Ludovico Pio

For other monarchs known as Luis I, see Luis I.

Louis I, called the Pious (in Latin: Ludovicus Pius; Chasseneuil, April 16, 778-Ingelheim am Rhein, 20 June 840), was King of Aquitaine (781-814), Co-Emperor (813-814), Emperor, and King of the Franks from 28 January 814 until his death, with a brief interruption in 833-834. Son and successor of Charles I the Great (Charlemagne), during his reign there was a rapid decline in the Carolingian Empire fueled by succession disputes with his sons, which turned into open civil war. He is considered both Louis I of France and Germany, as well as Italy.

Heading the government of Aquitaine, he was tasked with defending the southwestern border of his father's Empire. He conquered Barcelona from the Muslims (801) and imposed imperial authority over Pamplona and the Basques (813). As emperor, numerous catastrophes marked the beginning of his reign, of particular note being the brutal treatment of his nephew Bernard I of Italy. The act of contrition he performed as a result considerably diminished his authority and influence.

He tried to incorporate his sons Lotario (co-emperor since 817), Pepin and Luis into the administration and tried to establish a proper division between them under Lotario's supremacy. When he tried to add to a fourth, Carlos the Bald, the eldest sons rebelled and fought for supremacy. Pepin's death in 838 did not stop the struggle for the Empire between the three remaining brothers, which would end with the Treaty of Verdun in 843. This would divide Frankish territory into West Francia (France), East Francia (Germany), and Middle Francia.

Birth and kingdom of Aquitaine

Einardo and the anonymous chronicler known as Astronomer write that Luis was born in the royal villa of Cassinogilum while Charlemagne was on campaign in Spain; the place has been identified with Chasseneuil He was the third of the children Charlemagne had with Hildegard. It was a twin birth, but his twin Lotario died in infancy.

Crown King of Aquitaine in 781, he was sent there at the age of three accompanied by regency and courtiers; Charlemagne ceded the territory to him in order to consolidate his defense after the defeat of Roncesvalles (778).

In 794, the Frankish monarch built four villas that would serve as his son's winter residence: Doué-la-Fontaine (Anjou), Ebreuil (Allier), Angeac-Charente and Cassinogilum; The monarch's intention was that his heirs would grow up surrounded by the customs of each territory and adopt the traditional clothing of the same. Because of this they were sent to their respective kingdoms at such a young age. Each kingdom was responsible for maintaining its borders; Luis had to defend the Hispanic Brand. In 797, the Franks took Barcelona—the most important city in the March—when its governor, Zeid, rebelled against the Emirate of Córdoba and opened the gates to the invaders. However, the Umayyad authorities recaptured the city two years later. Determined to maintain control over the city, he marched with all the soldiers of his kingdom, in addition to those of Gascony —led by Sancho I—, those of Provence —led by Leibulf— and the Visigoths of Bera. He besieged the city for two years until he capitulated in 801. Although he had not been granted independence from central authority, he sent military expeditions away from his domain on more than one occasion; Among his most important campaigns was that of Benevento (Mezzogiorno).

By virtue of Frankish tradition, Charles was to divide the territories of his Empire among his three heirs: by the Divisio Regnorum (806) Charles named his eldest son Charles the Younger his successor to the throne, by ceding the administration of Neustria and Austrasia to him, while Pepin was granted the kingdom of Italy and Luis the Duchy of Aquitaine, Septimania, Provence and certain Burgundian territories.

After the death of his brothers Pepin in 810 and Charles in 811, Louis was made co-emperor (813). After Carlos died, he inherited the entire Frankish kingdom and all its assets, with the sole exception of Italy, a territory that remained under the control of the Empire, although ruled by Bernardo, Pepin's son.

Emperor

Carlomagno crowns Ludovico Pio.

Territories of the Carolingian Empire after the death of Carlomagno in 814.

After learning of Charlemagne's death, Louis moved to Aachen; there he crowned himself sovereign of the Franks. After the ceremony, the Frankish nobles acclaimed him shouting: Vivat Imperator Ludovicus (Long live Emperor Ludovico!).

