Louis the Child
| Louis the Child | |
|---|---|
| King of East Francia | |
| King of East Francia | |
| Reign | 4 February 900 – 20/24 September 911 |
| Coronation | 4 February 900, Forchheim |
| Predecessor | Arnulf of Carinthia |
| Successor | Conrad I |
| King of Lotharingia | |
| Reign | 900 – 20/24 September 911 |
| Predecessor | Zwentibold |
| Successor | Charles III of France |
| Born | September/October 893 Ötting (Autingas), Bavaria |
| Died | 20/24 September 911 (aged 17 or 18) possibly Frankfurt |
| Burial | monastery of Saint Emmeram in Regensburg |
| Consort | unknown |
| House | Carolingian Dynasty |
| Father | Arnulf of Carinthia |
| Mother | Ota |
Louis the Child (893 – 20/24 September 911), sometimes called Louis III or Louis IV, was the king of East Francia from 899 until his death in 911 and was the last ruler of Carolingian dynasty there. He succeeded his father, king Arnulf of Carinthia in 899, when he was only six. Louis also inherited the crown of Lotharingia with the death of his elder illegitimate half-brother Zwentibold in 900. During his reign the country was ravaged by Magyar raids.
Louis was born in September or October 893 in Altötting, Duchy of Bavaria. He was the only legitimate son of king Arnulf of Carinthia and his wife, Ota, a member of the Conradine dynasty. He had at least two brothers: his elder, illegitimate brother Zwentibold, who ruled Lotharingia, and another brother named Ratold, who briefly ruled Kingdom of Italy. Ratold's maternity and age are unknown.
Louis was crowned in Forchheim on 4 February 900. This is the earliest East Frankish royal coronation about which records are known to exist. Louis was of a weak personal constitution, often sick, and due to his young age, the reins of government were entirely in the hands of others - the nobles and bishops. Indeed, the coronation was probably a result of the fact that there was little Louis could gain at the expense of the nobles.
The most influential of Louis's councillors were Hatto I, Archbishop of Mainz, and Solomon III, Bishop of Constance. It was these two who assured that the royal court decided in favour of the Conradines against the Babenbergers in the matter of the Duchy of Franconia. They appointed Louis's nephew, Conrad as a duke. In 903 Louis promulgated the Raffelstetten Customs Regulations, the first customs regulations in the East Frankish part of Europe.
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