Ordinatio imperii

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Ordinatio imperii

decree of Louis the Pious

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July 1, 2026

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The Ordinatio imperii was a decree issued in 817 by Louis I the Pious, son of Charlemagne. Its primary purpose was to ensure the unity of the Frankish empire after Louis's death.1234

The decree stipulated that Louis's eldest son, Lothar I, would be the sole heir and joint emperor with Louis. His younger sons, Pippin and Louis the German, were to receive their own kingdoms (Aquitaine and Bavaria, respectively) but would remain under Lothar's general authority. This arrangement aimed to prevent the division of the empire, a practice common among Frankish rulers.1234

However, Louis's second marriage and the birth of another son, Charles the Bald, led to revisions of the Ordinatio imperii, causing internal conflict and civil war among the brothers. Ultimately, the empire was divided among Lothar, Louis the German, and Charles the Bald by the Treaty of Verdun in 843, significantly altering the original intent of the Ordinatio imperii.1235

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Louis I
The challenges of empire
…blueprint for this empire, the Ordinatio imperii of 817, attempted to deal with the centrifugal realities of the regions and Louis’s own family when it prescribed how to maintain the unity of the empire while dividing it among his three sons. Lothar (b. 795) became coemperor with Louis; Pippin (b.…
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…blueprint for this empire, the Ordinatio imperii of 817, attempted to deal with the centrifugal realities of the regions and Louis’s own family when it prescribed how to maintain the unity of the empire while dividing it among his three sons. Lothar (b. 795) became coemperor with Louis; Pippin (b.…
Read More

Lothar I
Under the Ordinatio imperii, a decree issued by Louis in 817 to provide for the unity of the empire after his death, Lothar’s younger brothers, Pippin and Louis (later called the German), were to receive their own kingdoms, Aquitaine and Bavaria, but were to remain under the…
Read More
Under the Ordinatio imperii, a decree issued by Louis in 817 to provide for the unity of the empire after his death, Lothar’s younger brothers, Pippin and Louis (later called the German), were to receive their own kingdoms, Aquitaine and Bavaria, but were to remain under the…
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Germany
The kingdom of Louis the German
…817, however, he issued the Ordinatio Imperii, an edict that reorganized the empire and established the imperial succession. As part of the restructuring, Louis awarded his young son Louis II (Louis the German; 804–876) with the government of Bavaria and the lands of the Carinthians, Bohemians, Avars, and Slavs. Becoming…
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…817, however, he issued the Ordinatio Imperii, an edict that reorganized the empire and established the imperial succession. As part of the restructuring, Louis awarded his young son Louis II (Louis the German; 804–876) with the government of Bavaria and the lands of the Carinthians, Bohemians, Avars, and Slavs. Becoming…
Read More