Lothair II

For political reasons, his father made him marry Teutberga in 855. Just a few days before his death in late autumn of 855, Emperor Lothair I divided his realm of Middle Francia among his three sons, a partition known as Treaty of Prüm. Lothair II received the northern part of Middle Francia: a territory west of the Rhine stretching from Frisia on the North Sea to Upper Burgundy along the Jura Mountains. His elder brother Louis II received the title of Emperor and rule over Carolingian Italy, while the youngest brother Charles received the southwestern part of his father's domains, including Lower Burgundy with the Provence.^[4]

On the death of his brother Charles in 863,^[5] his realm was divided between his brothers, and Lothair thus annexed some additional Burgundian lands south of the Jura to this realm. Except for a few feeble expeditions against the Norman pirates, he seems to have done little for the government or defense of his possessions. Thirty-six of Lothair II's royal charters survive.^[6]

Teutberga was not capable of bearing children and Lothair's reign was chiefly occupied by his efforts to obtain an annulment of their marriage, and his relations with his uncles Charles the Bald and Louis the German were influenced by his desire to obtain their support for this endeavour. Although quarrels and reconciliations between the three kings followed each other in quick succession, in general it may be said that Louis favoured annulment, and Charles opposed it, while neither lost sight of the fact that Lothair had no sons to inherit his lands. Lothair, whose desire for annulment was prompted by his affection for his mistress, Waldrada, put away Teutberga, but Hucbert took up arms on her behalf, and after she had submitted successfully to the ordeal of water, Lothair was compelled to restore her in 858. Still pursuing his purpose, he won the support of his brother, Emperor Louis II, by a cession of lands and obtained the consent of the local clergy, such as Adventius of Metz, to the annulment and to his marriage with Waldrada, which took place in 862.

A synod of Frankish bishops met at Metz in 863 and confirmed this decision, but Teutberga fled to the court of Charles the Bald, and Pope Nicholas I voided the decision of the synod. An attack on Rome by the emperor was without result, and in 865 Lothair, threatened with excommunication and convinced that Louis and Charles at their recent meeting had discussed the partition of his kingdom, again took back his wife. Teutberga, however, either from inclination or compulsion, now expressed her desire for an annulment, and Lothair went to Italy to obtain the assent of the new pope, Adrian II. Placing a favourable interpretation upon the words of the pope, he had set out on the return journey, when he was ill from Malaria or from a Fever and died at Piacenza on August 8, 869.^[7]

Since Lothair's son Hugh, born by Waldrada, was declared illegitimate, his closest legitimate heir was his brother, emperor Louis II. As Louis was at that time campaigning against the Emirate of Bari, Lothair's kingdom was quickly seized by the West Frankish king Charles, who was crowned on 9 September (869) at Metz and also took possession of Aachen. The emperor protested, claiming his brothers inheritance, and the pope supported the emperor, while the East Frankish king Louis also refused to accept Charles as the sole ruler of Lothair's realm. In order to suppress emperor's claims, kings Charles and Louis entered into negotiations that were conducted throughout the spring and summer of 870. By the Treaty of Meerssen, that was concluded on 9 August (870), Charles agreed to cede eastern half of Lothair's kingdom to Luis. Thus, a year after Lothair's death, his realm was abolished and divided between his uncles.^[8]

Lothair's realm was recreated by emperor Arnulf in 895, for his son, king Zwentibold (d. 900), and later evolved into the Stem Duchy of Lotharingia, that existed until 959/965, when it was divided in two distinctive jurisdictions, one for the norther half, known as the Duchy of Lower Lotharingia, and the other for the southern half, known as the Duchy of Upper Lotharingia (later known just as the Duchy of Lorraine).^[9]

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  Seal of king Lothair II
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  Charter of king Lothair II

Lothair II had some sons and probably three daughters, all by Waldrada, and all of whom were declared illegitimate:

• Hugh (c. 855–895), Duke of Alsace (867–885)
• Gisela (c. 865–908), who in 883 married Godfrey, the Viking leader ruling in Frisia, who was murdered in 885, and married secondly Dietrich of Ringelheim
• Bertha (c. 863–925), who married Count Theobald of Arles (c. 854–895), nephew of Teutberga. They had two sons Hugh of Italy and Boso of Tuscany. After Theobald's death, between 895 and 898 she married Adalbert II of Tuscany (c. 875–915), having with him at least three children: Guy, who succeeded his father as count and duke of Lucca and margrave of Tuscany; Lambert, who succeeded his brother in 929 but lost the titles in 931 to his half-brother Boso of Tuscany; and a daughter named Ermengard.^[10]
• Ermengarde (d. 90?)
• Odo (d. c. 879)^{[citation needed]}