Charles II (823-877), or Charles the Bald, ruled the kingdom that later became France. He was a grandson of Charlemagne (Charles I), who had united much of western Europe into a vast empire. Charles II is called Charles I by historians who do not give Charlemagne that title.
Charles II was born on June 13, 823. He and his half brothers Louis the German and Lothair fought a series of civil wars over how Charlemagne’s empire should be divided. Charles and Louis united and defeated Lothair, bringing about the Treaty of Verdun in 843. This treaty gave Charles the empire’s western part, which formed the basis for France.
Charles spent most of his career fighting the Vikings, crushing uprisings of the nobility, and stopping raids from Muslim Spain. He also took over part of the kingdom of Lothair and his descendants, which bordered Charles’s kingdom on the east. In 875, Charles obtained the title Emperor Charles II. He died on Oct. 6, 877.
