[Henderson Note:
A treaty, entered into in 870, regarding the subdivision of the central one of the three kingdoms founded by the treaty of Verdun. It is given here as showing the beginning of the thousand years' struggle between France and Germany for the possession of the border provinces. ]
It was preliminary to the treaty of Mersen.
In the year of the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ 870, on the day before the Nones of March, in the 32nd year of the most glorious king Charles, in the palace at Aix, this agreement was made between him and his brother king Louis.
Count Ingelram on the part of king Charles:
I promise this on the part of my lord, that my lord king Charles consents that his brother, king Louis, shall have such portion of the kingdom of king Lothar, as either they themselves, or their faithful followers among themselves, shall find to be most just and most equable. Neither with regard to that portion nor with regard to the kingdom which he (Louis) before held will he (Charles) deceive or ill-advise him through any fraud or wile, provided that his brother Louis will on his part inviolably observe, as long as he lives, the same steadfastness and fidelity to my lord which I have promised to him on the part of that lord.
Likewise Liutfried on the part of king Louis:
I promise this on the part of my lord, that my lord king Louis consents that his brother, king Charles, shall have such portion of the kingdom of king Lothar, as either they themselves, or their faithful followers among themselves, shall find to be most just or most equable. Neither with regard to that portion nor with regard to the kingdom which he (Charles) before held, will he (Louis) deceive or ill-advise him through any fraud or wile, provided that his brother Charles will on his part inviolably observe, as long as he lives, the same steadfastness and fidelity to my lord which I have promised to him on the part of that lord. In like manner count Theoderic as a third swore to these things on the part of the glorious king Charles, and as a fourth count Ralph on the part of king Louis.
There were present there: archbishop Liutbert, bishop Altfrid, bishop Odo, count Adalelm, count Ingleram, count Liutfried, count Theoderic, likewise a count Adalelm.
Source: (Altmann u. Bernheim, " AusRewahlte Urkunden" p 16) Ernest F Henderson, Select Historical Documents of the Middle Ages ( London : George Bell and Sons, 1896.)
This text is part of the Internet Medieval Sourcebook. The Sourcebook is a collection
of public domain and copy-permitted texts related to medieval and Byzantine history.
Unless otherwise indicated the specific electronic form of the document is copyright.
Permission is granted for electronic copying, distribution in print form for educational
purposes and personal use. If you do reduplicate the document, indicate the source. No
permission is granted for commercial use.
© Paul Halsall, January 2023
ihsp@Fordham.edu
