Louis the Stammerer

Louis the Stammerer
King of Western Francia
14th century depiction of Louis's coronation
Reign	877–879
Coronation	8 December 877 in Compiègne
Predecessor	Charles II
Successor	Louis III and Carloman II
Spouse	Ansgarde of Burgundy Adelaide of Paris
Issue	Louis III of France Carloman II Hildegarde of France Gisela of France Ermentrude of France Charles the Simple
House	Carolingian
Father	Charles the Bald
Mother	Ermentrude of Orléans
Born	(846-11-01)1 November 846
Died	10 April 879(879-04-10) (aged 32)
Burial	Saint-Corneille Abbey, Compiègne, France,

Louis the Stammerer (French: Louis le Bègue) (1 November 846 – 10 April 879) was the King of Aquitaine and later King of West Francia. He was the eldest son of Charles the Bald and Ermentrude of Orléans. During the peace negotiations between his father and Erispoe of Brittany, Louis was betrothed to an unnamed daughter of Erispoe in 856. It is not known if this was the same daughter who later married Gurivant. The contract was broken in 857 upon Erispoe's murder.

He succeeded his younger brother in Aquitaine in 866 and his father in West Francia in 877, though he was never crowned Emperor. In the French monarchial system, he is considered Louis II.

Denier of Louis II

Twice married, he and his first wife, Ansgarde of Burgundy, had two sons: Louis (born in 863) and Carloman (born in 866),^[1] both of whom became kings of France, and two daughters: Hildegarde (born in 864) and Gisela (865–884).

With his second wife, Adelaide of Paris, he had one daughter, Ermentrude (875–914) and a posthumous son, Charles the Simple,^[1] who would become, long after his elder brothers' deaths, king of France.

He was crowned on 8 October 877 by Hincmar, archbishop of Rheims, at Compiegne^[1] and was crowned a second time in September 878 by Pope John VIII at Troyes while the pope was attending a council there. The pope may even have offered the imperial crown, but it was declined. Louis the Stammerer was said to be physically weak and outlived his father by only two years. He had relatively little impact on politics. He was described "a simple and sweet man, a lover of peace, justice, and religion". In 878, he gave the counties of Barcelona, Girona, and Besalú to Wilfred the Hairy. His final act was to march against the Vikings who were then the scourge of Europe. He fell ill and died on 9 April or 10 April 879 not long after beginning his final campaign. On his death, his realms were divided between his two sons, Carloman and Louis.

Ancestry

Notes

References

•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. 

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Carolingian Kings of France Pepin (751–768) Charlemagne (768–814) Carloman I (768–771) Louis the Pious (814–840) Charles the Bald (840–877) Louis the Stammerer (877–879) Louis III (879–882) Carloman II (879–884) Charles the Fat (884–888) Charles the Simple (898–922) Louis IV (936–954) Lothaire (954–986) Louis V (986–987)