Louis the Pious

Louis the Pious became King of Aquitaine at three and spent his youth defending the empire's southwestern edge, taking Barcelona from Córdoba in 801 and bringing the Basques to heel by 812. When Charlemagne died in 814, Louis became sole ruler of the Franks as the only surviving son. The first decade brought tragedy and a public act of penance for the brutal treatment of his nephew Bernard of Italy. Then came the unraveling: Louis tried to divide the empire fairly among his adult sons Lothair, Pepin, and Louis, but when his second wife bore him Charles, the revised succession plans ignited civ…