Charles of Low-Lotharingie

See also: Charles of Lorraine, Charles Ier of Lorraine

Charles , born with Laon during the summer 953, died after 991 with Orleans?. In 1666 the burial of Charles of Lorraine was found in the basilica Saint-Were useful of Maastricht in the Netherlands. The epitaph of the tomb stone, mentioning the year of its death in 1001, tends to prove that it would have been given in freedom after its captivity passed to Orleans.

Wire of Louis IV of Overseas, king de France, and of Gerberge of Saxony. It is duke of Low-Lotharingie of 977 with 991.

It is also named Charles of Lorraine , although the Lorraine corresponds to the High Lotharingie whereas he was duke of Low-Lotharingie . But the downward dukes of Lorraine of the Carolingians by its intermediary regard it as duke of Lorraine with whole share in order to support their claims. Moreover, the fore-mentioned dukes Charles thereafter, number themselves from him.

Reign

He is probably invested royal power in Burgundy, and must reign jointly with his brother Lothaire, but this last strips it its functions as of its majority. In 977, he shows the wife of Lothaire, the queen Emma of Italy, inaccuracy with the bishop of Laon Adalbéron. The council of Holy-Water caltrop joined together with Fismes exonerates the defendants, for lack of proof, but Charles, who maintains the rumors, is driven out kingdom and takes refuge at the court of his cousin the emperor Otton II. Paying homage to the emperor, this last, while promising to him to crown it as soon as Lothaire would be isolated throne, gives him the duchy of Low-Lotharingie.

In August 978, Lothaire assembles a forwarding against Otton II, and takes Aachen, but can seize neither Otton, nor of Charles. In reprisals, Otton II, accompanied by Charles, invades France in October 978, devastation the areas of Rheims, Soissons and Laon. Lothaire must flee and Charles is proclaimed king of the Francs with Laon by the bishop Thierry Ier of Metz, first cousin the emperor Otton Ier. Otton continues Lothaire until Paris where it is found vis-a-vis the army of Hugues Capet. The November 30th 978, Otton and Charles, incompetents to take Paris, raise the seat of the city and make half-turn. The royal ost continues them, takes again Laon, and obliges Charles and Otton II to flee and to take refuge with Aachen.

From this moment Charles is in fact excluded from the succession of the kingdom of France. Its participation in the companies of Otton, the fact that he recognized his vassal on grounds asserted by his brother, make it regard as a traitor with his line and unworthy of the kingdom. So with died of Lothaire (986), the large ones of the kingdom choose to succeed his/her son to him Louis V of France. With died of Louis V, it is posed like candidate, but Hugues Capet is selected.

However, he fights against Hugues Capet and succeeds in taking again to him the towns of Laon and Rheims. March 26th 991, in the night of the Maundy Thursday, it is captured in a perfidious way by the bishop Adalbéron de Laon. This last the book with Hugues Capet who makes it lock up in Orleans, where he would have died shortly after.

In 1666 the burial of Charles of Lorraine is found in the basilica Saint-Were useful with Maastricht in the Netherlands. It seems that its skin was buried there only in 1001, which leads certain authors to consider that he died on this date.

Marriage and children

According to Christian Settipani, he marries in first weddings towards 970 a girl of Robert de Vermandois, count de Meaux and of Troyes, of which it a:

Otton (970 † 1012), duke of Low-Lotharingie.

It remarie towards 975 with Adelaide, of obscure origin because girl of vassal of Hugues Capet. Of this second marriage, it a:

Adelaide
Gerberge, countess of Brussels, married to Lambert Ier, count de Louvain, ancestor of the dukes of the Brabant.
Louis, which is imprisoned with his/her father in Orleans. It seems to be released and would have died in Sens in 1012.
Charles, born in 989, and dead young person

A third wife is also allotted to him: it is about Good of the Ardennes, girl of Godefroi the Prisoner, count de Verdun, and of Mathilde of Saxony, one does not know when.

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