This article is about the specific polity West Francia and therefore only includes events related to its territory and not to its possessions or colonies. If you are interested in the possession, this is the link to the article about the nation which includes all possessions as well as all the different incarnations of the nation.
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Was one of the kingdoms that emerged from the Treaty of Verdun of 843 that divided the Frankish Empire among the surviving sons of the emperor Louis I, the son and successor of Charlemagne. The treaty was the first of the four partition treaties of the Carolingian Empire. These Partition Treaties were the Treaties of Verdun (843), Prüm (855), Meerssen (870), and Ribemont (880).
Establishment
September 843: The Treaty of Verdun, signed in August 843, divided the Carolingian Empire into three kingdoms among the three surviving sons of Louis the Pious, who was the son of Charlemagne. The treaty, signed in Verdun-sur-Meuse, ended the three-year Carolingian Civil War.
Chronology
Interactive Chronologies with maps are available in the section Changes Navigation
The Frankish Kingdom was partitioned and reuinited several times as the Frankish rulers used to divide their territories equally among their heirs. This lead also to a number of wars and revolts.
1.1.Partition of the Frankish Empire (Treaty of Verdun)
The Treaty of Verdun, signed in August 843, was the first of the treaties that divided the Carolingian Empire into three kingdoms among the three surviving sons of Louis the Pious, who was the son of Charlemagne. The treaty, signed in Verdun-sur-Meuse, ended the three-year Carolingian Civil War.
1.2.East Francia invades West Francia
Encouraged by his nephews Peppin II and Charles of Provence, Louis of East Francia invaded in West Francia in 858. Charles the Bald could not even raise an army to resist the invasion and fled to Burgundy.
January 859: Encouraged by his nephews Peppin II and Charles of Provence, Louis invaded in West Francia in 858. Charles the Bald could not even raise an army to resist the invasion and fled to Burgundy. Later that year Louis issued a charter dated "the first year of the reign in West Francia." .
June 860: However, treachery and desertion in his army, and the continued loyalty of the Aquitanian bishops to Charles the Bald, brought about the failure of the whole enterprise. As such on 7 June 860 at Koblenz, both Louis and Charles made public vows to uphold the peace.
1.3.Partition of Lotharingia (treaty of Meerssen)
The Treaty of Mersen or Meerssen, concluded on 8 August 870, was a treaty of partition of the realm of Lothair II, known as Lotharingia, by his uncles Louis the German of East Francia and Charles the Bald of West Francia, the two surviving sons of Emperor Louis I the Pious.
August 870: The Treaty of Mersen or Meerssen, concluded on 8 August 870, was a treaty of partition of the realm of Lothair II, known as Lotharingia, by his uncles Louis the German of East Francia and Charles the Bald of West Francia, the two surviving sons of Emperor Louis I the Pious.
1.4.Death of Louis II of Italy
In 875, after the death of the Emperor Louis II of Italy, West Frankish King Charles the Bald, who was the uncle of Louis II, succesfully claimed the Italian crown.
December 875: In 875, after the death of the Emperor Louis II (son of his half-brother Lothair), Charles the Bald, supported by Pope John VIII, traveled to Italy, receiving the royal crown at Pavia and the imperial insignia in Rome on 29 December.
1.5.Carloman´s conquest of Italy
The Frankish subking of Bavaria Carloman invaded the Kingdom of Italy, which was under the control of his uncle Charles the Bald.
January 878: Gathered an impressive army, Carloman, in 877, returned to Italy, arrived in Pavia and, feeling threatened, Charles the Bald had to flee to Moriana, where he died (877). Carloman was then crowned king of Italy, but shortly afterwards he was seized by a serious illness and had to return to Bavaria.
1.6.Secession of Provence
When West Frankish Emperor Louis the Stammerer died, Provence seceded.
