Carloman I
Carloman I | |
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King of the Franks | |
Reign | 9 October 768 – 4 December 771 |
Predecessor | Pepin the Short |
Successor | Charles I |
Born | 28 June 751 |
Died | 4 December 771 | (aged 20)
Spouse | Gerberga |
Issue | Pepin Second son |
House | Carolingian dynasty |
Father | Pepin the Short |
Mother | Bertrada of Laon |
Carloman I (28 June 751 – 4 December 771), also Karlmann, Karlomann,
Split of the Frankish kingdom
At the age of 3 he was, together with his father Pepin the Short and his elder brother Charlemagne, anointed King of the Franks and titled "Patrician of the Romans" by Pope Stephen II, who had left Rome to beg the Frankish King for assistance against the Lombards.[2] Carloman and Charlemagne each inherited half of the Kingdom of the Franks upon Pepin's death. His share was based in the centre of the Frankish Kingdom, with his capital at Soissons, and consisted of the Parisian basin, the Massif Central, the Languedoc, Provence, Burgundy, southern Austrasia, Alsace, and Alemannia; the regions were poorly integrated and surrounded by those bequeathed to Charlemagne, and, although Carloman's territories were easier to defend than those of Charlemagne, they were also poorer in income.[3]
It is commonly agreed that Carloman and Charlemagne disliked each other. However, the reasons behind this are unclear: some historians suggest that each brother considered himself rightfully to be the sole heir of their father – Charlemagne as the elder child, Carloman as the legitimate child[4] (Charlemagne is sometimes claimed to have been born a bastard in 742, a claim not always accepted).[3] Be that as it may, Pepin the Short's disposal of his kingdom appears to have exacerbated the bad relations between the pair since it required cooperation between the pair and left both feeling cheated.[4]
Carolingian dynasty |
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Competition with Charlemagne
Carloman's reign proved short and troublesome. The brothers shared possession of Aquitaine, which broke into rebellion upon the death of Pepin the Short; when Charlemagne campaigned to put down the revolt, Carloman led his own army to assist. The two quarreled at Moncontour, near Poitiers, and Carloman withdrew.[5] This, it had been suggested, was an attempt to undermine Charlemagne's power since the rebellion threatened Charlemagne's rule. Charlemagne crushed the rebels, while Carloman's behaviour damaged his standing amongst the Franks.[6][7] Relations between the two then degenerated further, requiring the mediation of their mother, Bertrada, who appears to have favoured Charlemagne, with whom she would live out her widowhood.[7]
Rosamond McKitterick has argued, however, that our assumption about the relationship between the two brothers can't be based solely on a few examples and that there is no evidence to suggest that there was lasting animosity between the two. She also points out that Charlemagne showed great political pragmatism and astuteness throughout his reign and that it would have been in the brothers' common interest to work together to secure their dynasty's control over the Franks, having only recently gained royal power. She also argues that it cannot be assumed that Bertrada favoured one son over the other, pointing out the meeting between Bertrada and Carloman in 770 at Seltz.[8]
In 770, his mother Bertrada began a series of diplomatic offensives to encircle Carloman. Charlemagne had married
These maneuvers had generally favoured the Franks but posed serious threats to Carloman's position. He had been left without allies: he attempted to use his brother's alliance with the Lombards to his advantage in Rome, offering his support against the Lombards to Stephen III and entering into secret negotiations with the Primicerius, Christopher, who had been isolated by the Franco-Lombard rapprochement; but after the murder of Christopher by Desiderius, Stephen III gave his support to the Lombards and Charlemagne. However, Carloman's position was rescued by Charlemagne's sudden repudiation of his Lombard wife, Desiderius' daughter. Desiderius, outraged and humiliated, appears to have allied with Carloman in opposition to Charlemagne and the Papacy, which took the opportunity to declare itself against the Lombards.[10]
Death and legacy
Carloman died on 4 December 771 at the Villa of
Carloman married a Frankish woman,
Despite their complex relationship and the events following Carloman's death, Charlemagne would later name his second legitimate son "Carloman" after his deceased brother. This had, perhaps, been a public gesture to honour the boy's uncle's memory and quell any rumours about Charlemagne's treatment of his nephews. If so, it was swept away in 781, when Charlemagne had his son renamed as Pepin.[10]
Family
He had several children with Gerberga.
- Pepin (bef. 769)
- Unknown son (ca. 770)
References
- ^ Charles Knight (ed.). Cyclopædia of Biography. Vol. 2. London: Bradbury and Evans. p. 169.
- ^ Chamberlin, Russell, The Emperor Charlemagne, p.44
- ^ a b Riché, Pierre, The Carolingians, p.85
- ^ a b Chamberlin, Russell, The Emperor Charlemagne, p.62
- ^ Collins, Roger, Medieval Europe
- ^ McKitterick, Rosamond, The Frankish Kingdoms under the Carolingians, p.64
- ^ a b Chamberlin, Russell, The Emperor Charlemagne
- ISBN 978-0-511-39884-1.
- ^ Davis, Raymond (Editor), The Lives of the Eighth Century Popes, 102–103 n.76; Chamberlin, Russell, The Emperor Charlemagne, 64–65; McKitterick, Rosamond, The Frankish Kingdoms under the Carolingians, pp.64–65; Collins, Roger, Early Medieval Europe, 279
- ^ a b McKitterick, Rosamond, The Frankish Kingdoms under the Carolingians, 65
- ^ a b Chamberlin, Russell, The Emperor Charlemagne, p.70
- ^ Story, Joanna, "Cathwulf, Kingship, and the Royal Abbey of Saint-Denis", Speculum 74.1 (January 1999:1–21)
- ^ Dutton, PE, Carolingian Civilisation: A Reader, p.25
- ^ Davis, Raymond (Editor), The Lives of the Eighth Century Popes, 102 n.76
- ^ Riché, Pierre, The Carolingians, 86
- ^ Einhard, The Life of Charlemagne, in Dutton, PE, Carolingian Civilisation: A Reader, 29
- ^ Riché, Pierre, The Carolingians, 97
- ^ Chamberlin, Russell, The Emperor Charlemagne, 75.