Introduction

An Unbeloved Heir? A Reassessment of Louis the Stammerer's Role in the Last Years of Charles the Bald's Reign and its Implications for Understanding Carolingian Rule

“…After being a key figure in resisting the East Frankish king during his invasion of 858, by 875 Hincmar was angry at his declining influence in Charles the Bald's court, and resented both the newly minted emperor's absence in Italy and his patronage of Hincmar's rival Archbishop Ansegis of Sens' claims to primacy. 72 Hincmar's resentment is most obvious in his round letter De fide Carolo regi servanda, written in the midst of Louis' invasion, which contains brutal criticisms of the absent monarch. Even if, as recent work has shown, it is not quite advocating surrender to Louis the German, it is certainly not a stout-hearted call to resistance.…”