October 879: In April 879, Louis the Stammerer died, leaving two adult sons, Louis III of France and Carloman II. Boso joined with other western Frankish nobles and advocated making Louis III of France the sole heir of the western kingdom, but eventually both brothers were elected kings. Boso renounced allegiance to the brothers and in July claimed independence by claiming the title Dei gratia id quod sum: by the Grace of God, that is what I am. He also claimed that his imperial father-in-law had named him as his heir. On 15 October 879, the bishops and nobles of the region around the rivers Rhône and Saône assembled in the Synod of Mantaille. They elected Boso King and successor to Louis the Stammerer, the first non-Carolingian king in Western Europe in more than a century.
1.7.Partition of West Francia
After the death of West Frankish Emperor Louis the Stammerer In March 880 at Amiens, the Kingdom was divided among his two sons.
January 880: After the death of Louis the Stammerer (879), Aquitaine and West Francia in general experienced a period of instability during which the outlying regions, such as Catalonia, became de facto independent of central royal authority.
March 880: After the death of Louis the stammerer, in March 880, at Amiens, his sons divided the kingdom.
1.8.West Francia reunited
Louis III died on 5 August 882, aged around 17, at Saint-Denis in the centre of his realm. Since he had no children, his brother Carloman II became the sole king of West Francia.
August 882: Louis III was the King of West Francia who died at a young age of around 17 in 882 at Saint-Denis. With no children, his brother Carloman II succeeded him as the sole king of West Francia. This event marked a significant shift in power within the kingdom.
1.9.Unification of the Frankish realm under Charles the Fat
After the death of the Emperor of East Francia, Charles the Fat, who was already Emperor of West Francia, was able to reuinite the whole Frankish Empire. Charles the Fat was the last Carolingian emperor of legitimate birth and the last to rule a united kingdom of the Franks.
December 884: Carloman II died near Les Andelys, while he was hunting, on 12 December 884. Leaving no direct heirs, the Franks reunited and decided to turn to the Emperor, Charles the Fat, who succeeded Carloman both on the throne of Aquitaine and on that of the West Franks.
1.10.Partition of the Frankish realm after the death of Charles the Fat
After the Death of Charles the fat, Oddo was proclamated King of West francia.
January 888: After the Death of Charles the fat Oddo is proclamated King of West francia.
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1.11.French invasion of Lotharingia
Charles the Simple, the West Frankish Emperor, invaded Lotharingia.
January 899: Charles the Simple, just elected king of the western Franks, in 898, in order to bring the borders of his kingdom up to the left bank of the Rhine, invaded Lotharingia arriving as far as Aachen.
February 899: Zwentibold, king of Lotharingia from 895, forced the forces of West Francia to retire from Aaachen.
1.12.French Annexion of Lotharingia
Charles the Simple, the West Frankish Emperor, invaded Lotharingia.
January 912: The opportunity was provided by the childless death of the East Frankish King (King of Germany), Ludwig IV, who had succeeded his half-brother Wentibold as King of Lotharingia. Conrad I of Franconia was elected as king of Germany, who did not meet many sympathy among the most influential families of Lotharingia, who in fact already in November had elected their king Charles III, who, having sanctioned peace with the Normans on the western border, was able occupy the kingdom of Lotharingia and settle from 1 January 912.
1.13.Revolt of Robert
Robert I revolted against West Frankish Emperor Charles the simple and was able to be elected King of West Francia.
June 922: The new rebellion led to the deposition of Charles III; in fact Roberto was acclaimed king on 22 June 922 and on 30 June, according to the chronicler Flodoardo, he was crowned king in Reims. Charles took refuge in Lotharingia.
1.14.Incoronation of Otto I
East Frankish King Otto I was crowned first Holy Roman Emperor.
February 962: The Duchy of Brittany (Breton: Dugelezh Breizh, French: Duché de Bretagne) was a medieval feudal state that existed between approximately 939.
Was a war between the Bretons and the Frankish Empire where Brittany became effectively independent of the Frankish Empire.
January 852: By this agreement of Angers, Charles the Bald recognized Erispoë as king of Brittany and undertook never again to dispute that the countries of Rennes, Nantes and Retz are Breton land.
