East Francia
East Francia was a successor state to Charlemagne's empire that evolved into the kingdom of Germany.
Contents
History
Charlemagne's empire was torn apart by succession wars. After Louis the Pious died in 840, Louis II (also known as Louis the German) came to rule East Francia.
Louis further partitioned the kingdom into Saxony, Bavaria, and Alemania for his sons upon his death in 876. Charles the Fat, the youngest son and recipient of Alemania, happened to outlive his not just his brothers, but also his cousins in Italy and West Francia. As a result, Charles succeeded in briefly (for about 3 years) reuniting the Carolingian Empire.
When Louis the Child died in 911, the dukes of Saxony, Bavaria, and Swabia intervened to bar Charles the Simple of West Francia from inheriting. They elected the duke of Franconia, Conrad I, to be king instead. Generally this is considered the creation of the kingdom of Germany, as a non-Carolingian had been crowned.
Composition
Charlemagne's empire had dissolved the tribal duchies that had existed in the region. In their place, stem duchies (stammesherzogtum) were established which would outlive the empire and form the basis of political power in the coming kingdoms and empires. They were:
- Saxony
- Bavaria
- Swabia (a.k.a. Alemannia)
- Franconia
- Lotharingia (a.k.a. Lorraine)