History’s Most Gluttonous King | Charles the Fat

Charles the Fat was the Emperor of the Carolingian Empire from the years 881 to 887. The Carolingian Empire, a Frankish-dominated realm, spanned much of Western and Central Europe during the Middle Ages, covering modern-day France, Germany, parts of Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, and parts of Spain. This vast empire was founded by the legendary Charlemagne, a renowned warrior-king and military strategist, who spent much of his reign waging wars and Christianizing Europe. Yet, his descendants could never live up to his formidable legacy. Charles the Fat, his great-grandson, was the last legitimate Carolingian Emperor, and is often remembered as inept and ineffective in his rule. His nickname, the Fat, was a reflection of both his physical weight and his gluttony, an unfortunate contrast to his great-grandfather, a towering figure on the battlefield. Charles reigned during a time of remarkable rulers, with contemporaries like King Alfred the Great of England and King Harald Fairhair of Norway. Both Alfred and Harald earned their places in history through military prowess and administrative brilliance. In contrast, Charles the Fat's brief unification of the fractured Carolingian Empire seemed to be a stroke of luck rather than a result of strategy or skill. This is the story of a man who never conquered, and instead, was largely responsible for the final destruction of the Carolingian Empire, an empire that would never be restored. Charles was born in the year 839, the youngest of three sons from Louis the German. During his youth, an unsettling incident of demonic possession was recorded, in which he was said to have foamed at the mouth before being taken to an altar of the church for deliverance. This experience profoundly impacted both Charles and his father. He was described as a very Christian prince, fearing God with all his heart, and keeping his commandments, devoutly obeying the orders of the church, and constantly engaged in prayer and song, always focused on praising God. It is speculated that Charles may have suffered from epilepsy and the incident could have been a seizure. Nevertheless, he enjoyed a privileged upbringing, with all the comforts and education fitting his royal status. Charles' nickname The Fat likely stemmed from his reputed size, although no contemporary records directly reference his physical appearance. Nonetheless, the moniker stuck, becoming part of his historical identity. Plus, enjoy over 60 add-ons like breakfast, snacks, smoothies and drinks to keep you fueled all day long. You can skip the grocery store and have chef-crafted, restaurant-quality meals right to your door. Whether you're craving gourmet options with filet mignon, shrimp and truffle butter, or simple balanced meals, Factor has got you covered. Factor offers flexible plans with 4 to 18 meals per week, and you can pause or reschedule deliveries anytime. With Factor, you save time, money and the hassle of cleaning up. Just heat it and eat it and enjoy. Your support helps me keep the channel running and produce even more great content. So click the link in the description and use my code to subscribe to Factor and contribute. Use the link to get 50% off and free shipping on your first Factor box. Yet, beyond his upbringing, the empire his great-grandfather Charlemagne had built was divided, with his many descendants locked in constant squabbles over its factions, each vying for power. Charles the Fat's father, Louis the German, ruled over the Kingdom of Germany, and the infighting among his brothers set the stage for a legacy of division and civil war within the family. In the year 863, when Charles was around 24 years old, his rebellious eldest brother Charlemagne revolted against their father. The following year, Louis the Younger, the middle brother, joined Charlemagne in the rebellion, and Charles too soon sided with them. The once united family now found three brothers in revolt against their father. The rebellion culminated in the redistribution of lands, which were divided among the brothers. In the year 875, Emperor Louis II, also the King of Italy, passed away. Before his death, he had agreed with Louis the German that Charlemagne would succeed him in Italy. However, Charles the Bald of West Francia invaded the peninsula and crowned himself king, and declared himself emperor. Once again it was kin fighting kin, as the descendants of Charlemagne fought for control of the empire. Louis the German sent both Charles the Fat and Carloman to intervene with armies, but these efforts proved fruitless. Nothing came of the campaigns until Charles the Bald's death in the year 877. With Louis the German dead in the year 876, his inheritance