Its most important ministers were Bernardo de Septimania and Ebbon; to the latter he granted the Archbishopric of Reims, although he was the descendant of a serf. Likewise, he retained certain ministers of Carlos: Elisachar, abbot of San Maximino (Treveris), and Hildeboldo, archbishop of Cologne. Late in his reign he would replace Elisachar with Hildwin, another abbot.

Benedict of Anianus, a Visigoth from Septimania, was responsible for the reform of the French church by virtue of which the monasteries of the kingdom adhered to the Rule of Saint Benedict —named after its creator, Benedict of Norcia (480-550).

In 816, Pope Stephen IV—successor to Leo III—visited Reims and consecrated Louis; in this way he increased ecclesiastical influence by recognizing his importance in imperial consecrations.

Ordinatio imperii

Denario de Luis el Piadoso.

On Maundy Thursday 817, a section of the Palatine Chapel in Aachen collapsed while the monarch was inside, causing the deaths of numerous courtiers. Three months later, the emperor drew up the Ordinatio imperii , an imperial decree that established the succession criteria to be followed after his death. Although he had already granted his sons Lothair and Pepin the territories of Bavaria and Aquitaine, respectively —without, however, ceding to them the royal titles— with this decree the Empire was effectively divided between his three sons and his his nephew Bernardo:

• His firstborn Lotario was crowned co-emperator and would inherit most of the imperial territories, as well as sovereignty over his brothers and cousins.
• Bernard, heir to Pipino of Italy, was confirmed as king of Italy.
• Pipino obtained the kingdom of Aquitaine, including Gascony, the brand around Toulouse, amen of the counties of Carcassonne, Autun, Avallon and Nevers.
• Luis the Germánico, the youngest son, was appointed king of Bavaria, as well as lord of the adjacent marks to it.

The Ordinatio imperii established that if one of the subordinate monarchs died, his heirs would succeed him; In the event that a monarch died without issue, his domain would revert to the imperial house. On the other hand, if Lothair died without heirs the people, that is, the assembly of the Franks, he would choose his successor. The Empire must remain united; as a consequence, the emperor had authority over the other kings, who owed him obedience.

With this decree, an attempt was made to combine the sense of imperial unity with concessions of territories to all their descendants. Breaking with the Frankish tradition, which established that all heirs should receive the same status and the same number of territories, Louis elevated Lothair above his younger brothers, granting him most of the imperial territories and supremacy over the other kings.

Bernardo's Rebellion

Luis penitent in Attigny (822).

The Ordinatio imperii confirmed Bernardo (Louis's nephew) as Lord of Italy, although he remained subordinate to Lotario. Dissatisfied with Luis's decision, Bernardo began to conspire in order to obtain full independence for his territories. When he learned of his nephew's intentions, the emperor ordered his troops to march on Italy; as a consequence, the until then Italian monarch agreed to meet with Luis in Chalon-sur-Saône, where he surrendered. After the signing of an agreement, Luis ordered the transfer of Bernardo to Aachen, where in April 818 he was accused of treason and sentenced to death. Finally, the emperor himself commuted his sentence, ordering his men to blind him; Bernardo did not survive the experience, dying two days later from the injuries received. Likewise, after accusing him of being among the rebels, the clergyman Theodulf of Orleans — who had fallen from grace since the death of Charlemagne — was locked up in a monastery, where he died.

The death of his nephew would mark the emperor for the rest of his life. In 822 his religious convictions led him to do penance for the murder of Bernardo; the ceremony took place at his residence at Attigny—near Vouziers (Ardennes)—before Pope Paschal I and a assembled council of ecclesiastics. Likewise, the monarch was reconciled shortly after with his three half-brothers: Hugo, abbot of San Quentin, Drogo, bishop of Metz, and Theodoric, whom he had forced to become monks after Bernard's death. His act of contrition, with which he tried to emulate Emperor Theodosius the Great after the Thessaloniki Massacre, greatly diminished his credit as a leader, since, in addition to the aforementioned, the monarch reported numerous minor crimes committed during his reign. As a sign of repentance, he freed Wala and Adalardo from their confinement. The former was given an important position within Lothair's administration, while the latter was granted a position in the Imperial Court.

Border conflicts

Luis in a denario coined in Sens, 818–823.

