Charles the Simple
| Charles III the Simple | |
|---|---|
| King of Western Francia | |
 Romantic depiction of Charles the Simple | |
| Reign | 893/898–922/923 |
| Coronation | 893, Reims |
| Predecessor | Odo |
| Successor | Robert I |
| Burial | Abbey of St Fursy |
| Issue | Louis IV of France |
| House | Carolingian |
| Father | Louis II |
| Mother | Adelaide of Paris |
Template:Kings of Western Francia
Charles III (September 17, 879 – October 7, 929), called the Simple or the Straightforward (from the contemporary Latin: Karolus Simplex), was a member of the Carolingian dynasty who ruled as King of France (or Western Francia) from 893 to 922/923.[1]
He was the posthumous son of King Louis the Stammerer and his third wife Adelaide of Paris. Charles first married Frederonne who died in 917 and then Eadgifu, the daughter of Edward the Elder of England, on October 7, 919.
As a child, Charles was prevented from succeeding to the throne at the time of the death in 884 of his half-brother Carloman or at the time of the deposition of the Holy Roman Emperor, his uncle Charles the Fat, in 887. Instead, Odo, Count of Paris, succeeded Charles the Fat. Nonetheless, Charles was crowned by some nobles in 893.[1] Charles became sole king at the age of nineteen upon the death of Odo in 898.
In 911 Charles gave the lower Seine area, eventually known as Normandy, as a fief to the Norse leader Rollo in the Treaty of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte, thereby ending the series of Viking raids into France.
In 922 some of the barons (including Herbert II of Vermandois) revolted and crowned Robert I, brother of Odo, king. In 923, at the battle of Soissons, King Robert was killed, but Charles was also defeated. Rudolph, Duke of Burgundy was elected king, and Charles was imprisoned.
Charles died on October 7, 929, in prison at Péronne (Somme, France) and was buried there at the abbey of St. Fursy. His son with Eadgifu would eventually be crowned in 936 as Louis IV of France and his daughter Gisela was married in 911 to Rollo of Normandy.