Charles II 'le Chauve' Empereur d'Occident [7641] ¹⁸⁰⁶

   FamilySearch ID: LD9Y-23P.

  General Notes:

Charles ??, also known as Charles the Bald was the
youngest son of Louis the Pious and his second wife Judith.
He was also a grandson of Charlemagne.
Charles was born June 13, 823 in Frankfurt am Main, and was named Charles after his famous and powerful grandfather.

His older brothers are Lothair I, Pepin of Aquitaine, and Louis the German.

Charles married Ermentrude of Orléans, daughter of Odo I, Count of Orléansin, in 842 and
they had 10 children:
Judith of Flanders,
Louis the Stammerer,
Charles the Child,
Lothar, Germain,
Carloman,
Rotrud and
Ermentrud (both who became nuns),
Hildegard,
Gisela, and
Godehilde.

Ermentrude died October 6 869 and in 870
Charles married Richilde of the Ardennes, daughter of Bivin of Gorze, Count of the Ardennes. Together they had
5 more children:
Rothilde,
Drogo,
Pippin,
a son who died an infant in 875, and
Charles.

Charles the Bald was not bald, he is pictured with a full head of hair. 'The Bald' rather refers to his lack of lands when he was young.

Charles father Louis the Pious was King of Aquitaine, Emperor of Rome and King of the Franks. Although Charles was his youngest son, Louis named him his heir in 837. Charles would spend most of his life in a power struggle with his older brothers over the lands conquered by their grandfather. Charles older brother Pepin died in 838 and Charles was made King of Aquitaine. His father Louis the Pious died in 840 and war erupted between his sons. Oldest son Lothair consolidated control of Middle Francia and became Emperor of Rome. Charles allied with his brother Louis against their older brother. Louis became King of East Francia (King of Germany) and Charles King of West Francia (King of France)
After the death of his brother Lothair and then his brothers son Emperor Louis II, Charles traveled to Rome and was crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Pope John VIII on December 25, 875.

Charles died on 6 October 877 in Brides-les-Bains while crossing the pass of Mont Cenis. He was buried initially at the abbey of Nantua, Burgundy but a few years later, his remains were transferred to the Abbey of Saint-Denis where he had long wished to be buried.

Charles and Ermentrude had the following children:
-Judith (c.843\endash after 866), married first King Ethelwulf of Wessex, second his son King Ethelbald, and third Baldwin I, Margrave of Flanders
-Louis the Stammerer (846\endash 879)
-Charles the Child (847\endash 866)
-Lothair the Lame (848\endash 866), monk in 861, became Abbot of Saint-Germain
-Carloman (849\endash 876)
-Rotrude (852\endash 912), a nun, Abbess of Saint-Radegunde
-Ermentrud (854\endash 877), a nun, Abbess of Hasnon
-Hildegarde (born 856, died young)
-Gisela (857\endash 874)
-Godehilde (864\endash 907)

The children of Charles and Richilde are:
-Rothilde (871\endash 929), married Hugues, Count of Bourges and 2nd Roger, Count of Maine.
-Drogo (872\endash 873)
-Pippin (873\endash 874)
-a son (born and died 875)
-Charles (876\endash 877)

  Noted events in his life were:

1. MilitaryService: abd took the Oaths of Strasbourg. There was an alliance between Charles the Bald and Louis the German against their brother Lothair I, on 14 February 842,. ¹⁸⁰⁵

2. Unknown: King of Burgundy,, in , Burgundy, Marne, France. ¹⁸⁰⁵

3. Title Of Nobility: Emperor of The Carolingian Empire, between 875 and 877,. ¹⁸⁰⁵

4. Title Of Nobility: King of Italy, between 875 and 877,. ¹⁸⁰⁵

5. Title Of Nobility: King of West Francia, between 843 and 877,. ¹⁸⁰⁵

6. MilitaryService: and signed the Treaty of Coulaines, which restricted the powers of the king and guaranteed rights of the nobility and clergy., in 843,. ¹⁸⁰⁵

7. MilitaryService: Carolingian Civil War, between 840 and 843,. ¹⁸⁰⁵

8. Biographical Information: Civil War ended with the Treaty of Verdun. The brothers resolved their differences and ended the civil war with the Treaty of Verdun, in August 843, in Verdun-sur-Meuse, East Francia. ¹⁸⁰⁵

9. Biographical Information: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_the_Bald, on an unknown date,. ¹⁸⁰⁵

10. Royal House: Carolingian, on an unknown date,. ¹⁸⁰⁵

11. MilitaryService: at the Battle of Fontenoy-en-Puisaye, in 841,. ¹⁸⁰⁵

12. Cause of Death: died crossing the Pass of Mont Cenis, on an unknown date,. ¹⁸⁰⁵

13. Biographical Information: Charles was reburied at the Abbey of Saint-Denis, Seine-Saint-Denis, Île-de-France, France. A few years after his death, Charles remains were transferred from Nantua to the Abbey where had long wished to be buried, at, about 879,. ¹⁸⁰⁵

Charles married Richilde D'ARDENNES Reine des Francs [7642] [MRIN: 5704] on 25 November 871.¹⁸⁰⁵ (Richilde D'ARDENNES Reine des Francs [7642] was born in 845 in Provence, Kingdom of lower Burgundy,¹⁸⁰⁶ died on 2 June 910 in Provence, France ¹⁸⁰⁶ and was buried in June 910 in Saint-Denis, Seine-Saint-Denis, Île-de-France, France ¹⁸⁰⁶.)