East France
For medieval historiography, East Francia (in Latin Francia orientalis) or Kingdom of the East Franks (regnum Francorum orientalium ) constitutes the first state in the formation of the monarchy in Germany, which existed between 843 and 962. East Francia was created from the division of the Carolingian Empire, after the death of Louis I the Pious but the The east-west division "was gradually consolidated into the creation of two separate kingdoms".
Limits
In August 843, after three years of civil war following the death of Louis the Pious in June 840, his sons and heirs finally signed the Treaty of Verdun. His namesake, Louis the German, received the mostly German-speaking eastern portion. The Annales Fuldenses, contemporaneous with the events, describe the division of the kingdom "into three parts" and Louis "accessing the eastern part". The Annales Bertiniani, from France West, speak of the extent of Louis's lands: "in the allotment, Louis obtained all the lands beyond the Rhine, but on this side, also the cities of Speyer, Worms, and Mainz with their counties." Western Francia was handed over to Louis's younger half-brother, Charles the Bald and, between them, the kingdom of Middle Francia was created, also incorporating Italy for the eldest son of Emperor Lothair I.
While West and Middle Francia contained "the heart of the traditional lands of the Franks", East Francia was made up mostly of territorial annexations made during the VIII. This included the duchies of Germany, Bavaria, Saxony and Thuringia, as well as the Danish and Slavic Marches. Regino de Prüm, a contemporary of the events, wrote that “different peoples” (diversae nationes populorum) of East Francia, mostly German and Slavic-speaking, could be “distinguished from one another by race, customs, language and laws" (genere moribus lingua legibus).
Monarchy
The symbols of Carolingian power had been divided by Louis the Pious among his loyal sons, Charles and Lothair. Louis the German, then in rebellion, did not receive any of the crown jewels or books associated with the Carolingian monarchy. Thus, all the symbols and rituals of the new state had to be created from scratch.
Since earlier, the Kingdom of East Francia had a more developed notion of royal election than its neighbor to the west. Around the year 900, a liturgy (ordo) was created for the coronation of the king. It required the crowner to ask the "designated prince" ( princeps designatus ) if he was willing to defend the church and the people, and then ask the people if they were willing to submit to the prince and obey the rule. laws of him The people then cried out, Fiat, fiat! ("So be it!"), an act later known as "Acknowledgment." This is the oldest recognized ordo, and was later incorporated into the influential Pontificale Romano-Germanicumin.
In June 888, King Arnulf called a council in Mainz. It was attended by the three East French Archbishops Wilbert of Cologne, Liutbert of Mainz and Ratbodo of Trier and the West French Frankish Archbishops of Reims (Fulk) and Rouen (John I) along with the Bishops of Beauvais and Noyon. According to Walter Ullmann, the presence of West Franks was due to the "ecclesiastical thinking" of the Easterners, and the council intended to adopt Western practices, being "the first phase in the process of assimilation of the two halves of the Carolingian heritage". Another council that took place in Trebur in 895, the prelates declared that Arnulf had been chosen by God and not by men, and Arnulf, in return, swore to defend the church and its privileges from their enemies. On Arnulf's death in 899, his youngest son Louis was crowned and placed under the guardianship of Archbishop Hatto I of Mainz. Louis's coronation was the first in German history. When Louis died in late September 911, Duke Conrad of Franconia was chosen to replace him, becoming the first German monarch to be anointed.
Kings of East Francia
- Louis II the Germanic (843-876)
- Bavarian Charlem (876-880), Bavaria
- Luis III el Joven (876-882), in Saxony
- Carlos III el Gordo (876-887), in Suabia, then all Eastern France
- Carinthian Arnulfo (887-899)
- Luis IV El Niño (900-911)
- Conrado I (911-918)
Henry I the Birdcatcher was the first native king to rule the Germanic lands, so before the 20th century, he used to be considered the founder of the medieval German state. For the succession list see Annex:Kings and Emperors of Germany.