was divided among his sons, with Charles the Fat receiving vast lands in southern Germany. For a rare moment in history of the Carolingian dynasty, the three brothers ruled in cooperation avoiding the wars that typically marred the division of their inheritance. In the year 877, Carloman inherited Italy from his late uncle Charles the Bald. But soon enough in the year 879, Carloman was struck by a debilitating stroke, and he decided to divide his domains between his brothers. Bavaria went to Louis, and Italy to Charles the Fat. Thus Charles became the King of Italy. Pope John VIII must have approved of the new ruler, for he granted Charles the title of the Holy Roman Emperor in the year 881. A year later in the year 882, Louis the Younger passed away, and Charles inherited his northern German lands. Within a mere three years, Charles had transformed from a relatively average king, into an emperor who ruled both Germany and northern Italy. Charles' good fortune continued. In the year 884, Carloman II of France met an untimely end while hunting boar, and as no other legitimate descendants of Charlemagne were fit to rule, it was agreed by June of the year 885 that the French lands would also fall under Charles the Fat's reign. Charles the Fat, a monarch from lower Germany, had expanded his influence to encompass much of Germany, Italy and France, accomplishing this not through conquest, but by outliving his relatives. By sheer luck, Charles had effectively reunited Charlemagne's fractured empire, after nearly a century of familial infighting. Under his rule, he became the Emperor of the Carolingian Empire, and one of the most powerful men in the world at the time. In the early 880s, the remnants of the Great Heathen Army defeated by Alfred the Great began to settle in the Low Countries. Among them was the notorious Viking leader Godfrey, who ravaged Flanders and other cities with his successful raids. However, following these victories, Godfrey swore an oath to Charles the Fat, promising to never again devastate his kingdom. He also embraced Christianity and was baptised, with Charles standing as his godfather. In return, Charles appointed him as the Duke of Frisia. Despite this, other Viking raiders continued to plunder Charles' vast realm. While Frankish regional leaders won several military victories against the Vikings, Charles the Fat's personal response to the invaders was largely ineffective, preferring bribery over confrontation. A defining moment of Charles' reign was the Siege of Paris in the year 885, a pivotal event for both the Carolingian dynasty and the history of France. It underscored the strategic importance of Paris, which at the time was one of the largest cities in West Francia. The Viking raids were led by King Sigfred, Cintric and the legendary Rollo, who would later establish the Duchy of Normandy. In late November of the year 885, the Vikings, with hundreds of ships and possibly tens of thousands of men, arrived outside Paris demanding tribute. Odo, the Count of Paris, refused their demand. Despite commanding only a few hundred soldiers, he fought bravely and earned a significant reputation for his valiant defence. The Vikings, using a variety of siege engines, launched relentless assaults, but the city's walls held firm and after several days, they were unable to breach them. The siege dragged on for months, but the Vikings made no significant assaults after the initial push. Eventually, most of the Viking forces left to plunder further upriver, only to return in the summer for one final unsuccessful attempt to capture the city. In October, Charles the Fat arrived with his army, but much to the frustration of the people of Paris who had endured the siege, he stopped short of confronting the Vikings. Instead, he allowed them to sail away, offering a payment of 700 livres, which is around 257 kilograms of silver as tribute. As Charles became increasingly viewed as weak and ineffective, tensions would reach their peak in the year 887. That year, his nephew Arnulf rose in rebellion, asserting his claim to Germany. Likely weakened by illness, he was formally deposed in the year 887. He did not survive long after his power was usurped, passing away in the year 888. The empire he briefly reassembled quickly fractured into separate kingdoms following his death, and in the ensuing power vacuum, different kings and counts and lords would take control of the separate kingdoms. The once unified empire fell apart, never to be restored. Thus ended the reign of Charles the Fat, marking the final collapse of the Carolingian Empire and Charlemagne's mighty dynasty. I hope you all enjoyed the video. If you did, be sure to like, subscribe and share, and I'll see you all soon for another history profile.