Louis the Stammerer
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Louis the Stammerer or Louis II (November 1, 846 – April 10, 879), in French Louis le Bègue, was the eldest son of Charles the Bald and Ermentrude of Orléans. He succeeded his younger brother in Aquitaine in 866 and his father in France in 877, though he was never crowned Emperor.
Thrice married, he and his first wife, Ansgarde of Burgundy, had two sons: Carloman and Louis, both of whom became kings of France, and two daughters: Gisela and Hildegarde. He had no children by his second wife, Luitgarde of Saxony. With his third wife, Adelaide of Paris, he had one daughter, Ermentrude, and a posthumous son, Charles the Simple, who would become, long after his elder brothers' deaths, king of France.
He was crowned on 8 December 877 by Hincmar, archbishop of Rheims, 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. In 878, he gave the counties of Barcelona, Gerona, 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 10 April or 9 April 879 not long after beginning his final campaign. He was called "a simple and sweet man, a lover of peace, justice, and religion". On his death, his realms were divided between his two sons, Carloman and Louis.
This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain. |
