| Louis the Pious | |
|---|---|
| Emperor of the Romans | |
 Louis the Pious, contemporary depiction from 826 as a miles Christi (soldier of Christ), with a poem of Rabanus Maurus overlaid. Vatican, Biblioteca Apostolica, Codex Reg. lat 124, f.4v | |
| Emperor of the Carolingian Empire | |
| Reign | 813–840[a] |
| Coronation | 11 September 813[b] 5 October 816[c] |
| Predecessor | Charlemagne |
| Successor | Lothair I |
| King of the Franks | |
| Reign | 814–840 |
| Predecessor | Charlemagne |
| Successor |
|
| King of Aquitaine | |
| Reign | 781–814 |
| Predecessor | Charlemagne as King of the Franks |
| Successor | Pepin I |
| Born | 16 April 778 Cassinogilum, Francia |
| Died | 20 June 840 (aged 61–62) Ingelheim, Francia |
| Burial | |
| Spouses | Ermengarde of Hesbaye Judith of Bavaria |
| Issue | |
| House | Carolingian |
| Father | Charlemagne |
| Mother | Hildegarde |
| Religion | Chalcedonian Christianity |
| Carolingian dynasty |
|---|
 |
Louis the Pious[d] (Latin: Hludowicus Pius; French: Louis le Pieux; German: Ludwig der Fromme; 16 April 778 – 20 June 840),[2] also called the Fair and the Debonaire, was King of the Franks and co-emperor with his father, Charlemagne, from 813. He was also King of Aquitaine from 781. As the only surviving son of Charlemagne and Hildegard, he became the sole ruler of the Franks after his father's death in 814, a position that he held until his death except from November 833 to March 834, when he was deposed.
During his reign in Aquitaine, Louis was charged with the defence of the empire's southwestern frontier. He conquered Barcelona from the Emirate of Córdoba in 801 and asserted Frankish authority over Pamplona and the Basques south of the Pyrenees in 812. As emperor, he included his adult sons, Lothair, Pepin and Louis, in the government and sought to establish a suitable division of the realm among them. The first decade of his reign was characterised by several tragedies and embarrassments, notably the brutal treatment of his nephew Bernard of Italy for which Louis atoned in a public act of self-debasement.
In the 830s his empire was torn by civil war between his sons that was only exacerbated by Louis's attempts to include his son Charles by his second wife in the succession plans. Though his reign ended on a high note, with order largely restored to his empire, it was followed by three years of civil war. Louis is generally compared unfavourably to his father but faced distinctly different problems.[3]
- ^ Einhard; Stammerer, Notker the (2013). "Chronology". Two Lives of Charlemagne. Penguin UK. ISBN 978-0-14-139410-7.
- ^ Latin: Ludovicus or Hludowicus Pius, French: Louis le Pieux or Louis le Débonnaire, German: Ludwig der Fromme, Italian: Ludovico il Pio, Spanish: Luis el Piadoso or Ludovico Pío.
- ^ Ganshof, F. L. (1957). "Louis the Pious Reconsidered". History. 42 (146). Wiley: 171–180. doi:10.1111/j.1468-229X.1957.tb02281.x. JSTOR 24403332.
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