Lothar II
| Lothair II | |
|---|---|
| King of Lotharingia | |
Seal of Lothair II
|
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| Reign | 855–869 |
| Predecessor | Emperor Lothair I as King of Middle Francia |
| Successor | Lands divided between Louis the German and Charles the Bald |
| Born | 835 |
| Died |
8 August 869 Piacenza |
| Burial | Basilica of Sant'Antonino |
| Consort |
Teutberga Waldrada |
| Issue |
By Waldrada: Hugh, Duke of Alsace Gisela Bertha Ermengarde |
| Dynasty | Carolingian Dynasty |
| Father | Emperor Lothair I |
| Mother | Ermengarde of Tours |
Lothair II (835 – August 8, 869) was the king of Lotharingia from 855 until his death. He was the second son of Emperor Lothair I and Ermengarde of Tours. He was married to Teutberga (died 875), daughter of Boso the Elder.
For political reasons, his father made him marry Teutberga in 855. Upon his father's death in 855, he received the Middle Francia territory west of the Rhine stretching from the North Sea to the Jura mountains. It became known as Regnum Lotharii and early in the 10th century as Lotharingia or Lorraine (a designation subsequently applied only to the duchy of Lorraine). His elder brother Louis II received northern Italy and the title of Emperor, and his younger brother Charles received the western parts of his father's domains, Burgundy and the Provence.
On the death of his brother Charles in 863, Lothair added some lands south of the Jura to this realm, but except for a few feeble expeditions against the Norman pirates he seems to have done little for its government or its defense.
Teutberga was not capable of bearing children and Lothair's reign was chiefly occupied by his efforts to obtain an annulment of their marriage, and his relations with his uncles Charles the Bald and Louis the German were influenced by his desire to obtain their support for this endeavour. Although quarrels and reconciliations between the three kings followed each other in quick succession, in general it may be said that Louis favoured annulment, and Charles opposed it, while neither lost sight of the fact that Lothair had no sons to inherit his lands. Lothair, whose desire for annulment was prompted by his affection for his mistress, Waldrada, put away Teutberga, but Hucbert took up arms on her behalf, and after she had submitted successfully to the ordeal of water, Lothair was compelled to restore her in 858. Still pursuing his purpose, he won the support of his brother, Emperor Louis II, by a cession of lands and obtained the consent of the local clergy to the annulment and to his marriage with Waldrada, which took place in 862.
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