieval Francia|year=2001|location=Philadelphia|publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yxSxikFnSU8C&pg=PR3}}
* {{Cite book|last=Bowlus|first=Charles R.|title=Franks, Moravians, and Magyars: The Struggle for the Middle Danube, 788-907|year=1995|location=Philadelphia|publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=x5x0BAAAQBAJ&pg=PR3}}
* {{Cite book|last=Goldberg|first=Eric J.|title=Struggle for Empire: Kingship and Conflict under Louis the German, 817-876|year=2006|location=Ithaca, NY|publisher=Cornell University Press|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oyiTg0wgl58C&pg=PR3}}
* {{Cite book|last=McKitterick|first=Rosamond|author-link=Rosamond McKitterick|title=The Frankish Kingdoms Under the Carolingians, 751-987|year=1983|location=Harlow|publisher=Longman|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wtNnAAAAMAAJ}}
* {{Cite book|last=McKitterick|first=Rosamond|author-link=Rosamond McKitterick|title=The Frankish Kingdoms Under the Carolingians, 751-987|year=1983|location=Harlow|publisher=Longman|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wtNnAAAAMAAJ}}
* {{Cite book|last=Nelson|first=Janet L.|author-link=Janet Nelson|title=King and Emperor: A New Life of Charlemagne|year=2019|location=Oakland|publisher=University of California Press|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ePujDwAAQBAJ}}
* {{Cite book|last=Nelson|first=Janet L.|author-link=Janet Nelson|title=King and Emperor: A New Life of Charlemagne|year=2019|location=Oakland|publisher=University of California Press|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ePujDwAAQBAJ&pg=PR3}}
* {{Cite book|last=Reuter|first=Timothy|author-link=Timothy Reuter|title=Germany in the Early Middle Ages c. 800–1056|year=2013|orig-year=1991|location=London and New York|publisher=Routledge|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GfvJAwAAQBAJ}}
* {{Cite book|last=Reuter|first=Timothy|author-link=Timothy Reuter|title=The Annals of Fulda|year=1992|location=Manchester|publisher=Manchester University Press|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=icdRAQAAIAAJ&pg=PP5}}
* {{Cite book|last=Schutz|first=Herbert|author-link=Herbert Schutz|title=The Carolingians in Central Europe, Their History, Arts, and Architecture: A Cultural History of Central Europe, 750-900|year=2004|location=Leiden-Boston|publisher=Brill|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8ZJONlzdyPsC}}
* {{Cite book|last=Reuter|first=Timothy|author-link=Timothy Reuter|title=Germany in the Early Middle Ages c. 800–1056|year=2013|orig-year=1991|location=London and New York|publisher=Routledge|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GfvJAwAAQBAJ&pg=PR3}}
* {{Cite book|last=Riché|first=Pierre|author-link=Pierre Riché|title=The Carolingians: A Family Who Forged Europe|year=1993|location=Philadelphia|publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Tcjy7bCmFL0C&pg=PR3}}
* {{Cite book|editor-last=Scholz|editor-first=Bernhard W.|title=Carolingian Chronicles: Royal Frankish Annals and Nithard's Histories|year=1970|location=Ann Arbor, MI|publisher=University of Michigan Press|isbn=0472061860|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sTzl6wFjehMC&pg=PP7}}
* {{Cite book|last=Schutz|first=Herbert|author-link=Herbert Schutz|title=The Carolingians in Central Europe, Their History, Arts, and Architecture: A Cultural History of Central Europe, 750-900|year=2004|location=Leiden-Boston|publisher=Brill|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8ZJONlzdyPsC&pg=PR3}}
* {{Cite book|last=West|first=Charles|title=The Fall of a Carolingian Kingdom: Lotharingia, 855–869|year=2023|location=Toronto|publisher=University of Toronto Press|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Sp_UEAAAQBAJ}}
* {{Cite book|last=West|first=Charles|title=The Fall of a Carolingian Kingdom: Lotharingia, 855–869|year=2023|location=Toronto|publisher=University of Toronto Press|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Sp_UEAAAQBAJ}}
* [http://sites.google.com/site/lettersoflothar/ Surviving letters of Lothar I], in Latin with English translation by Richard Matthew Pollard.
{{refend}}
{{refend}}


