Carloman, son of Charles the Bald

Carloman (848–c. 877) was the youngest son of Charles the Bald, king of West Francia, and his first wife, Ermentrude. He was intended for an ecclesiastical career from an early age, but in 870 rebelled against his father and tried to claim a part of the kingdom as an inheritance.

Born in 848, Carloman was tonsured as a child in 854 in furtherance of his father's policy of preventing a partition of the kingdom (as had happened at Verdun in 843) by placing his younger sons in the church. Carloman was tutored by Abbot Wulfad, a future archbishop. In 860 Carloman was ordained a deacon and acquired the abbacy of Saint-Médard de Soissons. In the following decade he acquired the abbacies of Saint-Amand d'Elnon, Saint-Riquier, Lobbes and Saint-Arnould de Metz.^[1]

In 865 Carloman's older brother and fellow ecclesiastic, Lothair the Lame, died and Carloman succeeded him in the abbey of Saint-Germain d'Auxerre. The next year (866), another brother, Charles the Child, whom Charles the Bald had made King of Aquitaine, died. With these deaths, Carloman became second in line to the throne after the eldest brother, Louis the Stammerer.^[2] By 870 he had gathered an aristocratic following.^[1] No specific names of supporters have come down to us, although they appear to have been mostly from Lotharingia and Flanders.^[1] Before his defiance of his father amounted to anything, he was arrested, tried and imprisoned at Senlis.^[1] His abbacies were forfeited as a consequence.^[3]

Pope Hadrian II unsuccessfully intervened, to try to secure Carloman's release, but escaping to Flanders, Carloman gathered a small army.^[1] The bishops of the province of Reims then met in early 871, under the leadership of Archbishop Hincmar at Compiègne. They pronounced excommunication on all of Carloman's supporters in the province of Reims, with one dissenting voice—Bishop Hincmar of Laon, who was perhaps a supporter of Carloman himself.^[1] In 873, Carloman was re-tried and blinded, but avoided imprisonment by escaping to East Francia, where his uncle, King Louis the German, gave him protection. He died there about 877.^[1]

Notes

Sources

• McKitterick, Rosamond (1983). The Frankish Kingdoms under the Carolingians, 751–987. London: Longman.

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Pippinids, Arnulfings and Carolingians

• Legend: → ≡ "father of",
• * ≡ "brother of"

Begga, the daughter of Pepin I, married Ansegisel, the son of Arnulf of Metz, and was the mother of Pepin II.

Pippinids

• Carloman → Pepin I → Grimoald I → Childebert the Adopted

Arnulfings

Arnulf of Metz → Chlodulf of Metz Ansegisel → Pepin II, his sons
Drogo, sons	Arnulf Hugh of Champagne Godfrey Pepin
Grimoald I, son	Theudoald
Charles Martel, sons	Carloman Pepin III Grifo Bernard Jerome Remigius
Childebrand I, son	Nibelung I → Nibelungids

Early
Carolingians

Sons of Charles Martel
Carloman, son	Drogo
Pepin III, sons	Charlemagne, sons Pepin the Hunchback Charles the Younger Pepin Louis the Pious Lothair Drogo Hugh Theoderic Carloman, son Pepin Pepin
Bernard, sons	Wala Adalhard Bernhar

Carolingian
Empire

Sons of Charlemagne
Pepin, son	Bernard → Pepin, Count of Vermandois → Counts of Vermandois
Louis the Pious, sons	Arnulf of Sens Lothair I, sons Louis II of Italy → Ermengard → Louis the Blind → Bosonids Lothair II → Hugh Charles Pepin I, son Pepin II Louis the German, sons Carloman → Arnulf → Louis the Child Ratold Zwentibold → Godfrey Otto Louis the Younger → Louis Hugh Charles the Fat → Bernard Ratold → Adalbert Charles the Bald, sons Louis the Stammerer → Louis III Carloman II Charles the Simple Charles the Child Carloman Lothair the Lame Drogo Pepin Charles

West
Francia

West Francia was in the hands of the Robertians from 888 until 898. It was the last Carolingian kingdom.
Charles the Simple, sons	Louis IV Arnulf Drogo Rorico
Louis IV, sons	Lothair IV Charles Louis Charles of Lorraine Henry
Lothair IV, sons	Louis V Arnulf
Charles of Lorraine, sons	Otto Louis Charles