E-SOURCE 8.1
Division of the Carolingian Empire
The Treaty of Verdun (843) marked a period of disorganization and decentralization in Western Europe. The Carolingian Empire had passed from Charlemagne to his son, Louis the Pious, in 814. However, when Louis died in 840, the empire was thrown into disarray. The Franks did not practice primogeniture, or the practice of passing on kingdoms intact to the eldest son, but instead divided holdings amongst each son. Accordingly, Louis had proposed splitting his empire amongst his three sons. Although there was brief period of infighting, in the treaty of Verdun Charlemagne's grandsons solidified the divided empire: with Charles the Bald talking the Western portion, Louis the German (Ludwig) taking the eastern portion, and Lothar taking the middle portion and title of Emperor. Significantly, Charles's holdings became the kingdom of France and Louis's the Kingdom of Germany, with holding of Lothar becoming a perennial battleground that people would fight over into the modern era.
As you read, consider these questions:
1) In many ways, the Treaty of Verdun shaped Europe for the centuries to come. Yet, it had more immediate consequences. How might the division of the Carolingian Empire have affected the Pope's relations with secular rulers?
2) How prominent is the Church in this act of treaty making? What does this say about the Church’s political influences at the time?
Nithard, THE STRASSBURG OATHS, 842
So Ludwig and Charles came together at Argentaria, which is called Strassburg in the common tongue, and there took the oaths; which are given below, Ludwig speaking in the lingua romana and Charles in the lingua teudisca. Ludwig, being the elder, took the oath first, as follows:
Pro deo amur et pro christian poblo ct nostro commun salvament. d'ist di in avant, in quant deus savir et podir me dunat. si salvaraeio cist meon fradre Karlo et in aiudha et in cadhuna cosa, si cum om per dreit son fradra salvar dist, in o quid il mi altresi fazet, et ab Ludher nul plaid numquam prindrai, qui meon vol cist meon fradre Karle in damno sit.
When Ludwig had finished, Charles took the oath in the lingua teudisca:
In godes minna ind in thes christânes folches ind unsêr bêdhero gehaltnissî, fon thesemo dage frammordes, so fram sô mir got geuuiczi indi mahd furgibit, sô haldih thesan minan bruodher, sôso man mit rehtu sînan bruodher scal, in thiu thaz er mig sô sama duo, indi mit Ludheren in nohheiniu thing ne gegango, the mînan uuilon imo ce scadhen uuerdhên.
[Literal translation of the lingua romana, the lingua teudisca being the same with the names changed: “By God's love and by this Christian people and our common salvation, from this day forth, as far as God gives me to know and to have power, I will so aid this my brother Charles in each and every thing as a man ought to aid his brother, in so far as he shall do the same for me; and I will never have any dealings with Lothar that may by my wish injure this my brother Charles.”]
And this is the oath which the followers of each took in their own tongues:
Lingua romana:
Si Lodhuuigs sagrament, que son fradre Karlo iurat; conservat, et Karlus meos sendra de suo part non los tanit, si io returnar non l'int pois: ne io ne neuls, cui eo returnar int pois; in nulla aiudha contra Lodhuuuig nun li iv er.
Lingua teudisca:
Oba Karl then eid, then er sînemo bruodher Ludhuuuîge gesuor, geleistit, indi Ludhuuuîg mîn hêrro then er imo gesuor forbrihchit, ob ih inan es iruuenden ne mag: noh ih noh thero nohhein, then ih es iruuenden mag, uuidhar Karle imo ce follusti ne uuirdhit.
[Literal translation of the lingua romana, the same as the other with names changed: “If Ludwig keeps the oath which he swore to his brother Charles, and Charles, my lord, on his part does not keep it, if I cannot prevent it, then neither I nor anyone whom I can prevent shall ever defend him against Ludwig.”]
Annales Bertiniani, THE TREATY OF VERDUN, 843
Charles met his brother at Verdun and there the portions of the empire were assigned. Ludwig received all beyond the Rhine, including also Speier, Worms, and Mainz on this side of the Rhine; Lothar received the land bounded [by that of Ludwig on the west, and] by a line following along the lower Rhine, the Scheldt, and the Meuse, then through Cambrai, Hainault, Lomme, including the counties east of the Meuse to where the Saone flows into the Rhône, then along the Rhône to the sea~ including the counties on both sides of the Rhône; the rest as far as Spain, went to Charles.
Regno Anno 842 (843). The three brothers divided the, kingdom of the Franks among themselves; to Charles fell the western portion from the British ocean to the Meuse; to Ludwig, the eastern portion, that is, Germany as far west as the Rhine, including certain cities and their counties East of the Rhine to furnish him with wine; to Lothar, who, as the oldest, bore the title of emperor, the part in between, which still bears the name of Lotharingia, and all of Provence and the land of Italy with the city of Rome.
Source: Oliver J. Thatcher and Edgar H. McNeal eds., A Source Book for Medieval History: Selected Documents Illustrating The History of Europe in The Middle Age (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1907), 60-64. Text modified by Phillip C. Adamo.