; 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica sources
== External links ==
{{EB1911 poster|Lothair I.}}
{{EB1911 poster|Lothair I.}}
{{refbegin}}
* ''[[Annales Fuldenses]]''
* [[Nithard]], ''Historiarum Libri'', both in the ''[[Monumenta Germaniae Historica]] Scriptores'', Bände i. and ii. ([[Hanover]] and [[Berlin]], 1826 fol.)
* [[E. Mühlbacher]], ''Die Regesten des Kaiserreichs unter den Karolingern'' ([[Innsbruck]], 1881)
* [[E. Dümmler]], ''Geschichte des ostfränkischen Reichs'' ([[Leipzig]], 1887–1888)
* [[B. Simson]], ''Jahrbücher des deutschen Reiches unter Ludwig dem Frommen'' ([[Leipzig]], 1874–1876)
{{refend}}
== External links ==
* {{Commons category-inline|Lothair I}}
* {{Commons category-inline|Lothair I}}
* [http://sites.google.com/site/lettersoflothar/ Surviving letters of Lothar I], in Latin with English translation by Richard Matthew Pollard.


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{{S-start}}
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{{S-hou|[[Carolingian dynasty]]|795||29 September|855}}
{{S-hou|[[Carolingian dynasty]]|795||29 September|855}}

Latest revision as of 03:55, 8 June 2025

Template:Short description Template:Multiple issues Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox royalty

Lothair I (9th. C. Frankish: Ludher and Medieval Latin: Lodharius;[1] Dutch and Medieval Latin: Lotharius; German: Lothar; French: Lothaire; Italian: Lotario; 795 – 29 September 855) was a 9th-century emperor of the Carolingian empire (817–855, with his father until 840) and king of Italy (818–855) and Middle Francia (843–855).

Lothair I was the eldest son of the Carolingian emperor Louis I and his wife Ermengarde of Hesbaye,[2] daughter of Ingerman the duke of Hesbaye. On several occasions, Lothair led his full-brothers Pepin I of Aquitaine and Louis the German in revolt against their father to protest against attempts to make their half-brother Charles the Bald a co-heir to the Frankish domains. Upon the father's death, Charles and Louis joined forces against Lothair in a three-year dynastic war (840–843). The struggles between the brothers led directly to the breakup of the Frankish Empire assembled by their grandfather Charlemagne, and laid the foundation for the development of modern France and Germany.[3]

Early life and reign

Template:Stack Lothair was born in 795, to Louis the Pious and Ermengarde of Hesbaye. His father was the son of the reigning Emperor, Charlemagne. At the time of Lothair's birth, his father Louis was already the King of Aquitaine. Little is known of Lothair's early life, which was probably passed at the courts of his father and grandfather. In 814, the elderly emperor died, and left his sole surviving legitimate son Louis the Pious as successor to his vast empire. Being already of age, Lothair was sent to govern Bavaria for his father, the new emperor.Template:Sfn

In 817, Louis the Pious drew up his Ordinatio Imperii.Template:Sfn By that act, Louis designated Lothair as his principal heir and ordered that Lothair would be the overlord of Louis' younger sons Pippin of Aquitaine (who was 20) and Louis the German (who was 13), and also the presumptive overlord of the Kingdom of Italy, that was ruled at this time by their cousin, king Bernard of Italy. Lothair would also inherit their lands if they were to die childless. Lothair was then crowned joint emperor by his father at Aachen. At the same time, Aquitaine and Bavaria were granted to his brothers Pippin and Louis, respectively, as subsidiary kingdoms.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn

Following the death of Bernard (818),Template:Sfn brought on by his plotting against and blinding by Louis the Pious, Italy was awarded to Lothair.Script error: No such module "Unsubst". In 821, Lothair married Ermengarde (d. 851), daughter of Hugh the Count of Tours.Template:Sfn In 822, he assumed the government of Italy,Template:Sfn and at Easter, 5 April 823, he received the royal crown of Italy, and was again crowned as emperor by Pope Paschal I, this time at Rome.Template:Sfn In November 824, Lothair promulgated a statute, the Constitutio Romana, concerning the relations of pope and emperor, which reserved the supreme power to the secular potentate, and he afterwards issued various ordinances for the good government of Italy.[2]

On Lothair's return to his father's court, his stepmother Judith won his consent to her plan for securing a kingdom for her son Charles, a scheme which was carried out in 829, when the young prince was given Alemannia as king.Template:Sfn Lothair, however, soon changed his attitude and spent the succeeding decade in constant strife over the division of the Empire with his father. He was alternately master of the Empire, and banished and confined to Italy, at one time taking up arms in alliance with his brothers and at another fighting against them, whilst the bounds of his appointed kingdom were in turn extended and reduced.Template:Sfn

Division of the kingdom

File:Vertrag von Prüm.svg
Division of the Carolingian Empire under the Treaty of Prüm (855)

