Henry at Court: Cognomina Mania 2! Quiz

Answer: The Hammer

The Frankish custom of dividing land inheritances between all heirs was a factor in perpetuating weakness and division in the empire. This is a lesson that we pages hear over and over again! Eventually the true power in France was held by the Mayor of the Palace, who was handed more and more power, becoming the most important Frankish official. Charles "The Hammer" is probably the most important Mayor of the Palace in history; in 732, he organized an army that was successful in defeating the advancing Arab army at the Battle of Tours.

Although the Battle of Tours did not drive the Arab army from Europe once and for all, it did stop the advance of the army in France and drive then out of the country. Charles was never crowned king. However, he did begin to establish feudalism in France (which has some similarities to our system of government and protection); his son is considered to be the founder of the Carolingian Dynasty.

Answer: The Short

Upon his death, Charles Martel divided his empire between his two sons, Carolan and Pepin. My Lady, the Countess of Warwick, always scolds us pages when we give each other silly nicknames, and now I understand why. People today are still debating the origin of this nickname; many believe that his family members were actually pretty tall, and his name should have been Pepin The Younger. Pepin is considered to be the first Carolingian king of the Franks.

He is probably best known for coming to the aid of the Pope and the subsequent Donation of Pepin, a tract of land that he gave to the Church.

It's always a good thing to be on the side of God! By the way, Pepin was married to Bertrade Broadfoot! Some of us have theorized that she may have been born with a clubfoot.

Answer: The Bald

This is where Frankish history can become rather confusing. After the death of Louis I, the land was divided among his three sons, thus forming the Western, Middle, and Eastern Kingdoms of Francia. What is confusing? Each of the kingdoms has a separate list of rulers, some with the same name and number! Oy! Charles The Bald, one of the many Franks named Charles, ruled the Western Kingdom, which is now called France.

The machinations between he and his brother Louis, that were aimed at their brother, Lothair, were the focal point of his reign.

Their grandfather's (Charlemagne's) great kingdom was divided into three separate kingdoms, and led to problems that still aren't settled today, according to Sir William. He told us that every statue or picture he has ever seen of Charles shows him with a full head of hair. Perhaps the cognomen was a reference to an early lack of land in comparison to his brothers. Or - maybe he was really hairy and someone just had an odd sense of humor!

Answer: The Great

Charlemagne was admired so much, that even his contemporaries called him Charlemagne! Was this name due to his size? It is well-known that height ran in his family, and has been written that his height was seven times the length of his foot. Or was it due to the way he conducted himself and expanded and ruled what became a vast empire? His goal to recreate the Roman empire led to the establishment of an efficient government.

In addition, as he conquered parts of the fallen Roman empire, the people were converted or reintroduced to Christianity, which also expanded the domain of the Church.

His focus on learning led his people to a short-lived Renaissance. Trust me - it is a lot easier to read with the upper AND lower case letters that were formed by his scribes!

Answer: The Lame

At the time of the Battle of Tolbiac, there were two main groups of Franks. Clovis I, considered to be the first King of the Franks, was the leader of the Salian Franks, and Sigobert was the leader of the Ripuarian Franks. Sigobert was apparently wounded in the knee during the battle, and became known as Sigobert the Lame. And that is not the worst part of the story! Shortly after the Battle, Clovis I had Sigobert's own son, Chlodorich, kill his father! Upon finding the deed accomplished, Clovis killed Chlodorich and claimed his kingdom for himself, thus uniting the two groups of Franks.

Answer: The Stammerer

Poor boy! Called Louis le Bègue, or The Stammerer, Louis was the oldest son of Charles the Bald, and only lived for two years after his father died. Described as "a sweet man", (who wants to be remembered like that!) Louis had two sons who both eventually ruled as King of West Francia.

Sir William reminded us that not all of the cognomina we hear were assigned by those who actually knew the person. Centuries later, it is unknown as to whether Louis actually stammered according to our definition of the speech impediment today.

Answer: The Pious

As Charlemagne's empire grew, he began to allocate areas of land for his sons to rule. The oldest son, Carloman, became King of Italy and was renamed Pepin; Louis, the younger son, became King of Aquitaine. By the time of Charlemagne's death, Louis was the only surviving son.

Although an effort was made to teach Louis the ends and outs of ruling such a large empire, there was a lot to learn. In addition, as the cognomen implies, Louis was more interested in religion than government; apparently Louis attempted to banish anyone that he viewed as immoral at court, and tried to make monastic reforms.

He was also called "The Fair" and "The Debonair".

Answer: The German

One of the three sons of Louis The Pious, Louis II signed the Strasbourg Oath (842) with his brother, Charles the Bald, where they agreed to work together to oppose the rule of their older brother Lothair, who was the ruler of the entire empire after the death of their father.

The Oath is historically significant; written in French, Latin, and German, it is symbolic of the future division of the Frankish Kingdom into what is called France and the Kingdom of Germany today. The Eastern Frankish Kingdom, also called East Francia, that was formed in 842, was ruled by Louis II.

Many sources say that he was the most competent ruler out of Charlemagne's three grandsons, protecting his people from numerous attacks from Vikings, Slav, Hungarian, and others.

Answer: The Simple

Here is another example of how a cognomen can misrepresent an individual. I mean, who wants to be remembered as being stupid? Charles III was called "Carolus Simplex", which translates as either The Simple, The Straightforward, or The Guileless. I would choose the last translation, wouldn't you? Sir William said that he heard that the monks of Saint-Bénigne in Dijon gave Charles the name because of his kindness and almost saintly demeanor.

Other monks, however, called him Charles the Sot, that is, The Stupid, so I guess the opinion is divided.

As the King of West Francia, Charles III chose to negotiate with the Viking, Rollo, creating the Duchy of Normandy, in exchange for cession of raiding and protection from other Viking attack. Unfortunately, Charles was overthrown in 922, as his nobles were fearful of what they saw as the Norsemen threat, and was imprisoned until his death in 929.

Answer: Transmarinus

When Louis IV became King of West Francia, he literally traveled from overseas! While he was born in West Francia, his mother, Eadgifu, was from Wessex. During the time when his father, Charles the Simple, was dethroned, Louis and his mother fled to Wessex, where he was brought up as an Anglo-Saxon.

After the death of his father Louis was asked to return to West Francia, however, he was fifteen years old and didn't even speak his subjects' language. Hugh the Great was appointed as his regent, and it was darn hard to get rid of when the time came! Lothair, the son of Louis, inherited the throne upon his father's death in 954. Sir William told us a story about Louis being severely injured when he tried to capture a wolf he saw while riding down a road.

He said the wolf was really a supernatural creature, a "plague" and the death of the King was payment for war atrocities and disrespect to the Church. It was said that the plague followed the King's son and grandson as well.