Kaiser Ludwig I

Ludwig I, Kaiser, Der Fromme (778-840 nr. Mainz), the third son of Charlemagne (see Karl I, der Grosse), was proclaimed emperor by his father in 813 in order to secure the succession. He took over the government of the empire on his father's death, and spent the greater part of his reign attempting, with indifferent success, to quell revolts; these included those of his own sons Lothar (see Lothar I, Kaiser), Pippin (c.797-838), and Ludwig (see Ludwig II, der Deutsche).

In 817 Ludwig I divided the empire among these three sons, but, having married again and begotten a fourth son by the Empress Judith, he overthrew the existing arrangement in 829 and allocated a large territory to Karl at the expense of his three half-brothers. He was defeated in 830 and obliged to reverse the arrangements; but when his sons quarrelled, he was again able to assert himself, until betrayed at the Field of Lies (833, see Lügenfeld) and imprisoned in a monastery. Renewed dissensions between the brothers led to a compromise with Lothar, and hostilities with the others were still in progress when Ludwig died. He was buried at Metz. Since he reigned over the undivided Frankish Empire of Charlemagne, he is also reckoned as King Louis I of France. He is styled ‘the Pious’ because of his liberality to the Church and his efforts to banish immorality from his court.