Editing Louis the Pious (section)

===Bernard's rebellion and Louis's penance===
[[File:Louis the Pious.jpg|thumb|left|Louis the Pious doing penance at [[Attigny, Ardennes|Attigny]] in 822]]
The ''ordinatio imperii'' of Aachen left Bernard in Italy in an uncertain and subordinate position as king of Italy, and he began plotting to declare independence. Upon hearing of this, Louis immediately directed his army towards Italy, and headed for [[Chalon-sur-Saône]]. Intimidated by the emperor's swift action, Bernard met his uncle at Chalon, under invitation, and surrendered. He was taken to Aachen by Louis, who there had him tried and condemned to death for treason. Louis had the sentence commuted to blinding, which was duly carried out; Bernard did not survive the ordeal, however, dying after two days of agony. Others also suffered: [[Theodulf of Orléans]], in eclipse since the death of Charlemagne, was accused of having supported the rebellion, and was thrown into a monastic prison, dying soon afterwards; it was rumored that he had been poisoned.<ref>''The Frankish Kingdoms, 814–898: The West'', Janet L. Nelson, ''The New Cambridge Medieval History, 700–900'', Vol. II, ed. [[Rosamond McKitterick]], (Cambridge University Press, 1995), 114.</ref> The fate of his nephew deeply marked Louis's conscience for the rest of his life.

In 822, as a deeply religious man, Louis performed [[penance]] for causing Bernard's death, at his palace of [[Attigny, Ardennes|Attigny]] near Vouziers in the [[Ardennes]], before [[Pope Paschal I]], and a council of clerics and nobles of the realm that had been convened for the reconciliation of Louis with his three younger half-brothers, [[Hugh (abbot of Saint-Quentin)|Hugo]] whom he soon made abbot of St-Quentin, [[Drogo of Metz|Drogo]] whom he soon made [[Bishop of Metz]], and Theodoric. This act of contrition, partly in emulation of [[Theodosius I]], had the effect of greatly reducing his prestige as a Frankish ruler, for he also recited a list of minor offences about which no secular ruler of the time would have taken any notice. He also made the egregious error of releasing Wala and Adalard from their monastic confinements, placing the former in a position of power in the court of Lothair and the latter in a position in his own house.<ref name=jong/>