Portrait of Charles the Bald

Charles the Bald

King of West Francia from 843 to 877 and Carolingian Emperor from 875 to 877

Lived
823–877
Country
West Francia

Updated September 2026

About Charles the Bald

Charles the Bald was king of West Francia (843–77), king of Italy (875–77) and emperor of the Carolingian Empire (875–77). After a series of civil wars during the reign of his father, Louis the Pious, Charles succeeded, by the Treaty of Verdun (843), in acquiring the western third of the empire. He was a grandson of Charlemagne and the youngest son of Louis the Pious by his second wife, Judith.

Biography from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.

Sources: book lists and dates from Wikidata and Open Library, ratings from Open Library readers. Last updated September 2026.