Charles, a grandson of Charlemagne, inherited the western part of the Frankish empire in the Treaty of Verdun (AD 843) at a time of great instability. Viking raiders continued to ravage northern France, and disloyal nobles opposed him, particularly in Brittany and Aquitaine where his brother and nephew rose against him. Another brother, Louis the German, ruler of the eastern Frankish kingdom, invaded Aquitaine in 858 in an attempt to seize it for his son.

Charles was saved by the support of powerful churchmen like Hincmar of Reims. In the 860s his fortunes improved; he began to build fortifications against the Vikings, and recovered control of Aquitaine. In 875 his brother, Emperor Louis II, died and Pope John VIII offered the imperial crown to Charles. Like his grandfather, Charlemagne, he was crowned in Rome. The next two years until his death, however, were marred by warfare between Charles and the sons of Louis the German over imperial lands.

In spite of his difficulties, Charles the Bald revived some of the splendour of the Carolingian Renaissance at his court. He followed Charlemagne’s example, encouraging scholarship and book production. His close relationship with the Church, and his patronage of sacred works of art, enhanced his prestige as a ruler.