The Treaty of Verdun was an agreement concluded between the descendants of Charlemagne in the year 843, in the city of Verdun, located in the northeast of France, in the region of Lorraine.
This document ended the “Carolingian Civil War”, dividing the vast Carolingian Empire between its three grandchildren.
Historical Context
During the 9th century, the monarch and emperor Charlemagne conquered several barbarian peoples and consolidated a close relationship with the Catholic Church.
To maintain territorial unity in his empire, he distributed lands to members of the nobility and clergy, creating several counties and brands.
After his death in 814, these bonds of fidelity passed to his son and successor, Louis I the Pious, who, in turn, died in 840.
With the death of Louis I, his sons, grandsons of Charlemagne, begin a period of wars that would last for three years, involving Lothair I, Louis II the German and Charles the Bald.
With the military alliance between Charles and Louis II, Lothair is defeated in 841 and forced to accept the Treaty of Verdun.
See also:Barbarian PeoplesKey Features and Consequences
It is worth noting that the Treaty of Verdun marks a time when the political unity of Christendom is shaken, putting an end to any political supremacy in Europe.
With the disintegration of the Carolingian Empire, the Franks were not able to prevent the subsequent barbarian invasions (Arabs, Normans and Magyars), much less prevent the strengthening of nobles such as dukes, counts and marquises.
Thus, in addition to materializing the process of formation of feudal society among the Franks, this treaty is at the genesis of the formation of the French and German nations.
With the division, Charles the Bald (Charles V) took the territories of West Francia (France). However, the weakening caused by the disputes that involved the division of territories was so great that West Francia was conquered by Hugh Capet in 987.
In turn, Louis the German (Louis II) was given the portions of the territory that made up East Francia or Germania, later called the Holy Roman Empire. However, the fate of this dynasty was no different from the previous one and Otto I conquered this territory in 936.
Finally, Lothair is given the imperial title and the portion of the territories of the former Carolingian Empire that formed a narrow strip through central Italy to Frisia, including territories of the Netherlands, Lorraine and Burgundy.
These territories became known as Lotharingia and were divided between Charles the Bald and Louis the German in 870.
Meet others treated important on history :
- Treaty of Maastricht
- Treaty of Madrid
- Treaty of Methuen
- Treaty of Tordesillas
- Treaty of Versailles
- Treaty of Petrópolis
- Treaty of the Triple Alliance
- Treaty of Utrecht