Charles II of the Holy Roman Empire

Charles II of the Holy Roman Empire, called The Bald (823-877), Holy Roman Emperor (875-877), and, as Charles I, King of France, born in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. He was the fourth son of Holy Roman Emperor Louis I; his mother, Louis's second wife, was Judith of Bavaria. Judith's determination to secure a kingdom for her only son led to civil war with Louis's other two surviving sons, Holy Roman Emperor Lothair I and King Louis II of Germany. The war ended with the signing of the Treaty of Verdun in 843. Charles received the western portion of the empire, which from this time may be called the kingdom of France, or the West Frankish Kingdom. Charles was a weak ruler; the great nobles were rapidly becoming independent, and the Vikings pillaged the country without meeting much resistance from Charles, who preferred to buy them off. Nevertheless, when Holy Roman Emperor Louis II died in 875, Charles received the imperial crown through the favour of Pope John VIII. Charles was succeeded as king of France by his son, Louis II, but the imperial throne was vacant until 881.