Editing Odo of France

{{short description|King of West Francia from 888 to 898}}
{{Infobox royalty
|name=Odo
|image= Coronation of King Odo.jpg
|caption= Image of the coronation of Odo of France from the ''[[Grandes Chroniques de France]]'' (13th century)
|succession=[[List of French monarchs|King of West Francia]]
|reign=888–898
|coronation=February 888, Compiègne
|cor-type=france
|predecessor=[[Charles the Fat]]
|successor=[[Charles the Simple]]
|spouse= [[Théodrate of Troyes]] (m. 882)
|house=[[Robertian]]
|father=[[Robert the Strong]]
|mother=[[Adelaide of Tours]]
|birth_date=c. 857 <ref>''Medieval France: An encyclopedia'': "Odo (ca.857-898), King of the West Franks (r.888-898) "</ref>
|birth_place=
|death_date=1 January 898 (aged c. 41)
|death_place=[[La Fère]], West Francia
|place of burial=[[Abbey of Saint Denis]]
|}}

'''Odo''' ({{langx|fr|Eudes}}; c. 857 – 1 January 898) was the elected King of [[West Francia]] from 888 to 898. He was the first king from the [[Robertian dynasty]], the parent house of the [[House of Capet]]. Before assuming the kingship, Odo was the [[count of Paris]].<ref>[[Jim Bradbury]]. ''The Capetians: Kings of France 987-1328''. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2007. p 28-32</ref> His reign marked the definitive separation of West Francia from the [[Carolingian Empire]], which would never be reunited.

==Family and inheritance==

Odo was the eldest son of [[Robert the Strong]], [[Duke of the Franks]], [[Margrave of Neustria]], and [[Count of Anjou]] and Adelaide of Tours.{{sfn|Riche|1983|loc=table 4}}{{efn|It is not universally acknowledged that Odo and Robert were also Adelaide's sons.{{sfn|Jackman|2008|p=42}}}} After his father's death at the [[Battle of Brissarthe]] in 866, Odo inherited the Margraviate of Neustria. Odo lost this title in 868 when King [[Charles the Bald]] appointed [[Hugh the Abbot]] to the title but regained it after Hugh's death in 886. After 882 he was the [[count of Paris]]. Odo was also the [[lay abbot]] of St. Martin of Tours.<ref>[[Ernest Lavisse]], ''Histoire de France'', tome ii. (Paris, 1903)</ref><ref>E. Favre, ''Eudes, comte de Paris et roi de France'' (Paris, 1893)</ref>

In 882 or 883 Odo married [[Théodrate of Troyes]].<ref>Carl Johan Lamm. ''Oriental Glass of Mediaeval Date Found in Sweden and the Early History of Lustre-painting.'' Akad. Förl., 1941. p 41</ref> The eleventh-century chronicler [[Adémar de Chabannes]] wrote that they had a son, Arnoul (c.882–898){{Citation needed|reason=Unreferenced|date=February 2019}}, who died shortly after his father. Guy is named as one of the couple's children in an [[Alan I, Duke of Brittany|Alan I]]'s charter dated 28 August 903, but genealogist [[Christian Settipani]] has argued that the document is false.<ref>Christian Settipani. ''La Préhistoire des Capétiens (Nouvelle histoire généalogique de l'auguste maison de France)''. P. Van Kerrebrouck, 1993. p 402-403</ref>
The genealogical work [[Europäische Stammtafeln]] refers to Raoul as a son of Odo by Théodrate, but its primary source is not known.