The first rebellion began in 830. All three brothers fought their father, whom they deposed. In 831, their father was reinstated and he deprived Lothair of his imperial title and gave Italy to Charles. The second rebellion was instigated by Angilbert II, Archbishop of Milan in 833, and again Louis was deposed in 834. Lothair, through the loyalty of the Lombards and later reconciliations, retained Italy and the imperial position through all remaining divisions of the Empire by his father.[4]Template:Sfn

File:Karolingische denier Lotharius Dorestad.jpg
Denier of Lothair I, struck in Dorestad (Middle Francia) after 850
File:Medallion of Lothair, from the Lothaire Psalter.jpg
Medallion presumed to be of Lothair, from the binding of the Lothair Psalter in the British Library

When Louis the Pious was dying in 840, he sent the imperial insignia to Lothair, who, disregarding the various partitions, claimed the whole of the Empire. He was 45 years old when his father died. Negotiations with his brother Louis the German and his half-brother Charles, both of whom resisted this claim, were followed by an alliance of the younger brothers against Lothair.[3] A decisive battle was fought at Fontenay-en-Puisaye on 25 June 841, when, in spite of his[2] and his allied nephew Pepin II of Aquitaine'sScript error: No such module "Unsubst". personal gallantry, Lothair was defeated and fled to Aachen. With fresh troops he began a war of plunder, but the forces of his brothers were too strong, and taking with him such treasure as he could collect, he abandoned his capital to them.[2]Template:Clarify He met with the leaders of the Stellinga in Speyer and promised them his support in return for theirs, but Louis and then the native Saxon nobility put down the Stellinga in the next years.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

Peace negotiations began, and in June 842 the brothers met on an island in the Saône. They agreed to an arrangement which developed, after much difficulty and delay, into the Treaty of Verdun, signed in August 843. By this, Lothair received the imperial title as well as northern Italy and a long stretch of territory from the North Sea to the Mediterranean, essentially along the valleys of the Rhine and the Rhône; this territory includes the regions Lorraine, Alsace, Burgundy, and Provence. He soon ceded Italy to his eldest son, Louis, and remained in his new kingdom, engaging in alternate quarrels and reconciliations with his brothers and in futile efforts to defend his lands from the attacks of the Northmen (as Vikings were known in Frankish writings) and the Saracens (as those loyal to the various Fatimids, Umayyads and Abbasides are known in Frankish writings).[2]Template:Sfn

In 845 the count of Arles, Fulcrad, led a rebellion in Provence. The emperor put it down and the count joined him in an expedition against the Saracens in Italy in 846.Template:Sfn[5]

Death and aftermath

File:Bas-côté nord, baie III Lotharius Romanorum Imperator (milieu XIIIe).jpg
13th-century stained glass depiction of Lothair, Strasbourg Cathedral

In 855 he became seriously ill, and despairing of recovery renounced the throne, divided his lands among his three sons, and on 23 September entered the monastery of Prüm, where he died six days later. He was buried at Prüm, where his remains were found in 1860.[2] It was at Prüm that Lothair was most commemorated.[6]

The same year, Lothair's kingdom was divided between his three sons[2] in a deal called the Treaty of Prüm: the eldest, Louis II, received Italy and the title of emperor; the second, Lothair II, received Lotharingia; the youngest, Charles, received Provence.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

Family

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Lothair married Ermengarde of Tours in 821,Template:Sfn who died in 851.

One illegitimate child is known.

  • Carloman (? – d. 853)

See also

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References

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Sources

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External links

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Template:S-breakTemplate:S-endTemplate:Antique Kings of ItalyTemplate:Holy Roman EmperorsTemplate:Carolingians footerTemplate:Authority control
Lothair I
 Died: 29 September 855
Regnal titles
Preceded byTemplate:S-bef/check Duke of Maine
817–831 Template:S-ttl/check 		Template:S-aft/check Succeeded by
Preceded byTemplate:S-bef/check King of Italy
818 – 23 September 855
with Louis II (844–855) Template:S-ttl/check 		Template:S-aft/check Succeeded by
Preceded byas king of the Franks
and emperor Template:S-bef/check 		Holy Roman Emperor
817 – 23 September 855
with Louis the Pious (817–840)
Louis II (850–855) Template:S-ttl/check

Template:S-break

King of Middle Francia
843 – 23 September 855 Template:S-ttl/check 		Template:S-aft/check Succeeded byas king of Lotharingia
Template:S-aft/check Succeeded byas king of Provence
  1. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g File:Wikisource-logo.svg One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Script error: No such module "template wrapper".
  3. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  4. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  5. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  6. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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