At the beginning of his reign, the fear that the Franks inspired in the numerous peoples—Danes, Obodrites, Slovenes, Bretons, and Vascons—that inhabited the borders of the Empire kept them calm; however, the Sorbs started a rebellion (816) which was joined by Slavomir — former leader of the Abodrites, whom his tribe had captured, abandoned, and replaced by Ceadrago (818). After that, the Obodrites joined the uprising and allied themselves with the Danes, who had become a major threat.

In the southeast, a massive concentration of Slavic soldiers—led by Ljudevit Posavski, Duke of Pannonia—threatened the territories of the Drava and Sava. Archbishop Cadolah of Friuli was sent to meet him, but he died in the campaign and the Slovenes invaded his territory (820). In 821 Ludovico established an alliance with Duke Borna of Dalmatia. Three years later, numerous Slavic tribes in northwestern Bulgaria recognized Louis' suzerainty and he tried to settle the matter by negotiating with the leader Omurtag; however, the tribes of these lands attacked the Franks again and recovered their territories (827).

In the far south of the kingdom, Louis had to control the powerful dukes of Benevento, Grimoaldo and Sico, whom his father Charlemagne had failed to subdue.

Duke Seguin de Gascogne rebelled in the southwestern territories. After his defeat, Lope succeeded him, whom the emperor had made resign in 818. In 820, an assembly held in Quierzy-sur-Oise decided to send a military expedition against the Emirate of Córdoba. The leaders of the expedition—Hugo, Count of Tours; and Matfrido, Count of Orleans- took too long to mobilize and it ended in nothing.

First Civil War

In 818, after returning from a campaign in Brittany, the emperor was informed of the death of his wife, Ermengarde, daughter of Inghiramno, Duke of Hesbaye. Luis had been very close to his wife, who had become a key element in his administration. Ermengarda played a key role in the discovery of Bernardo's conspiracy, because of which the emperor believed that her death was expiation for her guilt. It took several months for the monarch's courtiers and advisers to convince him that she should remarry. In 820 he married Judith, heir to Welf, Count of Altdorf. The result of this union was born Carlos (823).

Charles's birth invalidated the Partition of Aachen, and the emperor's attempts to grant him territories aroused fierce opposition among his other heirs; These events led to the outbreak of a civil war that marked the last two decades of his reign.

Territories of the Carolingian empire of Louis I in 828, before the civil wars.

In Worms (829) Louis granted Charles the territory of Alamannia—whether with the title of king or duke it is not clear—infuriating his eldest son, the co-emperor Lothair, at the cost of whose territories he had taken out the assignment. The disagreements caused an insurrection; Lotario —with the collaboration of Wala de Corbie and her brothers— accused Judith of committing adultery with Bernardo de Septimania, and even insinuated that he was Carlos's real father. Ebbon and Hildwin abandoned the Emperor, while the Archbishops of Lyon and Amiens, Agobardo and Jesee, opposed a new division of the Empire and joined the rebels.

In 830 Wala convinced Pepin of Aquitaine that Bernard of Septimania was conspiring against him; accordingly, he placed himself at the head of the Gascony soldiers and—with the support of the Neustrian aristocracy—marched on Paris. At Verberie he was joined by Louis the German. When the emperor returned from another campaign in Britain he was met with a civil war of enormous dimensions. He immediately marched to Compiègne, where Pepin's soldiers surrounded and captured him. Judith was arrested in Poitiers and Bernardo fled to Barcelona.

Lothair recruited an important army in Lombardy and tried to convene a council in the kingdom of Nijmegen —in the heart of Austrasia— in which the Austrasians and the Rhenish came accompanied by numerous troops, forcing the rebellious sons to release their Ludovico and to kneel before him (831). Lotario was pardoned although he was expelled from Italy. Pepin returned to Aquitaine, and Judith—after having had to humiliate herself with a solemn oath of innocence—to the imperial court. Wala was locked up in a monastery on the shores of Lake Geneva; Hilduino, abbot of Saint-Denis, went into exile in Paderborn; and Elisachar and Matfrid had their honors withdrawn north of the Alps.