Were the many wars fought by the Chinese Tang Empire and the Tibetan Empire.
3.1.27th war with Tibet
Was the twenty-seventh war between the Tang Dynasty of China and the Tibetan Empire.
January 864: Charles the Bald bought peace with the Bretons by giving away the provinces of Cotentin (863).
Is the foundational document of the Duchy of Normandy, establishing Rollo, a Norse warlord and Viking leader, as the first Duke of Normandy in exchange for his loyalty to Charles III, the king of West Francia.
December 911: The Duchy of Normandy grew out of the 911 Treaty of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte between King Charles III of West Francia and the Viking leader Rollo.
The Magyars (or Hungarians) successfully conquered the Carpathian Basin (corresponding to the later Kingdom of Hungary) by the end of the ninth century, and launched a number of plundering raids thoughout Europe.
January 918: Between 917 and 925, the Magyars raided through Basel, Alsace, Burgundy, Provence and the Pyrenees.
February 918: Between 917 and 925, the Magyars raided through Basel, Alsace, Burgundy, Provence and the Pyrenees. The Magyars then left the raided territories.
January 920: In 919, after the death of Conrad I of Germany, the Magyars raided Saxony, Lotharingia and West France.
February 920: End of the 919 Magyar raid in Saxony, Lotharingia and West France.
January 927: In 926, the Hungarians ravaged Swabia and Alsace, campaigned through present-day Luxembourg and reached as far as the Atlantic Ocean.
February 927: In 926, the Hungarians ravaged Swabia and Alsace, campaigned through present-day Luxembourg and reached as far as the Atlantic Ocean. After the raid, the Magyars left the occupied territories.
January 936: Magyar attacks against Upper Burgundy (in 935).
February 936: Magyar attacks against Upper Burgundy (in 935). The territories were left after the raid.
January 938: In 937, the Hungarians raided France as far west as Reims, Lotharingia, Swabia, Franconia, the Duchy of Burgundy and Italy as far as Otranto in the south.
February 938: In 937, the Hungarians raided France as far west as Reims, Lotharingia, Swabia, Franconia, the Duchy of Burgundy and Italy as far as Otranto in the south. After the ride they left these territories.
Were a series military campaigns from the 8th century until 1492 by the Christian kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula to reconquer the region from the Islamic rulers that had conquered it during the Umayyad conquest of Hispania.
February 921: After their raid in Gascony, the Muslim forces of Cordoba left the region.
6.1.Conquests of Abd ar-Rahman III
Were the conquests of the Emir and later Caliph of Córdoba, Abd ar-Rahman III.
January 921: 920: Muslim forces cross the Pyrenees, invade Gascony, besiege Toulouse and kill the garrison of Muez.
Hugh Capet was incoronated King of the western Franks, starting the Capetian dynasty which would rule France until the XIX century.
July 987: Hugh Capet was proclaimed and crowned king of France at Noyon on 3 July 987.
January 868: Maine conquered by the Kingdom of Brittany.
January 889: After Odo, Count of Paris, had sat on the throne of France in 888, all the duchies and counties of south-western France and the Marque of Spain no longer recognized themselves as vassals of the king of France, for which from the tenth century the county of Toulouse was a fief of the kingdom of France, but increasingly independent.
January 951: When the Moors reconquered most of the Spanish territories north of the Ebro River, what remained of the Marca Hispanica was divided between the Frankish Empire and the Kingdom of Pamplona.
Disestablishment
July 987: Hugh Capet was proclaimed and crowned king of France at Noyon on 3 July 987.
Selected Sources
Leyser, K. (1982): Medieval Germany and its neighbours, 900-1250, London (UK), p. 50
Reuter, T. (1995): The New Cambridge Medieval History: c. 900-c. 1024, Cambridge (UK), p. 543
Reuter, T. (1995): The New Cambridge Medieval History: c. 900-c. 1024, Cambridge University Press, p. 543
Sugar, P. F. / Hanák, P. (1994): A History of Hungary, Bloomington (USA), p. 13
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West Francia
