Who was Judith of Bavaria, Louis I’s second wife?

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Illuminated manuscript portrait of Louis the Pious as a Christian Roman emperor, holding a staff and shield, with Latin text arranged around and over the figure. — Louis I Louis the Pious as a Christian Roman Emperor, portrait from *De laudibus sanctae crucis* by Rabanus Maurus.

Judith of Bavaria was the second wife of Louis I (the Pious). Her marriage to the emperor and the subsequent birth of their son, Charles II (the Bald), significantly altered the political landscape of the Carolingian Empire.1

Louis had previously established a succession plan in 817 intended to keep the empire united under his eldest son, Lothar I. However, Louis’s desire to create a kingdom for his new son, Charles, created deep divisions within the family. This conflict led to civil strife and multiple revolts by Louis’s older sons against their father. During a 833 revolt, Judith and Charles were placed in monasteries, though they were later restored to power after the older brothers’ alliance fractured.1