Lothair I, Frankish Emperor
| Lothair I | |
|---|---|
| Emperor of the Romans and King of Italy | |
 |
|
| Reign | As Emperor: 817–855; As King of Italy: 822–855 As King of Middle Francia: 843–855 |
| Coronation | By his father: 817, Aachen; By Pope Paschal I: 5 April 823, Rome |
| Predecessor | Louis the Pious |
| Successor | Louis II |
| Born | 795 |
| Died | 29 September 855 (aged 59–60) Prüm |
| Burial | Prüm |
| Consort | Ermengarde of Tours |
| Issue |
Louis II Lothair II Charles of Provence Carloman (d. 853) Hiltrude Berta Gisela Rotrude |
| House | Carolingian Dynasty |
| Father | Louis the Pious |
| Mother | Ermengarde of Hesbaye |
Lothair I or Lothar I (Dutch: Lotharius, German: Lothar, French: Lothaire, Italian: Lotario) (795 – 29 September 855) was the Holy Roman Emperor (817–855, co-ruling with his father until 840), and the King of Bavaria (815–817), Italy (818–855) and Middle Francia (840–855).
Lothair was the eldest son of the Carolingian emperor Louis the Pious and his wife Ermengarde of Hesbaye, daughter of Ingerman the duke of Hesbaye. On several occasions, Lothair led his full-brothers Pippin I of Aquitaine and Louis the German in revolt against their father to protest against attempts to make their half-brother Charles the Bald a co-heir to the Frankish domains. Upon the father's death, Charles and Louis joined forces against Lothair in a three-year civil war (840–843). The struggles between the brothers led directly to the breakup of the Frankish Empire assembled by their grandfather Charlemagne, and laid the foundation for the development of modern France and Germany.
Lothair was born in 795, to Louis the Pious and Emengarde of Hebsbaye. His father was the son of the reigning Emperor, Charlemagne. Little is known of Lothair's early life, which was probably passed at the court of his grandfather Charlemagne. In 814, the elderly Charlemagne died at age 72, when his grandson Lothair was 19, and left his 36-year-old son Louis the Pious his vast empire. The next year, Lothair was sent to govern Bavaria in 815 for his father Louis the Pious. He first comes to historical attention in 817, when Louis the Pious drew up his Ordinatio Imperii. In this, Louis designated Lothair as his principal heir and ordered that Lothair would be the overlord of Louis' younger sons Pippin of Aquitaine and Louis the German, as well as his nephew Bernard of Italy. Lothair would also inherit their lands if they were to die childless. Lothair was then crowned joint emperor by his father at Aachen. At the same time, Aquitaine and Bavaria were granted to his brothers Pippin and Louis, respectively, as subsidiary kingdoms. Following the murder of Bernard by Louis the Pious, Lothair also received the Kingdom of Italy. In 821, Lothair married Ermengarde (d. 851), daughter of Hugh the Count of Tours.
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