[March 1] Lothair, king of West Francia

Richard II, duke of Normandy (right), and Lothair, king

of France (left), with the abbot of Mont Saint Michel

Parents: Louis IV, king of the West Franks, and Gerberga of Saxony

Date of Birth: 941

House: Carolingian

Spouse: Emma, daughter of Lothair II, king of Italy, and Adelaide of Burgundy

Reign: 954 – 986

Predecessor: Louis IV

Summary: Nothing is known of the childhood of Lothair. He became king at the age of thirteen and was under a guardianship led by the duke of the Franks, Hugh the Great, who had advised his father during his reign. Lothair grew up with Hugh's son, also named Hugh, who would soon become the king of the Franks once Lothair's own young son died childless. Lothair was given full powers of kingship at thirteen, a rare feat, and his major problem initially was with the duke of Normandy, who sought land in the north of France. Hugh the Great died in the siege of Poitiers in 955 and Lothair acted as mediator between his two sons, granting the younger Hugh the title duke of Paris and the younger son, Otto, the title duke of Burgundy. Meanwhile, Lothair's guardianship was transferred to Bruno, the archbishop of Cologne.

Lothair formally came of age in 959 and wasted little time in angering all his vassals. Baldwin III of Flanders bequeathed the entirety of Flanders to the young king but it took him many years to secure the lands. Lothair then rashly invaded Lorraine and almost captured Emperor Otto II at the old Carolingian capital city of Aachen. Otto reverse-attacked and invaded France, destroying everything in his path to Paris. He was eventually forced to retreat and took heavy losses by Lothair's allies. The king and the emperor finally made peace in 980 and Lothair was appointed guardian over Otto's son, Otto III, in 983. Lothair invaded Lorraine again in 985 and this time took four prominent captives. He attempted to fortify the duchy against another attack by Germany but the local archbishop and Hugh refused to support his decision. The king was forced to release his prisoners and his campaign in Lorraine ended. The final year of Lothair's life was miserable. Barcelona was asked by the caliph of Córdoba and Lothair could not provide any resources to assist the local count. This permanently severed fealty ties between France and the Spanish March. Lothair died knowing that Hugh was the true king of West Francia and that he had become a mostly powerless figurehead. The truth of that realization would come in year when his son died, leaving all of France to Hugh and his progeny.

Date of Death: 1 March 986

Successor: Louis V

Other Monarchs Who Died Today:

• Valerius Valens, emperor of Rome (317 CE)
• Stephen II, king of Hungary (1131)
• Thomas I, count of Savoy (1233)
• Buyantu, emperor of China (1320)
• Amadeus VI, count of Savoy (1383)
• Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor (1792)
• Nicholas I, king of Montenegro (1921)