Editing Carolingian Empire (section)

==Decline (877–888)==
[[File:Ludwigslied Manuscript Valenciennes p. 1+2.jpg|thumb|Copy of the ''[[Ludwigslied]]'', an epic poem celebrating the victory of [[Louis III of France|Louis III of West Francia]] over the [[Vikings]]]]
The empire, after the death of Charles the Bald, was under attack in the north and west by the Vikings and was facing internal struggles from Italy to the Baltic, from Hungary in the east to Aquitaine in the west. [[Charles the Bald]] died in 877 crossing the Pass of [[Mont Cenis]], and was succeeded by his son, [[Louis the Stammerer]] as king of the Western Franks, but the title of emperor lapsed. Louis the Stammerer was physically weak and died two years later, his realm being divided between his eldest two sons: [[Louis III of France|Louis III]] gaining [[Neustria]] and [[Francia]], and [[Carloman, King of the West Franks|Carloman]] gaining [[Aquitaine]] and [[Burgundy (region)|Burgundy]]. The [[Kingdom of Italy (medieval)|Kingdom of Italy]] was finally granted to King Carloman of Bavaria, but a stroke forced him to abdicate Italy to his brother [[Charles the Fat]] and Bavaria to Louis of Saxony. Also in 879, [[Boso of Provence|Boso of Vienne]] founded the Kingdom of [[Lower Burgundy]] in [[Provence]].

In 881, [[Charles the Fat]] was crowned emperor while Louis III of Saxony and Louis III of Francia died the following year. Saxony and Bavaria were united with Charles the Fat's Kingdom, and Francia and Neustria were granted to Carloman of Aquitaine who also conquered Lower Burgundy. Carloman died in a hunting accident in 884 after a tumultuous and ineffective reign, and his lands were inherited by Charles the Fat, effectively recreating the empire of Charlemagne.

Charles, suffering what is believed to be epilepsy, could not secure the kingdom against [[Viking]] raiders, and after buying their withdrawal from [[Paris]] in 886 was perceived by the court as being cowardly and incompetent. The following year his nephew [[Arnulf of Carinthia]], the illegitimate son of King Carloman of Bavaria, raised the standard of rebellion. Instead of fighting the insurrection, Charles fled to [[Neidingen]] and died the following year in 888, leaving a divided entity and a disorderly succession.