==Reign==
[[File:Denier de Blois sous Eudes de France.jpg|thumb|left|[[French denier|Denier]] of King Odo]]
For his skill and bravery in resisting the attacks of [[Vikings]] during the 885–886 [[Siege of Paris (885–886)|Siege of Paris]], Odo was chosen by the western Frankish nobles to be their king following the overthrow of Emperor [[Charles the Fat]].<ref name="EB1911">{{EB1911|inline=y|wstitle=Odo, king of the Franks|volume=20|pages=4–5}}</ref> He was crowned at [[Compiègne]] in February 888 by [[Walter (archbishop of Sens)|Walter]], Archbishop of Sens.<ref>Gwatking, H. M., Whitney, J. P., et al. Cambridge Medieval History: Volume III—Germany and the Western Empire. Cambridge University Press:London(1930)</ref>

Odo continued to battle against the Vikings and defeated them at [[Montfaucon-d'Argonne|Montfaucon]], but was soon involved in a struggle with powerful Frankish nobles who supported the claim of [[Charles the Simple]] to the throne.<ref name="EB1911"/><ref>Jim Bradbury. ''The Capetians: Kings of France 987-1328''. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2007. p 31-32</ref>

In 890 Odo granted special privileges to the [[County of Manresa]] in [[County of Osona|Osona]].<ref>Michel Zimmermann. ''Western Francia: the southern principalities''. In: The New Cambridge Medieval History: Volume 3, C.900-c.1024. Edited by [[Rosamond McKitterick]], David Abulafia, Michael C. E. Jones. p 433</ref> Because of its position on the front line against the [[Moors|Moorish]] aggression, Manresa was given the right to build towers of defence known as ''manresanas'' or ''manresanes''. This privilege was responsible for giving Manresa its unique character, distinct from the rest of Osona, for the next two centuries.{{citation needed|date=June 2018}}

To gain prestige and support, Odo paid homage to [[East Francia]]'s King [[Arnulf of Carinthia|Arnulf]] in 888.<ref>Anthony Guggenberger. ''A General History of the Christian Era: The papacy and the empire.'' B. Herder, 1909. p 162</ref><ref>Paul Edward Dutton. ''The Politics of Dreaming in the Carolingian Empire''. University of Nebraska Press, 1994. p 229</ref> Despite this, in 894 Arnulf declared his support for Charles the Simple, and after a conflict which lasted three years, Odo was compelled to come to terms with his rival and surrender a district north of the Seine to him.<ref name="EB1911"/> Odo died in [[La Fère]] on 1 January 898.<ref>Jim Bradbury. ''The Capetians: Kings of France 987-1328''. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2007. p 32</ref>
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==In popular culture==
A character named ''Count Odo'' is portrayed by Owen Roe<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theagency.ie/owen-roe|title=Owen Roe}}</ref> in the 2013 [[History Channel]]  series ''[[Vikings (2013 TV series)|Vikings]]''. This fictional Odo actually saves Paris from a Viking attack, but is killed before ever succeeding in becoming king.<ref>[https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1285/vikings-tv-series---truths-and-fictions/ worldhistory.org]</ref>

Count Odo appears in ''The Siege of Paris'', the second expansion to the 2020 video game ''[[Assassin's Creed Valhalla]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/assassins-creed-valhalla-the-siege-of-paris-dlc-review|title=Assassin's Creed: Valhalla -- The Siege of Paris - Review|accessdate=August 13, 2021|website=IGN|date=11 August 2021 }}</ref>

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Sources==
*{{cite book |title=Comparative Accuracy |first=Donald C. |last=Jackman |publisher=Editions Endlaplage |year=2008  }}
*{{cite book |title= The Carolingians: A Family who Forged Europe |translator-first=Michael Idomir |translator-last=Allen |publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press |year=1983  |first=Pierre |last=Riche }}

== External links ==
* {{Commons category-inline}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-reg}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=[[Charles the Fat]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[King of West Francia]]|years=888–898}}
{{s-aft||after=[[Charles the Simple]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Conrad I, Count of Auxerre|Conrad]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Count of Paris]]|years=882–888}}
{{s-aft|rows=2|after=[[Robert I of France|Robert]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Hugh the Abbot]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Margrave of Neustria]]|years=886–888}}
{{s-end}}

{{Monarchs of France}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:9th-century kings of West Francia]]
[[Category:850s births]]
[[Category:Year of birth uncertain]]
[[Category:898 deaths]]
[[Category:Burials at the Basilica of Saint-Denis]]
[[Category:Counts of Orléans]]
[[Category:Counts of Paris]]
[[Category:Frankish warriors]]
[[Category:Robertians]]