Second Civil War

Only two years later a new civil conflict broke out (832). Pepin was summoned to court, where he was so unwelcome that he rebelled against the emperor's orders. Fearing the outbreak of a revolt with the support of the nobility, Lodovico gathered his forces in Aquitaine and gave them orders to be ready for an uprising. However, Louis the German raised an army of Slavic allies and conquered Swabia before the emperor had time to react. As a consequence of the sedition, a redivision of the Empire was carried out: the kingdom of Aquitaine was granted to Carlos to the detriment of Pepin, and the rest of the territories to Lothair, who, although he had not been involved in the insurrection, was interested to usurp the authority of the emperor. Lothair's ministers had been in contact with Pepin and convinced him and Louis the German to join the rebellion; It was agreed that Alamania, the kingdom of Carlos, would correspond to Lotario.

With the support of Gregory IV, who had confirmed him on the throne without the support of the emperor, Lothair joined the uprising in 833. Lodovico was in Worms recruiting a new force when Lothair marched north. Learning of this betrayal, the emperor immediately marched south. Luis and Lotario met in Colmar (Alsace). There Gregory IV met with the emperor; Luis's soldiers, due to rumors spreading in the camp that the pope was going to excommunicate him, refused to fight and deserted (hence the name Battle/Encounter of the Field of Lies). Finding himself almost alone, the emperor ordered the men who had remained by his side to leave, saying that "it would be a pity if any man lost his life or limb because of me." The emperor was captured and transferred to Saint Médard (Soissons), while Judith and Carlos were imprisoned in Tortona. To the feudal mind, the imperial troops' betrayal of their lord was a terrible crime, and the place where the battle took place was known ever since as the "Field of Lies."

On November 13, 833, Ebbon of Reims led a synod in the Church of Saint Mary of Soissons in which the emperor was deposed and forced to make a public confession in which he gave an account of numerous false crimes. As a reward, Lothair gave Ebbon the direction of the Abbey of Saint Vaast. For the sake of the unity of the Empire, Rabanus Maurus, Hugo and Drogo —the emperor's half-brothers— and Emma —Judith's sister and wife of Louis the German— tried to convince Louis the German to reconcile with the emperor. The three brothers tried to divide the Empire by virtue of the effective division in 817. Lothair claimed the vassalage of his brothers, in accordance with what was then arranged, but they had just fought on equal terms and did not see why they had to remain subordinate. when they had contributed in the same way. A new conflict broke out and the clergy, who had abandoned the emperor believing that his abdication would bring stability to the Empire, saw that this had been for nothing and returned his support. At the same time, the loyal nobles of Austrasia and Saxony decided to confront Lothair. The rebels moved into Burgundy and clashed with the loyalists at Chalon-sur-Saône. On March 1, 834 Ludovico was restored to the throne by a group of loyal bishops.

Pipino and Luis also supported Ludovico against Lotario. In 834 the emperor returned to Aachen, where he met his wife and Charles. After the conflict, Pipino and Luis returned to their territories. Also forced to retire, Lothair returned to Italy, where he learned that Wala, Jesse, and Matfrid (former Count of Orleans) had died. On February 2, 835, the Thionville Synod dispossessed Ebbon, Agobardo, Bernard, Bishop of Vienne, and Bartholomew, Archbishop of Narbonne. Lotario himself fell ill; with it, the Empire returned to be relatively stable.

In 836 a new territorial division was established at the Diet of Crémieux: Ludovico restored their territories to Louis and Pepin, while Charles was granted those of Lothair, with the exception of Italy. While this new distribution was taking place, the Vikings attacked Utrecht and Antwerp. In 837 they went up the Rhine and reached Nijmegen, whose king, Rorik, demanded the wergeld from them as compensation for the numerous murders of previous expeditions. Luis raised a large army and marched against the invaders; although they fled, it would not be the last time they threatened the northern coast of the Empire. In 838 the Vikings claimed sovereignty over Friesland. After a year of negotiations, the Franks and the Vikings signed a treaty that resolved the conflict. The emperor ordered the construction of a major fleet in the North Sea and sent one of his missi dominici to Friesland in order to impose his authority there.

Ludovico in a sesquisolidusessentially Roman in design.

