Gisela was the wife of Eberhard of Friuli and mother of Berengar I of Friuli who succeeded Louis IV as Frankish Emperor in 905. She was also the daughter of Emperor Louis the Pious and sister of Emperor Charles II, the Bald, and Emperor Lothar I.
Return to Gisela von Franken KAROLINGER
King of Aquitaine 781-814
Co-Emperor 813-814
King of the Franks 814-840
Frankish Emperor 814-840
Louis was crowned king of Aquitaine (subkingdom to Franks) in 781 to slow rebellion after Charlemagne's defeat in Spain by the
Saracen Moslems. In 793, the Saracens invaded Aquitaine under their Caliph Hisham. In 795, the Spanish March was created
with William as its Count. The next year, King Louis and Count William defeated the Saracens and secured the Frankish-held
areas of NE Spain. They continued to fight the Saracens until 813, when all of Navarre was conquered by William and Louis.
In 806, Charlemagne wrote in his will that his sons Louis, Charles (co-King of the Franks), and Pepin (King of Italy) would divide
the Empire on his death. Pepin died in 810, and Charles followed in 811. In 813, Byzantine nobles came to Charlemagne to
recognize him as Emperor (he was 69 years old), and so he ordered Louis to come from Aquitaine to be crowned co-Emperor and
designated successor. When Charlemagne died in 814, Louis succeeded to all thrones.
Louis put his son Pepin on the throne of Aquitaine, made Lothar co-Emperor, and made Louis his son King of Bavaria. Louis the
Pious first reformed the court in a "moral purge," sending all of the unmarried princessess to nunneries and sending Charlemagne's
three illegitimate sons to monasteries. He then put down a rebellion in Italy. When his wife died, he remarried and had a son,
Charles, in 823. In all of his wills he had made his three sons Pepin of Aquitaine, Louis of Bavaria, and Lothar his co-Emperor,
successors. When Charles was born, he tried desperately to include him. In 829, he dropped Lothar's imperial title and sent him off
to Italy. The next year the three brother united and attacked, forcing their father to abdicate, Lothar to be given back his imperial
title, and Judith to be sent off to a nunnery. By the next year, Louis had re-gained his power, brought back his wife, dropped
Lothar completely from the will, replaced him with Charles, and refused to allow Lothar to ever return to court without permission.
That year Pepin revolted on his own. Louis of Bavaria followed the next year and they both attacked. Emperor Louis declaired
that Pepin was formally deposed of his titles, but he could not enforce this order. In 833, the three brothers gained support from
Pope Gregory IV and many of the Emperor Louis's own generals. Lothar made a settlement: Louis and Charles were imprisoned,
Judith sent in exile to Italy under eye of Lothar, and Louis of Bavaria and Pepin were to gain territory (formerly under imperial
authority). The next year, however, Pepin and Louis of Bavaria released their father and brother from jail, Judith was brother
back, and peace was made. The next year Louis was re-crowned with great pomp. In 838, Pepin died and Louis put Charles on
the throne of Aquitaine. The nobles, however, put Pepin's son Pepin II on the throne, and neither held authority. In 840, Louis died,
and the brothers started a civil war over the Empire's division that lasted until peace was finally made in 843.
aka Louis le Debonaire. Holy Roman Emperor.
781 King of Aquitaine.Return to Louis I the Pious KAROLINGER
King of Bavaria 825.
Return to Louis II the German KAROLINGER