Third Civil War

In 837 Ludovico crowned Carlos monarch of Alemania and Burgundy and granted him dominion over certain territories of Luis the German, who immediately started a new insurrection. The emperor carried out a new territorial division in Quierzy-sur-Oise, by virtue of which Carlos received control of the territories of the Bavarian monarch with the exception of Bavaria itself. Ludovico did not stop here, and after the death of Pepin (838) he made him king of Aquitaine. However, the Aquitanian nobles acclaimed Pepin's heir, Pepin II, as Pepin's successor. The tensions led to the outbreak of a third civil conflict. In 839 Louis the German invaded Swabia, Pepin advanced on the Loire, and the Danes razed the Frisian coast.

Lotario allied with Ludovico and offered his support in Worms in exchange for a new division of the territory. Under this agreement. the emperor ceded Bavaria to Louis the German, disinherited Pepin II, and divided the rest of the Empire into a western and an eastern zone. Ludovico gave Lotario the option of choosing one of these two territories, keeping the latter with the eastern one —including Italy— and leaving the western one to Carlos. The emperor marched against the insurgent Aquitanian nobles, whom he defeated and forced to recognize Carlos as the new king; the final ceremony—in which nobles and churchmen met—was held at Clermont-en-Auvergne (840). In one last march, the emperor marched into Bavaria and defeated Louis the German at Ostmark. The Empire was divided under the Worms agreement, and the imperial soldiers were ordered to return to Frankfurt am Main, where they were disbanded. The last civil war of the reign of Ludovico Pío had ended.

Death

Ludovico fell ill after the end of this campaign. Aware of his condition, the emperor ordered his transfer from his summer residence—located on an island in the Rhine—to his palace at Ingelheim. On June 20, 840, he died in the presence of his half-brother Drogo of him and numerous bishops and ecclesiastics; Judith and Carlos did not attend the death, since they were in Poitiers. After the death of the emperor, a new succession conflict broke out between the brothers, which would not end until the signing of the Treaty of Verdun (843), by which the Empire was finally divided into three kingdoms: Eastern Francia, Western Francia and Middle Francia. The conflict around Aquitaine was not resolved until the 860s.

Lodovico Pío and his half-brother Drogo de Metz were buried in the Basilica of Saint Pierre aux Nonnains (Metz).

The nickname "Pio"

The fourth of Charlemagne's male heirs, Louis was destined to be an ecclesiastical man. During his reign, monasteries were reformed and religious policy was reoriented: the emperor promised to respect the Papal States and not interfere in papal elections. In this way the Pope recovered some independence after the control that Charlemagne had exercised.

Among his courtiers and advisors were numerous ecclesiastics: Agobardo (778–840), Fridugiso (d. 834) and Benedict of Aniane (750–821). His religious policy was intended to strengthen territorial cohesion, with Christianity as the backbone of society. Likewise, the emperor was very religious, as evidenced by the penance he did in Attigny after the death of his nephew.

Ludovico used this nickname in life. One of the emperor's biographers wrote the Vita Hludovici Pii ('Pious' or 'Pious'). Agobardo, very critical of Judith, a fervent ally of Lothair and one of the architects of Ludovico's deposition in 833, used the term Pii in his work Duo pro Filiis et Contra Iudith Uxorem Ludovici Pii.

In the Vita Hludovici Imperatoris, the Latin term mitisum appears on a single occasion — whose approximate translation would be 'good-natured' or 'soft of character'. An ecclesiastic from Saint-Denis rediscovered this term (1275) in the Great Chronicles of France, which led to Louis being called le Débonnaire ('the Good Guy' #39;) by French historiography.

Marriage and offspring

He had three sons with Ermengarde of Hesbaye —whom he married c. 794-798:

• Lotario I (795-855), monarch of Middle France and the title of emperor.
• Pipino (797-838), monarch of Aquitaine.
• Adelaide (n. c. 799).
• Rotruda (n. 800), married to Gerardo, Count of Auvergne.
• Hildegarda (or Matilda) (n. c. 802), married to Gerardo after the death of his sister.
• Luis el Germánico (c. 805-875), monarch of Eastern France.

With Judith of Bavaria he had a boy and a girl:

• Gisela, married to Everardo de Friuli.
• Carlos el Calvo, monarch of Western France.

With Teodolinda de Sens he had two illegitimate descendants:

• Sens Arnulfo.
• Alpaida.

Titles